Rafael López's Blog, page 14
September 24, 2014
Finding my Rhythm with the Drum Dream Girl
My seventh children's book
Drum Dream Girl
for Harcourt Houghton Mifflin now rests in the hands of the printer. The stirring poetry of
Margarita Engle
illuminates the life of a brave ten year old Chinese-African-Cuban girl who was able to break the island's taboo against female drummers. A lyrical, inventive Cuban-American author, Margarita is the first Latina to ever win a Newberry honor and likes to write about independent thinkers ahead of their time. I'm a huge fan of her immensely powerful written words and the chance to work with this poetic text exceeded my expectations.
Amazing author Margarita Engle
and I re-connect at the
2014 Pura Belpré ceremony
My own journey with Milo our heroine, began in the summer of 2013 where most of my books begin in the basement of our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At an old wooden table stained with the colors of past books, next to the washer and dryer, with dozens of crickets offering their opinions all at the same time. During this process I found a small garden snake in the wastebasket next to my desk stuck to the used masking tape. The little guy was thirsty and my son and I nursed the creature back to health then let it go in a nearby field. Much like the snake when you start a book you sort of crawl on your belly through tall grass looking for the right path.
Early sketch searching for Milo
Finding Milo
As you can see in the early sketches for the book I had to search for Milo. At this point in the process I first lose myself in the text. What's so captivating about Margarita's poetic words is that they literally open doors beckoning me to try new things. Her poetic style gave me the freedom to invent as well as children the chance to do their own dreaming.
As an illustrator I don't want to reveal all the details too soon but stay in step with the unfolding story giving young readers the opportunity to fill those spaces in. As the prose unfolds jungle animals and objects bring dimension to the words. The story of this young girl reminded me of my own mother's struggles. She was in the first generation of female architects in Mexico and faced so much resistance even from her own family. In order to pursue her studies she took several side jobs and told her parents she was taking sewing classes. Her courage and persistence opened the glass ceiling. She successfully entered a male dominated profession in a traditional culture. I also grew up with three sisters and considered their relationships to each other when developing Milo's sisters who were part of an all girl band.
To channel Engle's words I realized early on that I needed to think abstractly. To switch from something concrete to abstract and back again. To dance intuitively between the two, criss-crossing the river of abstraction. I wanted to connect these two aspects of Milo's story and switch back and forth from reality to dreams. For this reason, on some spreads the moon has a face and sometimes it doesn't. When Milo dreams imaginary animals appear but at other times real creatures like a parrot whiz by during her walk in the park.
It really all begins by sketching, sketching and more sketching to develop the main character and all I can say is that you just know when it feels right. There's a great deal of research to get the facial expressions correct and craft her personality. As an artist I've always embraced the challenge of conveying the emotions of a character. When I designed the Latin music legends stamps for the U.S. Postal Service I needed to infuse the images of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena and Carlos Gardel with the energy and spirit of their music. Creating portraits that resemble photos has never interested me and I'm more intrigued to find the nuances that make each face like a unique thumbprint. I worked with Margarita and searched books and the Internet for images of Milo and her band of sisters in Cuba.
I gathered many images and made a mood board to post in my workspace. At every opportunity I work to live in my characters skin. I keep on drawing till I clearly hear Milo's voice whispering in my ear when I go to sleep. This determined young girl had her own destiny to fulfill and along that path were twists and turns. I try to imagine how my character moves through the world and tune in to that beautiful struggle.
For this book I wanted to explore surrealistic ideas and get experimental with the visual elements. I was determined to not be chained to reality and spent many afternoons out with my camera exploring. On one of these walks I ordered homemade Mexican chocolate with whipped cream and multi-colored sprinkles for my young son. He got this far-off look in his eye that motivated me to continually search and document those dreamy expressions on the faces of children. These photographs and sketchbook observations really informed the gaze and features of young Milo.
I wanted to do something different with this book so I changed my palette. The more subdued colors and one of the spreads were a tribute to the work of one of my illustration heroes, the self taught Mexican caricaturist and artist Miguel Covarrubias. There are many night scenes in this book as it speaks to the dreaming of Milo. In the plant life of one jungle scene spread you can find echoes of Henri Rousseau. Many influences play into my thinking and dreaming for this book.
The proofs looked solid and I'm dreaming of our books release in 2015.
Amazing author Margarita Engleand I re-connect at the
2014 Pura Belpré ceremony
My own journey with Milo our heroine, began in the summer of 2013 where most of my books begin in the basement of our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At an old wooden table stained with the colors of past books, next to the washer and dryer, with dozens of crickets offering their opinions all at the same time. During this process I found a small garden snake in the wastebasket next to my desk stuck to the used masking tape. The little guy was thirsty and my son and I nursed the creature back to health then let it go in a nearby field. Much like the snake when you start a book you sort of crawl on your belly through tall grass looking for the right path.
Early sketch searching for Milo
Finding MiloAs you can see in the early sketches for the book I had to search for Milo. At this point in the process I first lose myself in the text. What's so captivating about Margarita's poetic words is that they literally open doors beckoning me to try new things. Her poetic style gave me the freedom to invent as well as children the chance to do their own dreaming.
As an illustrator I don't want to reveal all the details too soon but stay in step with the unfolding story giving young readers the opportunity to fill those spaces in. As the prose unfolds jungle animals and objects bring dimension to the words. The story of this young girl reminded me of my own mother's struggles. She was in the first generation of female architects in Mexico and faced so much resistance even from her own family. In order to pursue her studies she took several side jobs and told her parents she was taking sewing classes. Her courage and persistence opened the glass ceiling. She successfully entered a male dominated profession in a traditional culture. I also grew up with three sisters and considered their relationships to each other when developing Milo's sisters who were part of an all girl band.
To channel Engle's words I realized early on that I needed to think abstractly. To switch from something concrete to abstract and back again. To dance intuitively between the two, criss-crossing the river of abstraction. I wanted to connect these two aspects of Milo's story and switch back and forth from reality to dreams. For this reason, on some spreads the moon has a face and sometimes it doesn't. When Milo dreams imaginary animals appear but at other times real creatures like a parrot whiz by during her walk in the park.
It really all begins by sketching, sketching and more sketching to develop the main character and all I can say is that you just know when it feels right. There's a great deal of research to get the facial expressions correct and craft her personality. As an artist I've always embraced the challenge of conveying the emotions of a character. When I designed the Latin music legends stamps for the U.S. Postal Service I needed to infuse the images of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena and Carlos Gardel with the energy and spirit of their music. Creating portraits that resemble photos has never interested me and I'm more intrigued to find the nuances that make each face like a unique thumbprint. I worked with Margarita and searched books and the Internet for images of Milo and her band of sisters in Cuba.
I gathered many images and made a mood board to post in my workspace. At every opportunity I work to live in my characters skin. I keep on drawing till I clearly hear Milo's voice whispering in my ear when I go to sleep. This determined young girl had her own destiny to fulfill and along that path were twists and turns. I try to imagine how my character moves through the world and tune in to that beautiful struggle.
For this book I wanted to explore surrealistic ideas and get experimental with the visual elements. I was determined to not be chained to reality and spent many afternoons out with my camera exploring. On one of these walks I ordered homemade Mexican chocolate with whipped cream and multi-colored sprinkles for my young son. He got this far-off look in his eye that motivated me to continually search and document those dreamy expressions on the faces of children. These photographs and sketchbook observations really informed the gaze and features of young Milo.
I wanted to do something different with this book so I changed my palette. The more subdued colors and one of the spreads were a tribute to the work of one of my illustration heroes, the self taught Mexican caricaturist and artist Miguel Covarrubias. There are many night scenes in this book as it speaks to the dreaming of Milo. In the plant life of one jungle scene spread you can find echoes of Henri Rousseau. Many influences play into my thinking and dreaming for this book.
The proofs looked solid and I'm dreaming of our books release in 2015.
Second Mural for Lurie Children's Hospital in downtown Chicago
Excited to create a second mural for Lurie Children's Hospital in downtown Chicago. Grateful to be part of their important work to speed healing to children.
August 5, 2014
July 22, 2014
Finding my rhythm with the Drum Dream Girl
My seventh children's book
Drum Dream Girl
for Harcourt Houghton Mifflin now rests in the hands of the printer. The stirring poetry of
Margarita Engle
illuminates the life of a brave ten year old Chinese-African-Cuban girl who was able to break the island's taboo against female drummers. This lyrical, inventive Cuban-American author is the first Latina to ever win a Newberry honor and likes to write about independent thinkers ahead of their time. I'm a huge fan of her immensely powerful written word and working with this poetic text exceeded my expectations.
Amazing author Margarita Engle and I
re-connect at the
2014 Pura Belpré ceremony
My own journey with Milo our heroine, began in the summer of 2013 where most of my books begin in the basement of our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At an old wooden table stained with the colors of past books, next to the washer and dryer, with dozens of crickets offering their opinions all at the same time. During this process I found a small garden snake in the wastebasket next to my desk stuck to the used masking tape. The little guy was thirsty and my son and I nursed the creature back to health then let it go in a nearby field. Much like the snake when you start a book you sort of crawl on your belly through tall grass looking for the right path.
Early sketch searching for Milo
Finding Milo
As you can see in the early sketches for the book I had to search for Milo. At this point in the process I first lose myself in the text. What's so captivating about Margarita's poetic words is that they literally open doors beckoning me to try new things. Her poetic style gave me the freedom to invent as well as children the chance to do their own dreaming.
As an illustrator I don't want to reveal all the details too soon but stay in step with the unfolding story giving young readers the opportunity to fill those spaces in. As the prose unfolds jungle animals and objects bring dimension to the words. The story of this young girl reminded me of my own mother's struggles. She was in the first generation of female architects in Mexico and faced so much resistance even from her own family. In order to pursue her studies she took several side jobs and told her parents she was taking sewing classes. Her courage and persistence opened the glass ceiling. She successfully entered a male dominated profession in a traditional culture. I also grew up with three sisters and considered their relationships to each other when developing Milo's sisters who were part of an all girl band.
To channel Engle's words I realized early on that I needed to think abstractly. To switch from something concrete to abstract and back again. To dance intuitively between the two, criss-crossing the river of abstraction. I wanted to connect these two aspects of Milo's story and switch back and forth from reality to dreams. For this reason, on some spreads the moon has a face and sometimes it doesn't. When Milo dreams imaginary animals appear but at other times real creatures like a parrot whiz by during her walk in the park.
It really all begins by sketching, sketching and more sketching to develop the main character and all I can say is that you just know when it feels right. There's a great deal of research to get the facial expressions correct and craft her personality. As an artist I've always embraced the challenge of conveying the emotions of a character. When I designed the Latin music legends stamps for the U.S. Postal Service I needed to infuse the images of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena and Carlos Gardel with the energy and spirit of their music. Creating portraits that resemble photos has never interested me and I'm more intrigued to find the nuances that make each face like a unique thumbprint. I worked with Margarita and searched books and the Internet for images of Milo and her sisters band in Cuba.
I search for images and make a mood board then post it in my workspace. Each time I work to live in my characters skin and keep drawing until I clearly hear Milo's voice whispering in my ear when I go to sleep. She had her own destiny to fulfill and along that path were twists and turns. I want to imagine how my character moves through the world and tune in to her beautiful struggle.
For this book I wanted to explore surrealistic ideas and get experimental with the visual elements. I was determined to not be chained to reality and spent many afternoons out with my camera exploring. I was out with my son and ordered this homemade Mexican chocolate with whipped cream and multi-colored sprinkles. Santiago got this dreamy look in his eye and that motivated me to search for those expressions on the faces of children.
I wanted to do something different with this book so I changed my palette. The more subdued colors and one of the spreads were a tribute to the work of one of my illustration heroes, the self taught Mexican caricaturist and artist Miguel Covarrubias. There are many night scenes in this book as it speaks to the dreaming of Milo. In the plant life of one jungle scene spread you can find echoes of Henri Rousseau. Many influences play into my thinking and dreaming for this book. I look forward to it's release in 2015.
Amazing author Margarita Engle and Ire-connect at the
2014 Pura Belpré ceremony
My own journey with Milo our heroine, began in the summer of 2013 where most of my books begin in the basement of our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At an old wooden table stained with the colors of past books, next to the washer and dryer, with dozens of crickets offering their opinions all at the same time. During this process I found a small garden snake in the wastebasket next to my desk stuck to the used masking tape. The little guy was thirsty and my son and I nursed the creature back to health then let it go in a nearby field. Much like the snake when you start a book you sort of crawl on your belly through tall grass looking for the right path.
Early sketch searching for Milo
Finding MiloAs you can see in the early sketches for the book I had to search for Milo. At this point in the process I first lose myself in the text. What's so captivating about Margarita's poetic words is that they literally open doors beckoning me to try new things. Her poetic style gave me the freedom to invent as well as children the chance to do their own dreaming.
As an illustrator I don't want to reveal all the details too soon but stay in step with the unfolding story giving young readers the opportunity to fill those spaces in. As the prose unfolds jungle animals and objects bring dimension to the words. The story of this young girl reminded me of my own mother's struggles. She was in the first generation of female architects in Mexico and faced so much resistance even from her own family. In order to pursue her studies she took several side jobs and told her parents she was taking sewing classes. Her courage and persistence opened the glass ceiling. She successfully entered a male dominated profession in a traditional culture. I also grew up with three sisters and considered their relationships to each other when developing Milo's sisters who were part of an all girl band.
To channel Engle's words I realized early on that I needed to think abstractly. To switch from something concrete to abstract and back again. To dance intuitively between the two, criss-crossing the river of abstraction. I wanted to connect these two aspects of Milo's story and switch back and forth from reality to dreams. For this reason, on some spreads the moon has a face and sometimes it doesn't. When Milo dreams imaginary animals appear but at other times real creatures like a parrot whiz by during her walk in the park.
It really all begins by sketching, sketching and more sketching to develop the main character and all I can say is that you just know when it feels right. There's a great deal of research to get the facial expressions correct and craft her personality. As an artist I've always embraced the challenge of conveying the emotions of a character. When I designed the Latin music legends stamps for the U.S. Postal Service I needed to infuse the images of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena and Carlos Gardel with the energy and spirit of their music. Creating portraits that resemble photos has never interested me and I'm more intrigued to find the nuances that make each face like a unique thumbprint. I worked with Margarita and searched books and the Internet for images of Milo and her sisters band in Cuba.
I search for images and make a mood board then post it in my workspace. Each time I work to live in my characters skin and keep drawing until I clearly hear Milo's voice whispering in my ear when I go to sleep. She had her own destiny to fulfill and along that path were twists and turns. I want to imagine how my character moves through the world and tune in to her beautiful struggle.
For this book I wanted to explore surrealistic ideas and get experimental with the visual elements. I was determined to not be chained to reality and spent many afternoons out with my camera exploring. I was out with my son and ordered this homemade Mexican chocolate with whipped cream and multi-colored sprinkles. Santiago got this dreamy look in his eye and that motivated me to search for those expressions on the faces of children.
I wanted to do something different with this book so I changed my palette. The more subdued colors and one of the spreads were a tribute to the work of one of my illustration heroes, the self taught Mexican caricaturist and artist Miguel Covarrubias. There are many night scenes in this book as it speaks to the dreaming of Milo. In the plant life of one jungle scene spread you can find echoes of Henri Rousseau. Many influences play into my thinking and dreaming for this book. I look forward to it's release in 2015.
July 19, 2014
New Mural for Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Please click on the mural to view it large
July 15, 2014
Brilliant Book Benches
In 1999 I helped create the Benchmark Project in the East Village of San Diego as part of the Urban Art Trail. Here are some of the artistic benches created by local artists that were auctioned off to raise funds for Art Education programs.
I was thrilled to see these beguiling book benches now gracing the streets of London. What an incredible idea to promote literacy by paying tribute to stories like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan, Through the Looking Glass and other stories linked to London. The inventive book shaped benches created in connection with Wild in Art by professional illustrators and local artists will be auctioned off in October to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust. Their objective is to build literacy levels for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Here are a few photos with thanks to photographers who posted their shots of London on Instagram. To see all the benches visit the Books About Town website. Brilliant!
pic.twitter.com/4LSyuAXnFK on Instagram
Diedre on Instagram
shayneejay on Instagram
shayneejay on Instagram
I was thrilled to see these beguiling book benches now gracing the streets of London. What an incredible idea to promote literacy by paying tribute to stories like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan, Through the Looking Glass and other stories linked to London. The inventive book shaped benches created in connection with Wild in Art by professional illustrators and local artists will be auctioned off in October to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust. Their objective is to build literacy levels for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Here are a few photos with thanks to photographers who posted their shots of London on Instagram. To see all the benches visit the Books About Town website. Brilliant!
pic.twitter.com/4LSyuAXnFK on Instagram
Diedre on Instagram
shayneejay on Instagram 
shayneejay on Instagram
July 14, 2014
July 8, 2014
Poster Poster
Thanks to Poster Poster for featuring the ReImagine poster I created for the Americas Latino Eco Festival on Poster Monday yesterday. Fresh type design by Lulubi Garcia. Seemed like a good time to look back at some of the other posters I've created over the years for a variety of organizations, political and social causes. The idea is the important thing when coming up with a poster. I start by thinking about the audience and how to communicate a message with impact.
Americas Latino Eco Festival Series
When working on a series like the Americas Latino Eco Festival I wanted to find a fresh approach as so many concepts had already been tried. Although I observe trends my goal with these posters was to search for simple, concise ideas that would send a message.
THE IDEA COUNTS
I start with lots of words and thumbnail drawings to get the ideas flowing. The five Rs of conservation are reduce, reuse, recycle, restore and replenish. I played off this mantra by adding to that list with reflect, re-flourish, reawaken and re-imagine.
GET CONSISTENT
Once I had these themes I was challenged to unite the poster series yet keep each individual poster compelling. I decided to design a background element and leaf/teardrop shape that is a repeating element used in different ways. You can find it in the bird wings, flower petals, tears and leaves. Then I consistently implemented textures I had photographed in my hometown of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to add emotion to the posters. The deconstructed type designed by Lulubi Garcia is also a unifying element.
COLOR AND TEXTURE
The posters below became official campaign posters of the 2008 and 2012 campaigns targeting Latino voters. I employed textural affects and motifs this demographic would connect to. Latinos have no chromphobia so my approach to color was to interpret the vision and determination of the President in vibrant hues they would relate to. I spend long hours developing painting techniques and photographing textures that I can add digitally to my compositions.
2008 Obama Election Campaign
2012 Obama Re-election Campaign
One World, Many Stories Reading Program for Kids
National Book Festival Poster
San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival
Southern California Fire Relief
Bird Day Illustration for a poster. Type design by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Gil and Lobo Concert Poster
Gator by the Bay
Read Across America Poster Illustration. Type by CTA.
Latino Film Festival PosterJuly 2, 2014
Librarians take over Vegas!
!Viva Las Vegas and Books!I've always been drawn to unusual juxtapositions and this past weekend 13,000 librarians, authors, illustrators, publishers, agents, teachers and book fans descended on Vegas for the ALA Convention.
Here's some photos to document the weekend.
At the 2014 American Library Association Conference I enjoyed the opportunity to connect with old and new friends, sign books and bring home a Pura Belpré honor for illustration of Tito Puente Mambo King, El Rey del Mambo.
Two exceptional women -Literary Agent Stefanie Von Borstel and HarperCollins Senior Editor Rosemary BrosnanI'm so grateful to the well organized, enthusiastic team at of our publisher Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins who artfully arranged every detail at the conference and made this book happen. Gracias Rosemary Brosnan, Patty Rosati and all of the dedicated individuals who crafted an unforgettable celebration.
Friends at the Pura Belpré Party the night before 
Pura Belpré honoree, extraordinary author Margarita EngleGrateful to attend the Pura Belpré celebration with my amazing literary agent Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary. Thanks to author Monica Brown and agent Adriana Dominguez who were there with us in spirit.
"In this vibrant, bilingual portrayal of Tito Puente, the King of Mambo, Rafael López conveys the rhythm and movement of this musical legend through the use of bold colors, swirly lines, and carefully placed word art".
Lastly to the Association for Library Service to Children/American Library Association's Pura Belpré Committee for their kind words and for recognizing this book I painted to pay tribute to a legendary musician.
July 1, 2014
New Posters for Americas Latino Eco Festival
I was asked to conceptualize and design this series of four posters for the Americas Latino Eco Festival September 11-15, 2014 in Boulder Colorado. I teamed up with a talented young Latina designer and 2014 design grad Lulubi Garcia of San Diego who crafted the fresh type. Looking forward to painting a mural with young people to further the vision of this organization. ALEF is an environmental campaign of Americas for Conservation + the Arts to strengthen the voice of the Latino community on issues relating to climate change and environmental justice.
