Telemundo Television Interview about Alphabet Amigos Children's Book

I was recently featured on a Telemundo Segment for the Accesso Total Television Show. I was interviewed by Host Marylin Ponce in Spansih about my latest picture book Alphabet Amigos

FunnyZen Studio- Design and Apparel Brand

 

Well I'm happy to announce that I've taken my artwork and created FunnyZen Studio- Brand Etsy shop. The shop will feature themes of humor, tranquility, peace and kindness. These are themes I frequently pursue in my illustration work. I want to use this opportunity to spread smiles and love with the brand. So laugh in peace my friends. 

Angel M. Alvarez Illustration- Portfolio Reel 2020

             "I am a product of my own unique combination of influences throughout my life. The work that resonates with me as an artist is my fuel, and it is important to surround myself with this inspiration. We can only produce work to the level of quality that we have observed. Our mentors are the artists that we admire, and they left lessons for us in the work they produced. As artists, we must be lifelong learners, continuously evolving and searching for knowledge and inspiration in the world. " - Angel M. Alvarez- Excerpt from my MFA thesis. 

 

Alphabet Amigos Dual Language ABC Picture Book

Alphabet Amigos- Dual Language Children's Book Early Childhood Education. 

              I'm so happy to announce that after years of working and refining this book it's finally being published Fall 2020 by Vinal Publishing Inc. I was inspired to create this book for my son, who grew up speaking two languages.  The book is unique in that, not only is it bilingual, but all the words start with the same letter in both english and spanish. This is a great book for bilingual children and their families. It's also a great way to introduce the spanish language to kids. I tried to showcases the similarities between the two languages.

The book is about Armadillo the artist and his animal friends. All the characters in the book have interesting personalities and adventures. The book highlights all the words that start with the same letter in both languages.

The book can be purchased HERE with the official release being November 21, 2020.

Alphabet Amigos by Angel M. Alvarez. Dual Language Children's Book (English and Spanish) Ages 3-5

Angel M Alvarez Illustration Featured in The Illustrators Journal

     I was recently featured in The Illustrators Journal, which is pretty cool! A big thanks to Lon Levin for making this happen.  Lon approached me about doing the interview a while back and I was honored to be included. Below is the cover and some of the spreads from the article. Check out the illustrators journal for some great interviews with both established and emerging illustrators. In the article I give a shout out to North Broward Preparatory School where I teach, my friends at the De Vita Academy of Art, and my alma mater University of Hartford MFA Illustration Program.

Angel M. Alvarez Illustration- The Illustrators Journal Spread 1 

Angel M. Alvarez Illustration- The Illustrators Journal Spread 2

         Every year the Florida Chapter of SCBWI  host the rising kite illustration competition for Florida illustrators. This years prompt was "Help is on the way" I explored various options in my sketchbook and finally settled on this thumbnail. My idea was a bunch of animal firefighters heading toward a fire in the city. I pictured them going down these rolling hills with the city in the background. My favorite part of the idea was having this huge giraffe sticking out of the top of the firetruck.

Angel M Alvarez illustration. thumbnail 

After researching all components of this illustration and drawing all the characters, this is the image I came up with.

Angel M. Alvarez- pencil drawing rising kite 2020

Finally at this point, I just had to paint the image. I'm happy that I attended SCBWI Florida again. It's a very supportive and positive environment. This illustration ended up getting second place in the competition and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

Angel M Alvarez- SCBWI illustration - second place rising kite 2020

James the Magnificent Dragon Children's Book

           I just finished illustrating James the Magnificent Dragon for Children's Book Author Rachel Bardon.  It's a sweet little story about a boy that loves dragons so much that he starts turning into one. James eventually reveals to his friends that he is a dragon, but he is still the same wonderful little boy on the inside. This was a fun project to work on, so I thought I would show some of the steps I take to illustrate a book like this. 

        I start off by trying to find my design for the main characters. In this case I began drawing James and figuring out what all his dragon friends would look like. 

Angel M Alvarez- Illustrator- Character Designs for Children's Book James The Magnificent Dragon

I then go on the "Thumbnail" the entire book to make sure I have a plan for the flow and compositions of all my spreads. I try to have variety in my designs and think about how each page flows with the entire book. All my sketches are kept rough and loose. The main goal of this critical step is to come up with a visual plan for the entire book. 

Thumbnails for "James the Magnificent Dragon" by Rachel Bardon

Once I thumbnail the entire book and figure out what my characters look like, I move on to drawing the entire book. Below is a pencil drawing of one of my favorite spreads, James flying with all his dragon friends. I have to make sure in this phase that all the characters stay consistent. This part is very important because the pencil drawing is the foundation for the painting. 

Pencil Drawing for James the Magnificent Dragon

Before I actually paint the illustration, I always do a quick color study to have my color pallet set before painting begins. While I'm establishing my color pallet, I also make sure the my value structure is correct and the I have contrast in my compositions area of interest. 

Color Study and Value Study for James the Magnificent Dragon

 Finally, after all this work has been completed I can move on the the final painting.

Dragons Flying Spread for James the Magnificent Dragon- Illustrated by Angel M Alvarez 

South Florida Summer Camps and Afterschool Cartoon Drawing Workshops

SOUTH FLORIDA CARTOON DRAWING WORKSHOPS:
           I present this fun and entertaining class for artist of all ages!
Students work through character designs and a finished illustration while learning solid cartoon drawing techniques. The class covers the foundations of cartooning and drawing, from constructing characters, line of action, and getting the proper proportions to designing appealing characters. 

TOPICS COVERED:
Shape based cartoon drawing
Cartoon Character Construction
Drawing the head and facial expressions
Drawing Cartoon Hands
Drawing a balanced character
Line of Action and drawing a clear pose

LARGE GROUP DRAW ALONG:  I lead a group of students in drawing a Cartoon character of their choice. They draw exactly what I’m drawing and end up with a drawing of their own. I bring a large easel and pad, or projection system. 2nd grade and up is best for this activity and session takes 30 minutes to draw a character. 

 MATERIALS:
A digital projector, an easel, a whiteboard or chalkboard. Students should have regular copy paper, and pencils and erasers to follow along with the drawing techniques.

HOW TO SCHEDULE WORKSHOP:

 I can present at Summer Camps, Afterschool Programs or Company team building exercises for artist of all levels.
Please contact me to schedule your next Cartoon Drawing Workshop. 

Angel M. Alvarez Cartoon Drawing Workshops in South Florida. Learn to Draw Cartoons, schedule
 your summer camp or after school program today. 

Cartoon Drawing/ Illustration Workshop Hosted by Angel M. Alvarez M.F.A in Davie, Florida

I've been hosting a series of workshops on Cartoon Drawing and Illustration in Davie, Florida. Students that register receive a story prompt in order to work through character design ideas and a finished illustration. Students may substitute their own story for the class prompt. This is a flexible environment designed to help students develop fundamental drawing skills and how to compose images based on visual storytelling. 

The topics I cover are typically: 

• Shape based Character design
• Cartoon Character Construction
• Construction of the head and facial expressions
• Drawing Cartoon Hands
• Drawing a balanced character
• Line of Action and drawing a clear pose and silhouette

• Composing and Creating full spread
• Exploring Thumbnails and conceptualizing image.
• Gathering reference
• Drawing a background with characters

Angel M. Alvarez Illustrator hosting workshops at the De Vita Academy of Art 

Angel M. Alvarez working with Students at the De Vita Academy of Art

Cartoon Drawing Studio- Youtube Channel

              I'm happy to announce that I recently launched Cartoon Drawing Studio Youtube Channel. The channel was created to help art students learn how to draw cartoons. There are lessons for beginners and provide step by step instruction on drawing some appealing cartoon characters.

I share the process for drawing cartoon characters in a classical structured style and take viewers through the very basic constructions and initial stages of drawing the cartoon figure for every video. I focus on structure and show techniques young artist can apply to drawing other characters. 

Check it out at this link: CLICK HERE

Angel M. Alvarez Illustrator. Created Cartoon Drawing Studio for young artist

Teaching Digital Art and Animation

         I've started teaching Digital Art and Animation at North Broward Preparatory School. Its a pretty great school and the only apple certified school in Florida. Since my artwork is created primarily in digitally media, I will be teaching digital art using adobe photoshop. I also have a passion for animation, and I'm very excited to be teaching the principles of animation, motion graphics and 2D animation. I have been a lifelong student of the arts and I seek to instill that passion in aspiring artist.I believe an art teachers role is to help develop each individual students interest and passions through their artwork. At the same time, young art students need to develop a solid foundation, while exploring a variety of techniques in order to find their voice as an artist. 

I've also created a Youtube Channel to Showcase my students work: CLICK HERE to View

MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford

So I graduated with my Master in Fine Arts in illustration from the University of Hartford.   My experience with the MFA program was great and I feel it did help me grow tremendously as an artist. I returned from the second summer super pumped to create artwork. Everything I had in my thesis show was made after the second summer. I think as artist, it is natural to have highs and lows and there were a lot of moments where I felt a lot of pressure to come up with something great for the show. I wanted to push myself as far as possible. 

Angel M. Alvarez Illustration- Alphabet Amigos ABC Children's Book Sample Illustrations 

I think, I gained the most from the faculty critiques, conversations with my classmates and listening to the guest speakers. I came to realize that all these great illustrators would say the same thing over and over again. Thumbnail and explore ideas, create color studies, make sure your value structure is spot on and get solid reference. But the most important thing I heard repeatedly was "Make artwork that You LOVE". I think that was a wonderful lesson that will stick with me for a lifetime of making art. 

I'm excited to see what challenges come my way moving forward. 

Angel M. Alvarez- Father and Son Adventure Series Sample Illustrations

Father son Adventure Series Knights and Dragon

I've been working on my father son adventure series. This one is me and my son as knights getting ready for battle against a dragon. This is a combination of traditional drawing with digital colors.

Angel M. Alvarez Illustration, Father and Son Adventure Series, Dragon and Knights Illustration

Character Design Logos- Angel M Alvarez Illustration

I love creating these character Designs for Logo work. Here is an example of the process I go through from initial sketch, to tight sketch. I also do a quick color study to make sure the color is in harmony before I finalize image. 

Angel M. Alvarez- Illustrator Logo Design Process- Everglades Logo

I've created several Character logos for various companies. I love doing these. 

Academia as Literary Agent

              I am pleased to announce that I recently signed with Academia Cultural to represent me as my literary agent with the goal of publishing my dual language children’s book. Academia Cultural works with some spectacular authors, illustrators and musicians that are passionate about developing multicultural and linguistically authentic art and literary programs for children. Company Founder, Luis Orozco, Jr has extensive experience in bilingual children's media.

              This started a few weeks ago when I attended Yuyi Morales book signing in Miami, FL. She is the author/illustrator of Viva Frida (McMillan Publishers) that received a Caldecott Honor. I had my three year old son with me who was a bit impatient sitting through the presentation, so we had to step out in the middle of the event to buy a cookie. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to talk to her afterward and she signed a book for my son, she is an incredibly talented artist. While at the event I also met Luis Orozco, Jr and showed him some of my work. We had a tough time talking with my three year old son vying for my attention. I reached out to Luis after the event and we secured a collaboration to have Academia Cultural represent me as my literary agent. My son was the inspiration behind the book I wrote; so I’m glad he was by my side, tugging at my shirt and calling my name, when I secured this step in my illustration career. 

www.academiacultural.com

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”- Paulo Coelho

Importance of diversity in children's books



             As the Director of an early childhood center and the father of a three year old boy, I’ve come to appreciate the first five years of a child's life as critical in laying down the foundation for future health and happiness. A child’s relationships, experiences and environment are central in shaping their view of the world. Picture books help shape that view. Books teach children lessons about life, compassion and how to understand the world. With all the intolerance circulating in our country, children’s books are more important than ever to help break the cycle of fear. Unfortunately, there is a huge diversity gap in children’s publishing. Although 37% of the US population are people of color, only 10% of children’s books published in the past 21 years depict multicultural content. I want my son to be able to identify with the characters in the books he reads and I want him exposed to books that reflect the diversity of our society. When children see diversity in cultures and people in the books they read they can break free of the ignorance, prejudices and stereotypes that blind so many.  

Angel M. Alvarez- Spot Illustration for SCBWI Member newsletter

Giraffe Baseball Pitcher Illustration

I love baseball and drawing animals. So here is a mashup of an unlikely giraffe pitching machine. I love developing these characters. This illustration was painted in acrylics with some color pencil details.

Angel Miguel Alvarez- Giraffe Baseball Pitcher Illustration

Texas Trip Oil Painting

I recently went on a trip to Fort Worth, Texas. I was surrounded by cowboy imagery, horses and a few saloons. I got do see the work of famed western illustrator Frederic Remington and got to attend my first Rodeo. I've always loved drawing cowboys so I got the idea to paint my son and I robbing a bank in the wild west.

Some Photo Reference for Bank Robbery Painting

Angel Miguel Alvarez- pencil drawing for "Texas Bank Robbery" Painting

Angel Miguel Alvarez illustration- Final Oil Painting for "Texas Bank Robbery" oil Painting 

Advanced Illustration Class for Graduate School

The new director for my MFA Program is the amazing C.F. Payne. He did a demo for us at a recent contact period and I got to try out his painting technique. He uses a combination of acrylics, watercolors, oils and colored pencils. He kept encouraging us to experiment, artist have to continuously try new things in order to grow. He said "the only one that takes a risk when creating art is the piece of paper, if it does not work out you can just throw it away." I also got some great feedback from all star illustrator Gary Kelley throughout the week encouraging me to push value, create interesting shapes and push the contrast in my work. It was an incredibly inspiring week and I'm eager to get in the studio and start experimenting.




Angel Alvarez Painting for Advance Illustration Class with C.F. Payne and Gary Kelley

Angel Alvarez- Mixed Media Illustration

University of Hartford- MFA Illustration Class of 2017

D3 Art and Design Expo- Illustration Presentation

This year I had the pleasure of presenting at the D3 Art and Design Expo, an interdisciplinary conference & expo hosted by The School of Entertainment & Design Technology at Miami Dade College. I presented to students and design professionals on a variety of illustration processes and techniques. Was really fun to hang out with art students and discuss how to overcome the challenges that many artist face.

Discussing the pencil stage of an illustration