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