As the year begins, I thought I’d give you a run down of what I am working on, comic – wise (the other projects, that are illustration only, will come later I think)
Gradients Ugly Holiday Sweater Party
Visit the Gradients Ugly Holiday Sweater Party and decide who wins!
Gradients Begins
If you are one of my Patreon, you already know the misadventures of Romeo during his first day of College. However, I’ve also shown you art of a bunch of other people who share the world with him, and it’ time to know HOW he meet them, in a completely new Gradients serialization, that will start the first week of December on Tapas.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the Patreon strips will stop. They will continue as always, and will follow Romeo and the gang between the pages of the Tapas serialization.
The first week will have daily updates from Monday to Friday, and after that, you can follow Gradients every Tuesday.
Like and subscribe at: tapas.io/series/GradientsComic
Gradients Halloween Party
As I go back to the daily color sketch, I decided it would be fun to see what the characters in Gradients would dress as for a Halloween party, since well, that way you can get to know them better. It was really, really fun to draw and choose every costume, even if some required a bit more research than others.
Romeo went as Dorian Grey (the Penny Dreadful Version), Rene went as Elizabeth Bennet (From Pride and Prejudice AND Zombies), Xolotl as Steve Harrington and Izqui as the Demogorgon (from Stranger Things), Luisa as Jeannie II pretending to be Jeannie (from I dream with Jeannie), Honesty as an Axolotl, Henry and Aria as Waldo and Carmen San Diego, and Noemi as Luna Lovegood (From Harry Potter).
Thanks for 100 posts
100 posts in Calico Chimera and it’s all thanks to you guys. I mean, there aren’t many comments as I write this, but I know you’re reading and watching (thank you site statistics), so I really wanted to thank you all with some illustrations. And well, let you know what’s on the cards for the next 100 posts!
First of all, I really want to make this site a bit more interactive, so let me know what you want to see from me, ok? Second, let’s take a look to those illustrations (and their stories and what’s on their future)
Irene Doll, the girl who started it all. She wasn’t my first original character, but she was the first one I published professionally (meaning, I got paid!). Her story is kind of done, but I still have one extra surprise for those who miss her. (Check my newsletter for MORE information on that) Oh, btw, she was the 31 drawing for Inktober, with the prompt Slice.
I hope you guys are familiar with Robin and his magical messenger Gavin. Robin still hates that I draw him as a girl more often than not, but well, not my fault! He looks pretty. I hope to finish issues 4 – 6 next year, so you can follow his adventures at the Dream Keeper Robin page in Tapas. Or buy the books at my store and at cons!
Maria and the Traveling Seers had a bit of a vacation for two years, so it’s time for them to get back in the field. Murphy was kind enough not to eat the flowers until I was finished with the drawing. You can read all about this supernatural baseball team at Traveling Seers in tapas.
Romeo and I have a long story. The magazine where his story appeared was the first one I edited professionally, but his personal story was filled with executive meddling. So now in Gradients, I have the freedom to tell it as it was. For now, you can read the strips at my Patreon (one for free every month, three for $1.00 USD per month), but in 2019 I have planned to publish the longform story (And yes, mexican readers, THAT question you’ve been asking since 2002 WILL be answered)
And finally, Lily. She came to me in a dream, and I have been writing and redoing her story for two years now. But thanks to my new editor, Amy Zunk, it’s starting to take shape so you all will get a chance to meet her and her crush Raz in 2019. I promise!
If you want to know more about how these projects are advancing, as well as others that are still in the starting stages, please consider joining my newsletter (link on the column to the right) for free! I swear I don’t spam.
And once again, thank you so much for joining me in this adventure, I really appreciate every single one of your views!
Gradients Too
I’ve talked about Gradients (previously Abre Una Ventana), very recently. Just when I was announcing the beginning of the strips on Patreon, I made a series of most of the main cast for Instagram, that I am sharing here again.
Aria, Henry, Moonbeam Honesty, Luisa, René, Romeo, and Xolotl look a bit different when I make them in traditional techniques, but they’re still my beloved kids.
Gradients
Around 15 years ago, I was called by my editor at Vanguardia Editores, Mr. Arnulfo Flores (R.I.P.) to tell me about a new magazine he was launching. The magazine, Saga Shojo, was a huge risk for mexican market: one that would be run by women, with only stories by women and only women collaborators. And he wanted me to be the editor, and to make a story “like Friends”. I was all up for editing, but there was a small problem… I hated Friends.
There were other problems (such as the resistance to more LGBT+ friendly stories from both audience and editing staff), but I created Abre una Ventana (Open a Window. Long story that has to do with my love for musicals), and la Saga Shojo had the love of the readers for about 10 issues. (Well, less according to sale numbers, but due to mr. Flores’s faith and stubborness, we lasted 10 issues). And while the others stories closed, I left mine open ended because I hadn’t finished with the characters.
In 2006, I tried to relaunch it with the Oubilette magazine. But due to time, and other situations, I couldn’t get past issue 2.
Still, I didn’t forget Romeo and the gang. And so now I can tell you all that I have written the whole story (22 chapters of 16 pages each, more or less) , and while I am drawing it, I am doing small strips with the characters, that am posting in Patreon, once a week. First strip of the month is free for all, the other three are for Patreons starting at $1.00 USD.
So, I hope you all like it, and trust me, you will be seeing more of the gang around here too.
And of course, I hope you follow me in Patreon too! 😀