"A Reason to Smile!" Volume 2 is here!

Front and Back Cover of "A Reason to Smile!" Volume 2

"A Reason to Smile!" Vol.2 is a continuation of the journey of Luiza Brillante as she tries to enjoy the place of her birth, New York City! In Volume 1, Luiza helped other people through their adversities, but Volume 2 shows what happens when Luiza has to deal with her own adversities. 

Luiza is a walking silver lining, always searching for the bright side out of every encounter she finds herself in. The weekend is here so she already has a reason to smile, but now she gets to go downtown to hang out with her friends who live in her fathers old neighborhood. There's only one problem, she has to get there first! Check out the preview and email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com to have your own copy sent to you or your loved ones!

Head to http://www.thecurv.com/2014/12/a-reason-to-smile-previews-and-orders.html for a preview of Volume 1!

T-shirts

I have entered into a partnership with Threadless.com to have my own t-shirt shop online!

Head to http://thecurv.threadless.com and you can find all "A Reason to Smile!" t-shirts as well my art for you to wear! If you'd like a specific piece of my art as a shirt, hoodie, or onesie, email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com and we'll make that happen!

Til then, here are some designs you'll find at the shop!

Yuen's shirt from "A Reason to Smile Vol.2

 

 

 

The Force Awakens

When I have tabled at comic con's, I've often been asked if I've done any art related to Star Wars. For a long time I only had a Storm Trooper sketch that would garner some interest but I wanted to do an illustration that would bring a smile to the casual and die hard Star Wars fan.

"The Force Awakens" inspired a lot of what I wanted to include in a Star Wars piece. From the new designs of the First Order, to the camaraderie that the new Rebels had, and the torch passing of the dark side to the mysterious and imposing new Sith, Kylo Ren, I was given some amazing details and story elements to bring together into an illustration. The Star Wars universe is so well created that it could be on the screen with no sound and would still be visually entertaining.

I began creating the art for this piece while on my annual trip up north with my lady during the holidays so it was all created piecemeal in my sketchbook. The trip was SO good that I was able to draw Darth Vader and have a glass of Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog), joining my culture and art together for the first time in this way! So much fun. What I am really proud of is creating an illustration where almost no two figures are drawn together in the same plane. Chewie and Han, and BB8 and Rey are the only characters that were drawn at the same time.

I hope you dig it and if you'd like a copy of this  or any 11x17 poster I have done, feel free to email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com and I'll get you a copy! 

This is the final inked stage

Sailor Moon

Tackling a ‪Sailor Moon‬ ‪illustration‬... after watching the show, I wanted to make the girliest drawing I could come up with. I don't know if I've ever done an illustration just because it was a ‪fun idea‬. I am usually more gung ho about doing a piece because of the characters themselves. Other than Jem and My Little Pony, I don't know if there's another ‪‎girly‬ character I'd be so comfortable drawing as Sailor Moon. I don't know why but I think of girls screaming, high pitched sounds, bright lights filled with pinks, purples and fuchsias, stars and fireworks. In essence that's what fueled this image. And then there's those ‪big eyes‬ and a character named ‪Tuxedo Mask‬ as‪ ‎the love interest‬. Nuff said?=]

Naruto Shippuden

It's been a while since I've been able to fully illustrate some fan art so working on this was a really great bit of fun for me. I really enjoy the storyline that Naruto Uzumaki is the star of and love how optimistic and stubborn he is towards accomplishing his goal of becoming the Hokage, or leader, of his ninja village.

Due to not having access to the dubbed versions, it's taken me a while to get to the end of the show. At the point where I had started this illustration, I was up to the point where the village had encountered PAIN of the Akatsuki.

Watching him grow and inspire his fellow shinobi is really entertaining and the animation is just as fun! Here is my celebration of the series thus far!

2015, a year in review

2015 was a very interesting year for me. On the heels of selling my very first book, "A Reason to Smile!", I began work on volume 2 in order to keep the momentum going. My second kickstarter was successful in May of 2015 and I began writing and illustrating the book in June.

In that time, I traveled out of the continental US for my very first comic con in Puerto Rico! It was one of my most successful shows to date and showed me more of what fans were gravitating towards with my work. I began more horizontal layouts which presented a fun challenge and I am now able to display more of my work at the shows.

Some milestones I enjoyed was selling my first 500 copies of "A Reason to Smile!" vol.1 within 6 months. I was blessed with being a part of the Baltimore Comic Con Yearbook, having my art (the mouse and squirrel fighting in a tree) as the very first image you see when you open the book. Along with that, I saw an increase in comic con fans wanting to get colored art from me more than ever! I do love drawing at comic cons.

Please enjoy the work you see below, and if you'd like your very own custom artwork, feel free to email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com. You can also see my artwork and progress on Instagram under the same username as my email. As of now, the pencil stage for Volume 2 is complete and I will be inking and coloring the book today! Please stay tuned as I will be updating you all with more art as it comes in! 

...and by the way, I have a LOT of art to color that I've yet to be able to work on because of my book... those fanarts will be done in 2016 for sure!