Graphic Design Illustration Storytelling Latin Art

Design

Escape

by

Escape

ESCAPE is a kinetic typography motion graphic that reenacts the escape scene from Themysicra in the Wonder Woman (2017) film directed by Patty Jenkins through kinetic typography

Believe In the Wonder

Wonder Woman has been an icon for women everywhere for over 80 years! She pioneered heroism, strength, courage, and truth in a world dominated by male superheroes since December 1941.

In Puerto Rico, La Mujer Maravilla was televised with Lynda Carter in the lead role and my mom was one of many who grew up watching her save the day with compassion and love. I took after my mom and fell in love with the character (she legit gave me the entire tv show collector’s edition DVD set for my 14th birthday) alongside Sailor Moon (she also had me watch the anime as a child) since lead female heroes were scarce during my childhood.

Given all of that history, of course, I wanted to help other people believe in the wonder through my art. It just wasn’t easy since I did not feel like I was good enough to draw or create anything based on her character. I was honestly in my head a bit too much.

Inspiration

When Patty Jenkins released her DC Live-Action film based on Wonder Woman, I was screaming. I mean I actually stood up in the theater and screamed “WONDER WOMAN!!!” during the big reveal scene at the crossing of No Man’s Land. When Steve Trevor explained that they could not save everyone, Diana simply replied, “No, but it’s what I’m going to do.” and I lost my marbles!

Anyways, don’t mind my fan-boy moment. Actually, this entire project is a fan-boy moment. However, instead of that landmark scene, I was more inspired by a subtle and emotional scene in the film when Diana escapes Themysicra with Steve Trevor in tow.

This scene is in my opinion one of the most important in regards to the development of Diana’s character as it correctly portrays one of Wonder Woman’s top qualities, her compassion and willingness to sacrifice. She fully knew that by leaving her home paradise island in order to save man’s world, she would let go of everything she ever knew and would never be allowed to return. This act is what separates Wonder Woman from her contemporaries, in that she did not choose to be a hero because of a tragedy she suffered, loss, or any other outside influence that could have driven her. She did it because it was the right thing to do. As she stated when her mother said that she may never return,

“Who will I be if I stay”.

Reference

I chose the exact scene when Diana escapes the island in the clip listed above. As for the color, there were a lot of blue-filtered scenes throughout the film, especially in the scene I chose. This gave me a good foundation for the color palette, along with the gold highlights from Wonder Woman’s iconic armor design.

The island background also provided a great soundscape to work off of as I utilized the sounds of the tide coming in to connect to the character’s departure to sea.

As for the font, Trajan was an appropriate choice designed in 1989 by Carol Twombly for Adobe and based on Roman square capitals. Given the more Greek influence of the mythology behind the heroine’s character origins, I wanted to touch on some of this without being too on the nose, hence the Roman font rather than a direct connection to Greece.

Process

I had to choose which moments to emphasize, like when Queen Hippolyta states, “They do not deserve you.” Given that the conversation was brief, I had to highlight the impact of what was said and how some of it would return at later parts of the film.

After a lot of back and fourth, I was happy with what phrases I chose and sketched out my ideas. I also included that water ripple effect I mentioned earlier at the very end. The effect was tempting to use more than once, but again this scene is subtle and elegant and the design should emulate that feeling while expanding on the weight of the conversation. This ideology informed my choice to use the water ripple effect at the end of the conversation upon Diana’s departure.

Develpoment

ESCAPE Kinetic Typography Video

Lourdes Radiology

by

Lourdes Radiology

  • Personal Work
  • Vector Illustration
  • Brandon Rodriguez

LOURDES RADIOLOGY is a website on Park Bom (BOM) celebrating her debut song Spring.

2NE1 and the Legacy of Female-led Groups in the music industry

Music has been an important part of my life since my childhood, and girl groups hold a very special place in my heart for their songs about love, independence, and belief in oneself. One such group from the K-Pop scene of South Korea epitomized these themes, paving the way for all-girl groups that would come after.

The prolific 2NE1 is comprised of Park Bom, Sandara Park, Minzy, and the self-proclaimed “baddest female” CL leading the group. It was this girl group’s 2009 debut that introduced the United States and many other countries to K-Pop music. However, they have since disbanded, and have forged their own solo careers that continue to inspire fans like myself today.

The long-awaited return of their former lead vocalist, Park Bom was especially exciting! This was her solo debut and first appearance in the public eye since the 2016 disbandment of the group. In celebration of her return, I set out to design a few pieces inspired by the music video of her debut song Spring.

Inspiration

In my earlier years as a traditional artist, I feared using color in any of my work. With sketchbooks full of charcoal, graphite, and ink drawings, the use of color simply did not fit in. I did not understand it. Everytime I used it in a piece I permanently messed it up. And I just…no

When I finally discovered vector art at fourteen in my graphic design vocation class, color suddenly became a possibility. Through trial and error I found myself moving in the opposite direction of my style as a traditional artist from highly detailed black white, and grey drawings, to restricted two or four bold color illustrations that popped off the screen. I doubted myself often, and spent countless hours reworking edges, and curves trying to emulate fluid movements even at points of juncture at edges. It was not until I came across the work of Malika Favre that I began to trust my instincts.

Favre exhibits effortless splashes of color in provocative and at times subtle vector illustrations in magazines, promotional packaging, and motion graphics. The French artist inspires me to trust my process, and allow myself to have fun along the way.

Malika Favre

Reference

This gif shows the moment from the music video that I found most inspiring, and would eventually reference. The crimson jacket and lips, strands of hair frayed aside from the well styled body, and her eyes looking above and then outward together  indicate a struggle. The white oval zipper tag represents the purity of familial bonds, whilst the red all around it represents the all consuming hate that surrounded them.

Process

Working from reference provides a strong platform to build upon. Although, I believe as a designer we sometimes need to strip away the safety of a balanced experience in order to provoke the truest emotions and convey purer messages.

In my process I embark on a journey of discovering what the piece wants to become, and how I want to communicate that identity with the tools afforded to me. In the process of creating DARA, I sketched around the form of the model and captured an exact likeness. Then I worked to pull away elements that hindered the experience, while elevating some that would aid in provoking the desired emotions.

Below you will see the development period, and follow visually with me as I made decisions to remove and alter the piece.

Develpoment

Process

Working from reference provides a strong platform to build upon. Although, I believe as a designer we sometimes need to strip away the safety of a balanced experience in order to provoke the truest emotions and convey purer messages.

In my process I embark on a journey of discovering what the piece wants to become, and how I want to communicate that identity with the tools afforded to me. In the process of creating DARA, I sketched around the form of the model and captured an exact likeness. Then I worked to pull away elements that hindered the experience, while elevating some that would aid in provoking the desired emotions.

Below you will see the development period, and follow visually with me as I made decisions to remove and alter the piece.

Desing Appreciation

BOM

by
Illustration of K-Pop singer Park Bom of former girl group 2NE1, over a light pink background

Bom

  • Personal Work
  • Vector Illustration
  • Brandon Rodriguez

BOM is a vector illustration based on Park Bom (BOM) celebrating her debut song Spring.

2NE1 and the Legacy of Female-led Groups in the music industry

Music has been an important part of my life since my childhood, and girl groups hold a very special place in my heart for their songs about love, independence, and belief in oneself. One such group from the K-Pop scene of South Korea epitomized these themes, paving the way for all-girl groups that would come after.

The prolific 2NE1 is comprised of Park Bom, Sandara Park, Minzy, and the self-proclaimed “baddest female” CL leading the group. It was this girl group’s 2009 debut that introduced the United States and many other countries to K-Pop music. However, they have since disbanded, and have forged their own solo careers that continue to inspire fans like myself today.

The long-awaited return of their former lead vocalist, Park Bom was especially exciting! This was her solo debut and first appearance in the public eye since the 2016 disbandment of the group. In celebration of her return, I set out to design a few pieces inspired by the music video of her debut song Spring.

Inspiration

In my earlier years as a traditional artist, I feared using color in any of my work. With sketchbooks full of charcoal, graphite, and ink drawings, the use of color simply did not fit in. I did not understand it. Everytime I used it in a piece I permanently messed it up. And I just…no

When I finally discovered vector art at fourteen in my graphic design vocation class, color suddenly became a possibility. Through trial and error I found myself moving in the opposite direction of my style as a traditional artist from highly detailed black white, and grey drawings, to restricted two or four bold color illustrations that popped off the screen. I doubted myself often, and spent countless hours reworking edges, and curves trying to emulate fluid movements even at points of juncture at edges. It was not until I came across the work of Malika Favre that I began to trust my instincts.

Favre exhibits effortless splashes of color in provocative and at times subtle vector illustrations in magazines, promotional packaging, and motion graphics. The French artist inspires me to trust my process, and allow myself to have fun along the way.

Malika Favre

Medium

DARA is a vector illustration based on Sandara Park, known to all her fans as Dara, who made a surprising return herself in Park Bom’s music video for Spring. At the time of the song’s debut, Dara had not released any music of any kind since the group’s disbandment. That was three years of nothing but modeling and acting appearances on her part, so her unexpected appearance meant a lot to us fans.

Clothed in a burning crimson suit jacket, Dara had a forlorn look-conveying all of the pain that fans worldwide struggled with. It was a slow-burning experience to watch Park Bom be the target of ridicule and disgust, as she was apprehended back in 2015 for transporting medication for her ADHD. She was legally prescribed in the U.S., but the medication was actually illegal in Korea since most mental disorders are not recognized by their medical community. Korean fans and news outlets alike accused the singer of smuggling drugs, as if they were hard-core narcotics and it almost ruined her career.


In this vector illustration, the smooth curves I achieved with the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator were essential to capturing the emotions that I imagine Dara may have felt. I have been in situations in my life where I had to allow loved ones to suffer for a variation of reasons. Sometimes they do not want your help, other times you are bound by rules set by others and even the law.

The artistic choices I made were efforts to simplify the experience. The curated strokes and shapes ensured the rendering only highlighted that which I deemed relevant toward guiding viewers. It is an emotional experience tinged with frustration refined by silence.

How does it feel to watch a person that you care deeply for struggle and suffer the emotional onslaught of berating voices that you were powerless to silence? Have you ever wanted to help someone, but could only stand and watch?

That is what this piece feels like,

Reference

This gif shows the moment from the music video that I found most inspiring, and would eventually reference. The crimson jacket and lips, strands of hair frayed aside from the well styled body, and her eyes looking above and then outward together  indicate a struggle. The white oval zipper tag represents the purity of familial bonds, whilst the red all around it represents the all consuming hate that surrounded them.

Process

Working from reference provides a strong platform to build upon. Although, I believe as a designer we sometimes need to strip away the safety of a balanced experience in order to provoke the truest emotions and convey purer messages.

In my process I embark on a journey of discovering what the piece wants to become, and how I want to communicate that identity with the tools afforded to me. In the process of creating DARA, I sketched around the form of the model and captured an exact likeness. Then I worked to pull away elements that hindered the experience, while elevating some that would aid in provoking the desired emotions.

Below you will see the development period, and follow visually with me as I made decisions to remove and alter the piece.

Develpoment

Desing Appreciation

DARA

by
Illustration of K-pop singer Sandara Park of former girl group 2NE1, over a red background.

DARA

  • Personal Work
  • Vector Illustration
  • Brandon Rodriguez

DARA is a vector illustration based on Sandara Park (DARA) celebrating her appearance in Park Bom’s Debut song Spring.

2NE1 and the Legacy of Female-led Groups in the music industry

Music has been an important part of my life since my childhood, and girl groups hold a very special place in my heart for their songs about love, independence, and belief in oneself. One such group from the K-Pop scene of South Korea epitomized these themes, paving the way for all-girl groups that would come after.

The prolific 2NE1 is comprised of Park Bom, Sandara Park, Minzy, and the self-proclaimed “baddest female” CL leading the group. It was this girl group’s 2009 debut that introduced the United States and many other countries to K-Pop music. However, they have since disbanded, and have forged their own solo careers that continue to inspire fans like myself today.

The long-awaited return of their former lead vocalist, Park Bom was especially exciting! This was her solo debut and first appearance in the public eye since the 2016 disbandment of the group. In celebration of her return, I set out to design a few pieces inspired by the music video of her debut song Spring.

Inspiration

In my earlier years as a traditional artist, I feared using color in any of my work. With sketchbooks full of charcoal, graphite, and ink drawings, the use of color simply did not fit in. I did not understand it. Everytime I used it in a piece I permanently messed it up. And I just…no

When I finally discovered vector art at fourteen in my graphic design vocation class, color suddenly became a possibility. Through trial and error I found myself moving in the opposite direction of my style as a traditional artist from highly detailed black white, and grey drawings, to restricted two or four bold color illustrations that popped off the screen. I doubted myself often, and spent countless hours reworking edges, and curves trying to emulate fluid movements even at points of juncture at edges. It was not until I came across the work of Malika Favre that I began to trust my instincts.

Favre exhibits effortless splashes of color in provocative and at times subtle vector illustrations in magazines, promotional packaging, and motion graphics. The French artist inspires me to trust my process, and allow myself to have fun along the way.

Malika Favre

Medium

DARA is a vector illustration based on Sandara Park, known to all her fans as Dara, who made a surprising return herself in Park Bom’s music video for Spring. At the time of the song’s debut, Dara had not released any music of any kind since the group’s disbandment. That was three years of nothing but modeling and acting appearances on her part, so her unexpected appearance meant a lot to us fans.

Clothed in a burning crimson suit jacket, Dara had a forlorn look-conveying all of the pain that fans worldwide struggled with. It was a slow-burning experience to watch Park Bom be the target of ridicule and disgust, as she was apprehended back in 2015 for transporting medication for her ADHD. She was legally prescribed in the U.S., but the medication was actually illegal in Korea since most mental disorders are not recognized by their medical community. Korean fans and news outlets alike accused the singer of smuggling drugs, as if they were hard-core narcotics and it almost ruined her career.


In this vector illustration, the smooth curves I achieved with the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator were essential to capturing the emotions that I imagine Dara may have felt. I have been in situations in my life where I had to allow loved ones to suffer for a variation of reasons. Sometimes they do not want your help, other times you are bound by rules set by others and even the law.

The artistic choices I made were efforts to simplify the experience. The curated strokes and shapes ensured the rendering only highlighted that which I deemed relevant toward guiding viewers. It is an emotional experience tinged with frustration refined by silence.

How does it feel to watch a person that you care deeply for struggle and suffer the emotional onslaught of berating voices that you were powerless to silence? Have you ever wanted to help someone, but could only stand and watch?

That is what this piece feels like,

Reference

This gif shows the moment from the music video that I found most inspiring, and would eventually reference. The crimson jacket and lips, strands of hair frayed aside from the well styled body, and her eyes looking above and then outward together  indicate a struggle. The white oval zipper tag represents the purity of familial bonds, whilst the red all around it represents the all consuming hate that surrounded them.

Process

Working from reference provides a strong platform to build upon. Although, I believe as a designer we sometimes need to strip away the safety of a balanced experience in order to provoke the truest emotions and convey purer messages.

In my process I embark on a journey of discovering what the piece wants to become, and how I want to communicate that identity with the tools afforded to me. In the process of creating DARA, I sketched around the form of the model and captured an exact likeness. Then I worked to pull away elements that hindered the experience, while elevating some that would aid in provoking the desired emotions.

Below you will see the development period, and follow visually with me as I made decisions to remove and alter the piece.

Develpoment

Desing Appreciation

LISTO

by
An illustration of a Hispanic woman with a navy blue sun hat over a golden background

Listo

LISTO is a vector illustration exploring the value of morning rituals that women perform daily in order to feel ready for the day ahead

Getting the Modern Woman Ready

I was raised by a single mother of four and surrounded by sisters, and grandmothers my entire life. Mornings always began with makeup, hair, and coffee, sometimes all at the same time. But I wondered why they had to go through so much effort, to feel ready for the day.

Some of them performed these tasks because they enjoy them and apply them as a form of self-care. Others felt they had to or they would be treated differently-looked down upon because they did not align with the employee attire guidelines. Such was required of them, but not so much of their male peers.

In this vector illustration, I explore the concept of a woman getting ready. What is required, what outfit to wear, and how can she empower herself without feeling like she is bound to the physical expectations of her male contemporaries.

Reference

For this illustrations, I wanted to go against the common tropes associated with beauty standards represented in films, shows, video games, comics, etc. The female characters are almost always voluptuous, scantily dressed, with heavy contouring makeup, or unrealistic body shapes like tiny waists, and overaccentuated breasts.

Therefore, I chose a model that I could represent without the need to indicate her sexualized features like breasts and butt. The struggle was trying to indicate feminity without portraying the features that men have led me to believe.

Photo by Romane Van Troost via Unsplash

Design Process

Desing Appreciation

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