Cuentos del Árbol - Giveaway Time! :D

Well well well, the french bureaucracy strikes again. I've just spent over seven hours in the office to finally get my carte de séjour (meaning that I'm able to stay in the country without worrying for a while); instead, I was sent back home to further worry about changing plane tickets, going to the embassy again, getting a different visa, probably changing status AND having a new appointment in OCTOBER. This whole thing will be over a year old by then.

Still. While I was sitting there, to be productive, I started storyboarding a project and I painted this. And I love it. And I want to share it to make someone else's life happier as it did for me and my day. SO.

During the next days, I shall tweet this constantly (if you don't follow me on twitter yet, come right this way). To those who Follow and ReTweet (RT in Twitter slang) those tweets, will earn a chance to win a print of this piece, in beautiful 5.5x8.5'' and maybe (maybe!, if I find the proper frame) framed, and have it delivered on their doorstep with pretty french postage before I go home for Comic-Con and stuff. We'll keep going tweeting and adding names to the list until June 12, when I shall post the video of a tiny kid getting the name randomly picked - probably in exchange of a lollipop. That kid does nothing for free, you know... :)

So! Are we game? You know how to play! Who wants this Tales by Tree Print?

Los zorrillos bebés son lindos

Light is a beautiful thing. I'm a sucker for lightning, I just love it! I think this is my favorite part of being able to illustrate stuff: being able to play with lightning and color in different images... and the worst is that right now, I'm working (on top of two commissioned projects from which I hope to report soon) on three personal ideas that have all to do with lightning. But particularly the newest. Which is my favorite. Obviously.

This one has got a much softer, dawnish feel to it in real life. I should scan it when I have the chance.

Now I'll get back to work on the second personal piece of the day. I've got a special surprise for you guys on that one... so I'd better finish it soon!

Morrison for Manzarek

This happens to me a lot. I create something with an objective in mind, and I work hard at it and I sketch A LOT and then life happens. And I move to the next project and I forget about the last. Just now, I realized that I'm working on two projects (officially) and got an unfinished children's horror story, two ideas for two BD's that I'm developing at the same time, a street art secret project and several pieces for my portfolio.

This one shouldn't stay forever in my hard drive. It was created last year, in hopes of creating a set of pieces for De Films en Aiguille, who in co-production with Chez Eddy are preparing my dream project of Les Fantomes de Pere Lachaise. And I wanted to show them that if anyone loves to draw in cemeteries - particularly THAT ONE (as you probably know if you follow my blog) - is me.

Since then, I started doing everything I described just now. I painted this, created a whole bunch of character designs for Edith Piaf, Georges Melies and Colette - and I didn't finish it. If they called me now and said "Hey Erika, we'd love it for you to get paid to paint in one of your favorite places on earth", I totally would.

However, with Ray Manzarek's death today, I got reminded (AGAIN) that we don't have time. We're moving. My dad is a huge The Doors fan, and this is why (again, as you know) I've been a flower child since birth. I've known this organ solo by heart since I was a baby. So it's time to share and let it out of the hard drive.

Maybe one day I can do a BD on Pere Lachaise.

Maíz Transgénico en México

It's time to let out the roots.

México is going through quite a lot right now. However, among the many problems, one of the harshest right now is the threat of the introduction of transgenic corn to the country. Greenpeace can explain better than I can everything this would mean; however, I'm taking advantage of being able to do what I can do to create my grain of sand in the protest. Many artists, activists and people in general are trying to defend this vital part of our economy, our alimentation and our cultural heritage (in many ways!!). I'm joining in.

So here's the goddess Chicomecóatl, one of the many incarnations of the corn in azthec mythology. It's THAT important.

Ok, para los hispanoparlantes, creo que es obvio de qué se trata esto - pero por si acaso, explico brevemente. México enfrenta en estos momentos la amenaza del maíz transgénico, y mucha, mucha gente - incluyendo activistas, artistas, Greenpeace mismo - están intentando llamar la atención a este problema para poder detenerlo. Por tanto, creo que me toca también alzar la voz a mi manera para ayudar, por más pequeña que sea.

Hela aquí: la diosa Chicomecátl, una de las muchas encarnaciones del maíz en la mitología azteca. Se trata de defender nuestro país, nuestra alimentación y nuestra cultura misma.

¿Cómo le va?

Boy, I've neglected the blog! That's good news for me because it means that I'm busy painting, but I missed you guys...

Do you remember last year when I was doing a series of tributes for Francisco Gabilondo Soler, "Cri-Crí"'s music? Well, I thought it was about bloody time to pick it up again. So today I sat down and procrastinated my work doing this piece, for "¿Cómo le va?" or "How do you do?"

It's basically about this really well mannered, coquettish squirrel that greets everybody in the forest as she walks around in the forest. However, since watching this video when little, for me she doesn't jump around - she DANCES in the forest. And hence, this image.

See you around n.n