I really should draw more

I was invited as a contributing illustrator for Singapore’s National Day art competition held by the local museum. The prompt was to draw something reminding me of Singapore with the little red dot in the centre integrated into the illustration. A lot of people usually go with food or big landmarks / the skyscape, which I felt were very human things (ew @ the Anthropocene lol) and i was going through a bird phase and dealing with c*vid so i ended up focusing on birds.

I was also going thru a small riso print obsession bc of that one tutorial floating around tumblr in July 2022 and really really really wanted to emulate the CMYK riso print process digitally, it was a super fun challenge and i think one of the few times i had felt excited about art in a long time.

The pandemic offered a chance for everyone to slow down, and I’ve observed more of my friends exploring the natural side of Singapore. In the last few years, I’ve found myself trying to pay attention to the different birds in my neighbourhood. My hope for Singapore and Singaporeans is to develop a greater appreciation for the little natural spaces we have, and to increase our collective respect and protection for the other residents of the island that were here before and alongside us. 

Process + Final of a book cover I was commissioned to do last year (2022). 

do u have any fancasts/faceclaims for ari and dante?? i’ve been struggling to find the perfect ones for them

Tumblr deleted this 3 TIMES I AM SO MAD I HAD TO RETYPE THIS SO MANY TIMES and this took like 30 mins to answer

Sorry for the late reply I’ve been thinking about this here and there and tbh I haven’t had any face or fancasts for them, especially when it comes to younger sources I 2021 because I don’t watch a lot of tv with casts of their age demographic

EARLIER FACECASTS/FANCASTS (2015-ISH)

Older version of the same qn

Ari: younger Gael Garica Bernal (ACTUALLY MEXICAN!!!!!), Brennan Mejia (Honduran)(older adult now), Luca Pasqualino (Italian [Sicilian] but he’s got the face), Rosario Dawson (who has since been cancelled for transphobia so I don’t want to associated with her).

Dante: Brandon Arreaga (Mexican, Caucasian) was a suggestion sent in before, and Noah Centineo (FORGIVE ME PLEASE) when he was in The Fosters (playing a Latino character, not much info on him back then) before he got annoying and I found out he was white. In some drawings I referenced Gina Rodriguez (before she started talking mad shit). I also looked to Filipino actors since the PH is sorta cousins with Mexico in some weird shared colonizer way.

Admittedly I haven’t given it much thought in recent years nor have I seen any faces that have stood out to me for these characters, plus I’m in southeast Asia so I don’t see many Latinos anywhere except mainstream TV

NEWER FACECASTS

So I don’t think any of these people should actually be cast, but for the sake of visualization, bear with me (because they’re mostly if not all in their 20s so like just going for the look)(please imagine them YOUNGER because when I draw they are base refs I don’t actually think they look this way)

Ari: I don’t have any current face/fancasts though I do interpret Ari as possibly Indigenous or Afro-Latino, with skin darker than my own complexion (like Rosario or darker). I know Xolo Mariduena (Mexican, Cuban, Ecuadorian) is a contender but I personally feel he’s quite fair skinned and is more suitable for Dante’s complexion. Conor Husting (half mexican), and Herizen Guardiola (Cuban and Jamaican) (Actress but has the features), maybe for Ari’s sisters lol. Well they’re all kinda fair skinned except Herizen which is closer to what I imagine.

Dante: Brandon Perea (Filipino, Puerto Rican), young Benjamin Bratt (Quechuan, Peruvian), Johnathan Nieves (vaguely Latin, no actual info). Let the make up artists go heavy on freckles because that’s how I imagined it. Also glasses.

(in glasses)

So given the limited availablity to resources where I can verify 1. Age, 2. Actually mexican / greater latino lineage 3. Exposure to media these are the face ~vibes~ I would go with when I would draw them in the future.

Above: Complexions that I imagine.

Shoutout to @latinxfancast for some of these face reccs!

That being said, I'll still post commissions when I have them (and if I'm allowed to), and I'm still online and will reply to ppl if anyone sends anything. Commissions are also still open, though my rates have been revised as I'm a student again and definitely would need to earn some money until I enter the workforce properly.

Hello!! Yes i do, ayforandre on insta. However i don't post much at the moment as im in uni, and i typically post my aridante stuff here bc i have family following me on insta 😂😅