More colours, more patterns...

Now we are in Veracruz. It's been the best idea ever. Colin was overwhelmed with the music and the general happiness and energy around.
A bit too much music sometimes. Sitting in the portales we can hear on one side a mariachi band, on the other one a marimba and in front a norteño group. But after a while is fine.
I've got a beautiful tan and the kilos keep accumulating. Bad bad bad.

Luchas

We went to see the Lucha Libre on Friday. I discover a new hero: Mistico. He is actually the hero of the people. When they announced his entry to the ring everybody went crazy, specially the ladies. He is amazing, a real athlete and great glapper. Unfortunately he and his friend Dos Caras ended up flying through the air, landed on the first row and Dos Caras ended with a broken arm so their other pal, La Parka couldn't alone with the baddies. Great fun.

La Maquina del Tiempo

Name: Leonel Sagahon
Who's he?
Crazy designer and a very very lovely friend. He recently had an exhibition of his 15 years as a professional designer. He has made millions of posters and millions of books. He showed me the last collection he's designing for all the books of Carlos Fuentes each one better than the other.
Unfortunately none of the Maquinos have website or blogs anything to link them with! dammit.

name: Alejandro Magallanes
Who is he?
A crazy designer, artist, animator and much more... He is one of the most prolific creators I know. His posters and books are everywhere in Mexico and he's won I don't know how many prizes and awards around the world, I think he won a super award in Bologna this year.
He gave me one of his last creations, Castaneda, that yellow guy above and showed me his amazing animations that are showing right now on TV and in some exhibitions he's had. He is in the process of making a feature animation for next year.

He also showed me one of the books he illustrated last year which is one the publisher took away from me! I can't be angry with him. The book was fantastic as everything he does.
Magallanes along with his other two associates in La Maquina del Tiempo are very critical and aware of politics and injustice so they spend a good deal of time and effort making posters and other stuff to support movements and criticise the baddies.

patterns, graphics...

We are back to Mexico city after spending a couple of days in Guanajuato. The place is fantastic! so many colours and patterns and stuff.

It's hooooot!

Just to think that in London is still winter. Everybody still wearing gloves, scarves, hats etc while we are suffering sunburns and happiness. So far we've been in Mexico city, Michoacan and Jalisco.
In Michoacan they always write with the first letter in red and the rest of the word in black. I love that idea. I'm filling my eyes of colour, my stomach of food and my camera with images of my lovely friends.

Artists books

Just two more days to go to sunny Mexico and instead of washing clothes, start packing or something more useful I dedicated most of the day to bookbinding. I've always enjoyed that process even though it's quite hard.
Imperfection is my surname. They are made of wrong prints so the pages are a mistery, pieces of images that never got to a frame.

T'ai Chi lesson

I went to my teacher's studio to have a private lesson. We had fun taking pictures of ourselves like the traditional portraits of the student and the master. I will use them now that I'm also updating my t'ai chi website.
By the way, my art portfolio website is ready. You are very welcome to take a look at it.

IF: heavy

This is the moment in which Machete learned that the diet didn't work and that if he does not go back to hard training he will never be able to use bikinis again.

Postcard

As part of the renewal of the image of my website and blog I also printed today postcards with my website. The colours are not quite right, but I like it anyway.

Anatomy lessons

Sometimes I go to the sauna & steam rooms which I find incredibly interesting. Not just because there may be like 5 different languages speaking loud at the same time or because some of the women bring the wigs into the steam room etc. It's because it's been like going to a life drawing class but without paper and pencil.
I've seen the most amazing bodies and I have to retain that in the memory and draw them when I come back home.
So now you know. Next time you go to a steam room and someone is staring at you it may be an illustrator and you've been a model for a bit.

Artist interview: Colin Moore

I've got an idea. I'm going to interview all my artist friends and put them here for all of you to read. The first one is my Scotsman!

What are you working on now?
I’ve started a new series of linocuts about a place on the Essex coast called Mersea.
It’s full of crazy old house boats and rickety walkways under a big breezy sky.
As usual I am printing editions of completed prints and I have an oil painting frowning at me from across the studio.
I’ve started research for my new book Propaganda Prints and hope to start writing when we get back from Mexico in April.

What is your favourite medium/ technique?
The one I’m working with now.

Describe the most accomplished piece of art you’ve ever made.
It was an amazing ship with twenty three funnels drawn on the lid of a shoebox. I was three years old. It was the first drawing I ever did and is still the best.

Have you achieved happiness?
Yes. I have been happy as often as I have been unhappy. I am happy now.

What’s next?
I have no idea.

work work work

Time for Colin to use the press. We are working like mad before we go to the sun.

The flying eagle

I am having troubles with this print. I'm not sure about the colours. I think maybe the blue has to have more white and the orange more red. But also I'm not sure about the second option... AAARRRGH, maybe I've been working too much this weekend. I'll watch a DVD now or play tekken or something.

Navajas Gonzales VS Machete Velasco

And here is the second print of the Luchadores series. I'll put it in the shop later today in case anyone is interested in purchasing it. Make a queue please.