Los Dos Mujeres de las Islas

I am proud to say that there are two comic properties that star Puerto Rican's that are making noise. One is La Borinquena and the other is my series, "A Reason to Smile!" I've been able to cultivate a decent little following due to my series starring this little Puerto Rican girl named Luiza Brillante, but I aspire to have her be as culturally relevant as Marisol Rios de la Luz.

Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez created her as a comic representation for the Puerto Rican Parade and as a comic book character named La Borinquena. She has the powers to help people due to her connection to Atabey, the creation mother of Boriken, Puerto Rico's original name, and goes back and forth to from PR to NYC to help people on both island. Sadly, I do not have as close of a connection to Puerto Rico, but my roots there have inspired my character, my series and being that I am from NYC, I aspire to make her relevant to this island's inhabitants. Through the stories I tell here, I hope to one day create stories where Luiza tries to see why Puerto Rico is important to her, in more than name. 

I've created this image to show solidarity with my Boriqua brother and his creation, and show others that we can all coexist in the same market. I decided that since both ladies have connections to Manhattan and Puerto Rico, joining them in a setting that shows both, showcasing my new animated cell style as well,  would be a great way to show some love and spread the word about both of our creations. The more people see us doing the same things they do in their daily lives, the more they may come to understand us and see us as they see themselves.

If you'd like to order any of my books, you may email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com, go to www.etsy.com/shop/thelearningcurv or click here, and https://www.la-borinquena.com/#Store, or click here to buy La Borinquena!

A Reason to Smile Vol.2!!!

"A Reason to Smile!" is proof that people want positive stories that uplift us and promotes a bright outlook on life! What you see here is the front and back cover to Volume 2 of the book. Help me continue to self publish this series by pre-ordering your copy of Volume 2 at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/969189472/find-a-new-a-reason-to-smile-vol2

Luiza will always do her best to find a reason to smile, no matter her circumstances. She won't let anything keep her down, not chores, the crowded subway, or her friends telling her she can't play football! Pre-order your copy today to see how this little girl makes things work in her life!

If you'd also like Vol.1 as well, this is the perfect time to place your order. I've sold out of all 500 copies I've produced from the first kickstarter, so I hope to make my $8,000 goal to produce both books and continue to self publish this series! Check out the cover to Volume 1!

"A Reason to Smile!", previews and orders

"A Reason to Smile!" is now 2 months old and ready for your bookshelf! The story is about a little girl who is a walking silver lining. She loves to people watch while enjoying her city and every once in a while she gets to help people out. Like most problems, they don't go away but they find an easier way to handle them by working together. 

The book is a 60 page hardcover book with 44 pages of story (the first 18 which you can preview here) and 16 pages of behind the scenes information, promotional images, and a short story with art contributed by other industry professionals. 

If you'd like a copy of this story send $26 via paypal.com to thelearningcurv@gmail.com with your mailing address and it will be there ASAP! 

Head to http://www.thecurv.com/2016/10/a-reason-to-smile-volume-2-is-here.html for a preview of Volume 2!!!

2006

I was working consistently at the Children's Aid Society at this point and I was busy trying to figure out where life was taking me.  I continued drawing as often as possible, but some goals had shifted a bit. I was spending a lot of time learning how to play the Vs. System card game that was similar to Yugi-Oh, but had Marvel and DC characters as their players. I studied the game a good deal and either won or placed highly in a few tournaments, and just had a great deal of fun with the game, so naturally I wanted to bring my artistic talents into this new passion.  I started drawing images I felt would work well in the card game I began to love so much.

I was also entering a stage where I was making t-shirts of my designs to market myself a bit more. The spider-man image at the top of this page was my very first shirt and, years later, I was able to show it to Spider-man legend, John Romita Sr.... He gave me the most immense compliment I have yet to receive in which he said if I were around when he was drawing Spider-man, he'd have hired me to do his backgrounds! The validation i felt after hearing that was extremely uplifting and pushed me to keep pushing towards my goal of making art my life. 

A Reason to Smile Debut!

I debuted my book "A Reason to Smile!" at the New York Comic Con which was a resounding success!!! I sold close to 50 books and through the energy exuded from that weekend, I now have a bigcartel site to sell the book as well at http://areasontosmile.bigcartel.com/ !!! I had a great number of people come through and either pick up their kickstarter rewards or come and wish me well on my new journey with my very first book!  You can either go through the bigcartel site or email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com if you'd like your own copy of the book, t-shirt, buttons, bookmarks and postcards, stickers, magnets, or doll!  I will have a more comprehensive gallery to exhibit those items in the coming days....  meanwhile, enjoy some pics I took of what I did and enjoyed at the show!

A Reason To Smile!

I present my first cover for  my book, "A Reason to Smile!" I can't wait to send this to the printer and have it in my hands to get into yours!  Once that happens I will have another post about the book in print, along with the merchandise (t-shirts, bookmarks, buttons and so on...) be on the lookout!

If you haven't ordered your copy through the kickstarter, shoot me an email to thelearningcurv@gmail.com and lets get you "A Reason to Smile!"

A Reason to Smile Prev

I am well on my way to finishing up my children's book, "A Reason to Smile" and I've posted 3 pages for you to enjoy. Once the colors I will be launching a kickstarter, with t-shirts, postcards, book marks and so much more to entice you to get your very own copy. I hope you like what you see so far and I'll update you all soon!

Comics and the Amazing City!

I have lived in this wonderful city of NYC since my early childhood and am proud to be a New Yorker. It's served as the supporting character for a lot of art I've done throughout the years and I felt the need to share some of those pieces with you.  

2006, 20th st. and 5th ave.

2006, Grand St. in Chinatown

2006
Vanderbuilt Avenue

I was requested to have this image look like Spidey did in part 3...
That may be why so few have seen this image=]

2008 Big Apple Con exclusive
This was the first exclusive piece at my very Comic Con I attended as an artist

2008
Pearl St.

2008
40th St. and 5th Ave.

2009
Inspired by NYC corporate buildings in Midtown

2009
The Fashion District
40th st. and 7th ave.

2010
Union Square
14th btw 4th ave and Broadway 

2011
Rockerfeller Center
49th St. btw 6th and 5th ave