The Origin (Without the Lore Dump)

I’ve always been drawn to strong women characters. That wasn’t a creative decision—it was exposure.

Growing up, strength in my world didn’t wear a cape or clock out at six. Strength ran the house. Strength made decisions. Strength didn’t ask permission. My mom embodied that—loudly. Not just to me either. The whole family knew where the gravity was.

So when people ask why my stories lean toward powerful women, that’s the answer. That was my baseline. Everything else is just variations on the theme.

When Wonder Woman finally hit theaters, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Then I watched it—and yeah, it clicked. The presence. The calm certainty. The reminder that strength doesn’t need to explain itself.

(Also… yes. The actress. 🥰.)

How Argus Found Her Way In

I’d been writing Ghosts long before superhero movies became the cultural main snack. Argus existed in earlier forms—different names, different silhouettes, different intentions—but she never quite landed. Every time I flip through my sketchbooks, she pops up. Lingering. Waiting.

That’s when I realized something about how I work: I don’t just create characters—I cast them.

I flip through decades of old ideas, half-built heroes, abandoned designs, and ask one question:

I need a strong, powerful leader for this story. Who fits this role now?

Argus raised her hand.

Early on, she leaned into mystery—mostly because I hadn’t fully figured her out yet. Shadows. Silence. Distance. Over time, the mystery faded. Not because she softened, but because she didn’t need it anymore. What she lost in mystery, she gained in resolve. Discipline. Certainty.

And that certainty was mine. Once I gave her purpose, she knew exactly where she needed to be—and what she needed to do.

Her name is Uriah.

She’s my take on that archetype: the immovable force. A little myth. A little Ororo Monroe. Less spectacle, more inevitability.

And if this feels like me showing restraint, that’s intentional. Some characters don’t need to arrive loudly—just correctly.

You’ll see more of her in Ghosts: The CoreChasers.

Hi Toon People,

It’s been way too long since I’ve taken a moment to shine a light on some of the amazing artists I’ve met online — and this year, I’m fixing that. My goal? Celebrate a few more of these incredibly talented folks and introduce you to their fabulous work.

One of the coolest things about doing this is that I get to dig a little deeper into the people behind the art. And let me tell you — the more I learn about them, the more I appreciate what they create. Art’s great on its own, sure — but when you know the heart, the hustle, and the inspiration behind it? It just hits different.

Today, I had the privilege of chatting with the insanely talented Paul Hill. So grab a snack, settle in, and let’s Toon in! …

The Origin Story

Where did it all begin?… Well, I was a young lad who enjoyed watching TV playing a few sports when 1 day I was attacked by a radioactive pencil, gaining the proportionate skills of an artist 🤪 I wish…

But it’s a half truth, I did enjoy watching cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, and Hanna-Barbera. I always found myself drawing these cartoon characters in my sketch books. It wasn’t until Batman: TAS from the 90’s was on TV, and seeing Bruce Timm’s style that my fascination with art and drawing cartoon characters was kicked into overdrive, especially DC Comics Batman in the animated style. I studied the line work, the colours and poses, I was hooked.

The Art Process & Tools of the Trade

Do I have a set routine… That’s a 2 part answer. When I am working on personal projects, my response is to strike when the inspiration hits. But when it comes to working on licensed projects, I have more of a routine so that I can meet deadlines. The advice I was given was to create in batches of 10. That’s draw 10, ink 10, colour 10. It was great advice and I follow it to this day.

My tools of the trade are Marker pens, specifically Windsor & Newton Promarkers and Copic markers, I am, as one artist labeled me once, a “Marker Boy” 😂 they are definitely things I can’t live without. These days I dabble some in digital art but love the traditional process more.

Sketch cards have been my life for so many years now, I don’t recall a time they weren’t. Funny enough, I fell into them and found my art developed quicker through that outlet. I love the challenge of trying to fit characters and poses within that space, often seeing them as comic book panels.

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Finding a Style & Inspirations

Finding a style… I already mentioned Bruce Timm, if anyone describes my style, Timm’s name is always top of the list or the word “cartoony,” such as Hanna Barbera. But that’s not my only influence I get inspiration from many artists in the art community I am particularly drawn to people with similar if not cartoonier styles I love reading books historical or adventure (that includes comics), films, podcasts and a particular taste in music these have all influenced me in some way or another. I think it’s great to have a broad spectrum of influences, it can help artists to grow their skill sets.

The Hustle & The Community

How did I get into selling or getting commissioned for my work? I guess putting myself out there. I never set out to sell my Art or gain commissions. When I started drawing, it was for the love of the craft, sharing my process and what I had learned as I developed my techniques, so I created a Facebook page and Instagram just for those purposes, initially it caught on and people started asking for personal pieces. It was also through social media that I was noticed and contacted to do my first official licensed work for Marvel Comics through Upper Deck, that was 8 years ago, since then I have worked with many other Sketch Card Companies and other licensed characters, continuing to do so to this day.

You asked what my most unexpected gig was…? For me it’s still surreal, I was once contacted by a Hollywood Actor who saw a sketch card I had posted and he reached out to me first on my post and then privately to commission a piece based on a character they once played… It blew my mind, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and of course I did the piece for him.

The Art community is amazing to be a part of. I mentioned before about the artists that have helped influence my art style. This isn’t just relegated to ‘big’ names in the industry and I sadly couldn’t name them all so I will name a few…

• Gordon Wills (@art_of_gordonwills) was one of my earliest connections due to our cartoonish style and love of Batman the animated series, we also started with Upper Deck the same year.

• Jason Montoya (@jason_montoya_artist) another animation and marker artist whose style and passion is always encouraging, who again started working for Upper Deck around the same time. Do you see a pattern here 🤪

• Someone not involved in sketch cards is Jessica Archer (@jessicaarcherartworks), an amazing artist as well as a cartoon and comic book fan.

• Let’s not forget yourself with your Annual #junetoon and unique character design style (you can pay me later 😉), these are just a few, there are so many more like I said it’s an amazing community I am grateful to be a part of.

The Fun Stuff

Project I would love to work on... hmm… from sketch cards I would love to work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license. If it was a comic I would have to say Spider-man or Batman 🤷‍♂️

They would also be my favourite characters to draw with Batman characters in the Bruce Timm animated series style; it’s my best way to relax. As for a character that drives me nuts, it has to be any character I have yet to draw… once I have drawn a character a few times, and I get a feel for them, they become easier.

An awkward or difficult commission request? Aren’t they all a challenge and that’s the fun 🤩 I have had requests where the character was so obscure that I have asked for a reference to get a better idea of what they are asking for.

Words of Wisdom & The Future

What advice would I give my younger self? Simple, never give up! It’s cliche but it’s true, just because you are rejected today doesn’t mean you won’t be tomorrow. Keep experimenting, keep sharing, you never know what’s around the corner.

There are plenty of new sketchcard projects coming that I simply can’t yet talk about, sadly just yet (name of the game), but you can find me and discover all my projects on:

• Facebook @paulhillart

• Instagram @pauljhill_art
  

There was a time when I thought the Silverhawks were the pinnacle of cool. Half-human, half-metallic space heroes, soaring through the Limbo Galaxy with wings of silver and nerves of steel. I mean, c’mon—what’s not to love? But fast forward to today, and adult me has a few... questions.

I rewatched the show
to refresh my memory on
these shiny space-faring warriors.

The Silverhawks Rewatch: A Journey of Nostalgia and Confusion

A while back, I decided to tackle the Silverhawks in my art. And to do it justice, I rewatched the show to refresh my memory on these shiny space-faring warriors. What I didn’t expect was to have my childhood logic shattered like a fragile action figure in the hands of an overenthusiastic toddler.

For starters—how are these guys breathing in space? And why is there gravity in space? I remember being completely unfazed by this as a kid. But now? Now, my brain won’t let it slide.

And then, there’s the Limbo Galaxy. The show tells us that it’s two light years away, which, for context, is barely a cosmic hop away. But if it were truly another galaxy, we’d be talking millions of light years, not a casual afternoon space cruise. Look, I get it—science wasn’t the priority here. But man, they didn’t even try.

A Metallic Mistake: Rust much?

Let’s talk about the real problem—silver is a terrible choice for cyborg superheroes.

First off, silver tarnishes. Imagine these guys showing up for battle looking like antique tea sets.

Silver is also soft. The moment these guys hit something at high speed, they’d dent like a cheap tin can.

And then there’s poor Copper Kid. If they thought silver was bad, why did they make him out of copper? That stuff oxidizes faster than a penny in the rain. My guy would’ve turned green mid-flight.

If they really wanted durable heroes, they should’ve gone with titanium or carbon fiber. But hey, I guess Carbon Fiberhawks doesn’t have the same ring to it.

The Silverhawks Challenge That Led to JuneToon

Despite the scientific absurdity, rewatching this show reignited something in me. I started sketching, diving deep into the characters, and before I knew it, this challenge became a tradition. And from that? JuneToon was born!

Now, every June, artists come together to challenge themselves with daily drawings, inspired by the nostalgic and the new. It’s funny how one ridiculous rewatch led to something bigger than I ever planned.

A Silverhawks Remake? Yes, Please!

Despite my very valid scientific complaints, I still love Silverhawks. Would I watch a remake or a live-action adaptation? Absolutely. Just, you know... maybe let’s fix the space physics and upgrade them to a more durable metal.

What about you? What’s a show you loved as a kid that totally baffles you now? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

—Haro!

Today, I finally finished all my JuneToon™ sketchcards for this year's challenge! Remember when I said I was going to work on sketchcards? Well, here’s a gallery of all 30 cards I’ve been working on this month.

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The JuneToon™ Challenge

JuneToon™ is such a perfect time to not only reminisce about and draw your favorite cartoons but also to focus on any special skills you want to perfect. I chose X-Men '97, inspired by the new Disney animation series. Using the prompts, I decided to draw some of the characters from the series. It was an incredible experience!

Skill Development

This month, I wanted to practice drawing different gestures and expressive faces, especially on female characters. I’m tired of drawing stoic figures! This was my chance to break out of that mold. Although I can't say I nailed it every time, I did pick up some cool tips along the way. Keeping the same character design while adding facial expressions is challenging but not impossible. I’m determined to keep practicing until I get better at it.

Tools and Techniques

Whenever I got stuck, I turned to "The Book: How To Draw Expressive Faces & Hands" from Masters of Anatomy. Seriously, one of the best investments I’ve made in tutorial books! I also used a small circular mirror to make faces or took selfies to capture the expressions I wanted. It's still a work in progress, but my ultimate goal is to use these body and facial expressions to show more emotion in my comic pages.

I hope you’ll continue to follow my journey to becoming a better artist and creating my own books. Who knows, maybe I'll inspire you, or maybe I'll learn something from you. If you’re like me and want to keep growing in your craft, stick with me and let's grow together!

Click here to sign up for my newsletter, which will alert you when I post a new blog and share my progress.

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back soon.

This year, I was torn between creating another poster or going traditional with cards for displaying my art. Then, Art Homies' Jose Vasquez helped me decide on this year's JuneToon challenge.

I’ve decided to work on sketchcards. But not just any sketchcards—these cool branded ones. The Art Homies are doing it fancy this year. Working on sketchcards takes more time than digital work, but that's why it’s a challenge. Plus, I’ve done cards before, so I’m ready.

After getting my nostalgia fix with the debut of X-Men '97, I chose this cartoon as my theme for the month. X-Men is one of my favorite comics and cartoons. I love team dynamics in stories. I've already set my list of characters and materials I plan to use for the art.

I’m excited to see how others interpret the prompts. I’ve discovered and fallen in love with new cartoons like Rick & Morty and Steven Universe through this community.

Follow along on Instagram for daily posts. Hope to see you there!

-Haro!

So, here's the thing: working digitally on my comic books has basically given me a one-up on my former self. Yeah, I said it. I'm talking about the guy from a decade ago, back when everything was done on paper and a mistake meant hunting down an eraser or starting the whole darn thing from scratch. Can you believe it? Those were the days, right? Not to age myself, but hey, if I am, it's all good. I figure I'm just getting wiser.

Working digitally is like having the power of Ctrl-Z in your pocket, letting you march forward like a boss. It's like drawing on layers of onion skin, each one assigned to a different stage of the process. I've got one for the initial thumbnail, another on top for the roughs, then one more for the tight stuff, and so on until I hit that final stage. That's been my game plan for the comic pages lately.

And let's talk about zooms, baby! With digital, I can just zoom right in, cut, paste, and Boom! No need to redraw everything from scratch. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not one to shy away from redrawing, but when you've got a 32-page book on the line, sometimes you've got to cut a few corners.

Take a peek at these panels here. See how those layers work their magic? I've made a promise to myself to step up my background game, so this time around, I'm taking a bit more time to set the scene.

Keep following along with me on this comic book journey, folks. Thanks for tuning in.

See you next time,

-Haro!

Hey Tooners!

So, I stumbled upon this ancient relic from 2009 in the dusty corners of my art archives—Page One of Ghosts: The Corechasers. I say stumbled because, honestly, I can't remember if I drew it during the era of flip phones or when hashtags were still a mysterious language. Oh wait, I put the date on it. Duh! Time flies, or in this case, perhaps hovers like a ghost.

"Hey, artist-person,
we need a makeover."

Let's call it the second draft, the remix, the "I can't believe I drew this before smartphones were a thing" version. Why the redo? Well, my artistic style decided to pull a quick-change act, as it tends to do when you're caught in the timeless loop of drawing a comic. It's like my characters whispered, "Hey, artist-person, we need a makeover."

And that's the magic (or curse) of the prolonged comic creation process, at least mine. You witness your own artistic evolution like a time-lapse, with each page becoming a testament to your growth.

This particular page, born from the depths of inspiration, probably conceived during a shower session and influenced by a cocktail of Matrix vibes and a hefty dose of anime. Because where else do great ideas emerge, right? I've checked my butt... nothing there.

Now, this page didn't just pop into existence fully formed; it went through a metamorphosis. Changes galore before it hit the inks and colors. But here it is, preserved in the digital world with good new-fashioned digital strokes.

And before you ask, yes, there was an elusive first-first version, lost somewhere in some old suitcase somewhere. Maybe it got abducted by aliens, who knows? What matters is that the new page is here.

As this journey unfolds, I invite you to join me. Leave your mark in the comments, share your thoughts on this time-traveling page, and brace yourself for the continuation of Ghosts: The Corechasers. It's a visual rollercoaster, and your ticket is a comment away.

Until the next stroke of the pencil,

Haro! 🚀👻

So, this comic book? Yeah, it's still crawling along like a slug with sciatica. Slow, messy, and leaves a slimy trail of ink wherever it goes. Plenty of days, I'd rather stick my head in a blender than face that blank page. Between the cat coughing up hairballs and the neighbor practicing opera at what they call "sunrise," finding the time to create is like squeezing blood from a cantaloupe.

But hey, even a snail gets to Rome eventually, right? One panel a day, that's my mantra. It may not sound like much, but trust me, those little squares add up faster than you'd think, especially when you're fueled by a steady stream of coffee and existential dread. Remember that time the world decided to take a vacation in its pajamas? Yeah, that whole "global pandemic" mess. Put a real damper on my artistic groove. Setting up a home office felt like assembling furniture underwater, and by the time I was done, I was about as inspired as a moldy slice of toast.

But now, listen up, art nerds! I'm back in the saddle, baby. Sure, commissions and side projects keep poking their heads in like unwanted houseguests, but I'm carving out time, even if it's just thirty minutes between microwaving burritos and yelling at the squirrels. Above, you'll find the rough sketches for page 9 – a veritable buffet of stick figures and scribbles, guaranteed to give your inner art critic a conniption. Got questions about my progress? Spill 'em in the comments and I'll answer them in the next entry, assuming the internet hasn't decided to spontaneously combust by then.

So, yeah, that's where I'm at. Crawling through the creative muck, one panel at a time. Wish me luck, and maybe throw in a prayer for decent Wi-Fi. You never know what a struggling artist needs.

-Haro!

Previous Blog Posts

The Color Chronicles

Man, this cover was lookin' fly in ink, but oil paints on Bristol? Nah, that's a recipe for disaster. Digital it was, baby! Fresh outta art school (where they charged enough to launch a damn rocket for Photoshop lessons), I was ready to rumble.

Just Six

This bad boy was bigger than a Texas steak, and my scanner? A postage stamp with a magnifying glass. Had to scan it in pieces, like some kinda cyborg T-Rex puzzle. And the shadows, man, the shadows! Lurkin' around like bad debt collectors, I Photoshopped 'em into oblivion. Six hours later, I emerged from that pixelated warzone, bleary-eyed but victorious.

Snap! Focus!

But hold up, colorin'? That's a whole 'nother story. Palette paralysis hit me harder than Thanos snappin' his fingers. Colors swirlin' in my head like a kaleidoscope on tequila. But I dug deep, channeled my inner Monet with a stylus brush, and laid down layers like mama bear makin' pancakes. Soft edges, vibrant hues, shadows dancin' like Sugar Ray Leonard on amphetamines. Took a damn month, y'all! Stolen moments, fueled by coffee and the siren song of "just one more tweak." Back then, my "zone" was a bottomless pit of creativity, swallowin' up four hours like they were Tic Tacs. Now? Thirty minutes is a personal Everest, achieved only through meditation and a good yell at the neighbor's yappin' chihuahua.

FaceLift

Speakin' of tweaks, the background? Originally, it was about as exciting as beige wallpaper in a dentist's office. But then, at some comic con, this old sage with a beard like Gandalf dropped some knowledge bombs on my sorry palette. Bam! New colors, brighter than a disco ball on a supernova. And Eve, the little gremlin on the bottom right? Let's just say her ink-drawn mug needed a digital makeover. A couple pixels here, a brushstroke there, and voilà! Renaissance beauty, ready to grace the cover of your dreams (and maybe mine, after I catch some sleep).

So there you have it, folks, the glorious, tedious, soul-sucking saga of a digitally colored cover. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a blank page and a promise: no more epic battles with shadows. Unless, of course, they're the kind you draw, not scan. Peace out, and keep your pencils sharp!

See you later,

-Haro!

Hey there!

I'm excited to share with you one of my commission work, featuring Yogurt from the classic movie Spaceballs. For those who might not be familiar, Yogurt is a wise and powerful alien who possesses the "Schwartz" (a parody of the Force from Star Wars). He was portrayed by Mel Brooks, who also directed and wrote the film.

If you haven't seen Spaceballs yet, it's a hilarious parody of the Star Wars franchise. It's filled with wacky characters, zany humor, and loads of references to other sci-fi movies. Check out the trailer by clicking here.

I had a blast drawing Yogurt on this sketch cover, paying attention to all the details to make sure it looks just like him. If you're interested in getting your own commission done, feel free to check out my commission page by clicking here. I would love to bring some joy to your life "one toon at a time"!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my work. Let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comments section below!

Toon you later!

Hey there, fellow cartoon enthusiasts and artists!

Have you ever found yourself unable to finish personal projects due to your perfectionist tendencies? Well, fear not, because you're not alone! As an artist, I've faced this challenge many times, but I've finally found a solution - the #80stoon campaign.

Inspired by the "Design 100 Somethings" video by Jake Parker, I decided to draw 80's cartoons as a way to combat my perfectionism and finish what I start. And let me tell you, the feeling of accomplishment that came with finishing each piece was incredible!

One of the reasons I chose 80's cartoons was because they were a huge part of my childhood, and the nostalgia they brought back made the process all the more enjoyable. If you're struggling to find inspiration for your own art, I highly recommend tapping into your passions and drawing what you love.

But here's a little secret - not every piece of art you create will be perfect, and that's okay! In fact, striving for perfection can often hold us back from sharing our work with others. The #80stoon campaign taught me to let go of my perfectionism and embrace imperfection. It takes courage to put your art out there, even if it's not exactly what you envisioned, but it's a necessary step towards growth and improvement as an artist.

Now, if you're thinking of taking on a similar challenge, here are a few tips for drawing cartoons:

• Practice drawing basic shapes and forms to get the hang of proportions and perspective.

• Pay attention to facial expressions and body language - they can make or break a cartoon character's personality.

• Experiment with different styles and techniques to find your own unique style.

• Don't be afraid to take inspiration from other artists, but make sure to put your own spin on things.

• And most importantly, have fun with it! Drawing cartoons should be enjoyable and a way to express your creativity.

In fact, the success of the #80stoon campaign led to the creation of the JuneToon yearly challenge, where artists are encouraged to draw one cartoon character every day during the month of June. This challenge is a fantastic way to continue practicing your cartooning skills and challenge yourself to create something new every day.

The JuneToon challenge has become a popular event in the artist community, and many artists look forward to participating each year. So, if you're looking for a new challenge to take on and continue your growth as an artist, the JuneToon challenge might just be the perfect opportunity for you!

So, fellow artists, I encourage you to take on a challenge that pushes you out of your comfort zone and helps you grow as an artist. And who knows, you may just inspire others to do the same!

Some people think drawing is easy. They think that putting down an image from your head comes as effortless as blinking. They think that there is no reason why others can't do the same. I'm one of those people.

Unfortunately, my belief is not universal. Everyone has a gift. Fortunate are those who find out what it is in time to make it their life or their hobby. More fortunate are those who have guidance and develop their craft to maturity. I had some guidance growing up from family and school and I want to show you what I was taught at a very young age.

I don't have the drawings from when I first started, but I do remember when it was. I was no more than six years old when I began to put a pencil down to create something. My cousin, who was about 15 years old then, used to make small caricatures for me. Most of them were superheroes like Batman, Aquaman, and Superman Oh yeah, the little caricatures...well, my cousin used to cut them out after he drew them. They were no bigger than my index finger is now. Back then it was more like three index fingers. After he cut them out, he would reinforce them with the cardboard from one of those composition notebooks. I used to role-play with them and be entertained for hours on end. I was very simple to please; still am. I wish I would have kept them, but with moving from one country to another, it's kind of hard to keep all those childhood goodies with you. That was over 225 dog years ago, but I do remember how he did it.

What you'll need

Newspaper comics, composition notebook, scissors, pencil, sharpener, pen (optional).

Let’s Go!

1. Choose a cartoon from your favorite newspaper funnies. (My assistant chose this lady, and I chose Dennis The Menace.

2. Place a white regular paper over the image.

3. Using a lead pencil, scratch the paper where you think the image is. Apply lots of pressure on the pencil as you scratch.

4. When you turn the white paper over, you should see the image on the other side.

5. Use your pencil to darken any part of the image that isn't visible.

6. Cut around the image leaving a small gap of white outline around your art.

7. Cut a small piece of the cardboard of a zebra notebook matching the size of your art.

8. Using glue, adhere the image to the cardboard and let dry.

9. When dry, cut around the outer parts of the white border you left on the art.

10. Fold the bottom of the cardboard so you can stand your new artwork.

That's pretty much it. That's all I remember. It took us about 15 minutes to finish, mostly because I was rusty in remembering the steps. If you get to try this, share it with me so I can share it with the rest of the art community.

Until next time, have fun with your art.

-Haro

I love to go back and redraw some of my old artwork. I've always wanted to redo this piece. I attempted many times to do just that. I never quite finished. One day I was sitting around and thought, what if I commission my buddy to reink this and I can recolor it. Why not? So, I asked Micah Mate to do that for me. The result could not have been better. I wanted to keep that 90s nostalgia to the piece and update a few things here and there as I colored. I took the piece over to Clip Studio Paint and threw down some color. I think I will be commissioning Micah to do more of my inking from now on. If you want to check out Micah's work, you can do so by clicking the button below.

Here are the identities of the color piece:

The big guy in blue: Wild Thing. I just wanted a big hulk-like guy in the group.

Girl on big guy's shoulder: Penny. She's in another storyline and I will show you some updated sketches of her soon, if I remember or if someone reminds me.

Blue girl on the left flying: Skylark. This was my version of Banshee, but she sings.

The center guy in black and white: Spade. I already went over who he is. Back when I drew him, he was psychic. Now...well, you'll have to tune in to his comic to find out what he can do.

The girl behind spade with the massive metal: Baby Boom. She was supposed to be like a transformer. She could transform into anything she wanted, provided she scanned it first, or something like that. I have this thing about chicks with big guns.

Girl in white to the right: Maggie. She could control electromagnetism. In this image, she loved to float on her knees and she wore shades because the electricity from her eyes tends to blind people. That's some imagination I had.

The red guy: Red. How creative was I? His power had to do with heat, which is why his skin was always red. All the other fire names were taken and I was too lazy to research. Anyway, most of these characters you will probably find in The Show Comic and others have moved over to Ghosts Comic.

The guy in green towards the right foreground: Delta. He is still around and in the same storyline as Penny.

Let me know what you think of this art. Until next time...

Until next time, have fun with your art.

-Haro

A few years ago while I was still living in my tiny box apartment in New York City, I was freelancing as a graphic designer. While it was exciting to work with all walks of life including small businesses, I became frustrated with the whole designing bit. One of the reasons for my frustration was the incessant need for my clients to want too much information on every design. They wanted so much info on their business cards that it made them look like crowded flyers. But, "the customer knows best" is a term I hear thrown around in the business world all too easily and so, I decided to go with the flow. This completely contradicted my belief system, which is a little thing called "simplicity".

In those days my sister and I ran a design company called Gsting, with the slogan “start creating”. With my design background and my sister's marketing skills, our goal was to create aesthetically pleasing and visually interesting designs for small business, in order to make them look like the big corporations. Little did we know most small businesses have no sense of branding or consistency. It took us about two years to become displeased with the whole market and we both decided to venture elsewhere. My sister moved her focus to interior design and I went back to my first passion, drawing comics.

Having worked in the design field for over 10 years now, I've always favored having a brand to represent myself and my work. I decided to evolve our old company logo since after all, what I was doing was in some way related to what I will be doing from now on.

“It is a symbol and reminder to myself
to focus on my art and expand
my learning in drawing comics.”

The new logo which I call "Haro" (pronounced" har-oh) is actually the way my mom pronounces my name and it symbolizes the new voice that says: "this is me!", hence the speech bubble. It is a symbol and reminder to myself to focus on my art and expand my learning in drawing comics.

I hope you will be able to follow my adventure into the comic art world and learn with me.

Until next time, #drawwatuwant.

-Haro

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Until next time, #drawwatuwant.

-Haro

It has been quite a year for all of us. We've had ups and we've had downs. To put it mildly, we've been through a lot. Yet, I am so grateful to have been able to participate and organize our yearly drawing challenge with @getatom and @omarsalinasart.

Junetoon was a great success this year. With the help of our sponsor @fabercastellusa, we were able to give 4 participating artists some cool art supplies as prizes. We also want to thank everyone who participated in the event. We saw some great art this year. Although our numbers were no match to last year's, as far as posts are concerned, I am extremely grateful to those of you who were able to partake in this challenge because I am sure you also had better things to do and more serious matters to attend to (COVID-19).

I say thank you today by showcasing some of the wonderful work we came across during Junetoon 2020. If I didn't put up your artwork, I am sorry I missed you. You can click the button below to see the entire Junetoon collection of posts.

Until next time, #drawwatuwant.

-Haro

Previous Blog Posts

I think this may be my second attempt at creating a video to show you guys one of my first sketchbooks dating back to 1990. Why did I say one of my first even though I labeled this one #1? Well, the answer is simple. I've lost a few before this one and before that, I used to draw and sketch on copy paper. Where those sketches are fall beyond my level of recollection.

This time around I tried an IG TV video with some quick effects from the Clips app from apple and well, it seems that the effects that the Clips app provides you can be flagged by Instagram as copyright infringement so they blocked the first video I put it.

This second one was posted in haste and cropped all weird because I was furious. I am in the process of creating a new one and housing it on Youtube. When that happens I will replace the link on this page. In any case, please let me know what you think of it by other leaving me a comment on this page or my Instagram account.

Until next time, #drawwatuwant.

-Haro