Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Cardenas.
Jose, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I became interested in art at a very young age. During High school, I replaced as many elective classes with art classes as I could. I was also part of an animation program and was “artist of the month” for three consecutive months.
In 2002, I enrolled in Art school and graduated with a bachelor in Media Arts and Animation and got a job shortly after as a flash animator at Liquid Advertising.
I became an Art Director a few years later and at the same time began pursuing my original passion; comic books. I self-published my first comic in 2017 – Universe Protectors, and am currently working on part 4 of 16, all while attending comic book conventions and being part of the “Sketchy Bugs”; a group of artists, writers, and editors interested in comic books and comic book creation.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I like to do art inspired by video games and pop culture using traditional media like watercolors and Copic markers but also use digital media like Photoshop and Autodesk’s Sketchbook. Lately, I’ve been focusing on my comic book, inspired by TV shows from the 90s like Power Rangers and Saint Seiya, to name a few.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
It has become a bit easier for artists to put themselves and their art out into the world with the rise of the internet and social media, but it has also brought new dangers like getting your art “stolen”, or making it harder to stand out. Social platforms like Twitter are also used to bully artists. Local businesses should encourage ideal settings for artist meetups and support all artist but especially indie artists.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You see my work at www.joseecardenas.com and through any of my social media: IG – jose_e_cardenas, Twitter – ensaladamafufa. You can support my work by checking out/buying my comic:
Physical copy: https://joseecardenas.bigcartel.com/
Digital copy (part 2 an 3 coming soon): https://www.comixology.com/Universe-Protectors-1/digital-comic/731364?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=UniverseProtectors%231&utm_content=Submit+Email&utm_term=Indie+Comics
And I’m currently open for commissions!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joseecardenas.com
- Instagram: jose_e_cardenas
- Twitter: ensaladamafufa
Image Credit:
All photographs taken by Jose E Cardenas
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.