Bust Magazine: Spring cleaning

April 3, 2020 Alejandra De la Torre

How To Add Magical Intent To Your Spring Cleaning Routine
Client: BUST Magazine
Art Direction: Meredith Felt

ENG. Here’s the illustration process for the article “How To Add Magical Intent To Your Spring Cleaning Routine” in BUST Magazine about Witch Spring Cleaning. I just loved this one because I love herbs, scents, cleaning and of course witches.

ESP. Proceso de ilustración para el artículo “How To Add Magical Intent To Your Spring Cleaning Routine” de BUST Magazine . Me encantó este proyecto porque me encantan las hierbas, las esencias y por supuesto todo lo que tenga que ver con brujas.

Sketches / Bocetos

ENG. I wanted to add a lot of detail to the final sketch and I know that if I had more time to work on this illustration, it would have been a total mess. This is the final artwork.

ESP. Me hubiera gustado agregar más detalle al boceto final, pero sé que si hubiera tenido más tiempo para trabajar en esta ilustración, habría sido un desastre total. Esta es la ilustración final.

Artwork for BUST magazine Illustration: Ale De la Torre Art direction: Meredith Felt Editorial art. Editorial artwork. Editorial illustration.

Artwork for BUST magazine Illustration: Ale De la Torre Editorial art. Editorial artwork. Editorial illustration for Bust mag

BUST magazine Illustration: Ale De la Torre Editorial art. Editorial artwork. Editorial illustration

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Read Full article: How To Add Magical Intent To Your Spring Cleaning Routine

Illustration artwork for BUST magazine Ale De la Torre editorial illustrator Editorial art. Editorial artwork. Editorial illustration for Bust magazine.

Sojourners Magazine: Julia Esquivel

February 17, 2020 Alejandra De la Torre

Julia Esquivel
Client: Sojourners Magazine
Art direction: Ed Spivey
Art: Ale De la Torre
Design: Áurea Carmín Design Studio

ENG. Illustration process of the cover and some spreads for Sojourners Magazine about Julia Esquivel.

ESP. Proceso de ilustración de Julia Esquivel para la portada y páginas internas de la revista Sojourners.

Sketches / Bocetos

Julia Esquivel

Julia Esquivel was an academic at San Carlos University, Guatemala, the Seminario Biblico Latinoamericano in Costa Rica and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Switzerland.Her poetry was heavily influenced by the Theology of Liberation. Author of seven books including two collections of poetry Threatened with Resurrection (1982) and The Certainty of Spring (1993).

In 1994 she received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bern for her poetry which the University noted "gave voice to the suffering of the Guatemalan people in her spiritual poetry." She died in Guatemala on the 19th July 2019.

Final artwork: Cover and spreads / Ilustraciones finales: Portada y páginas internas.

sojourners mag

Pollinate my mind

February 8, 2020 Alejandra De la Torre

ENG. My fascination with bees never ends and this weekend I started this illustration. The inspiration for this piece was a toy I loved when I was 5.

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊

ESP. Mi fascinación por las abejas nunca termina y este fin de semana empecé esta ilustración. La inspiración para esta pieza fue un juguete que adoraba cuando tenía 5 años.

Pollinate my mind so I can grow an imaginary garden.
Mixed media artwork

Planetarium & Orchid garden day

January 20, 2020 Alejandra De la Torre

♡♥︎ January 20 2020 ♥︎♡

Orchids, stars, constellations, white dwarf stars, black holes, a feast of traditional food, walk, cold, rain.

Ecstatic Flux by WOW x WOX

January 10, 2020 Alejandra De la Torre

ECSTATIC FLUX

ONLINE GROUP EXHIBITION
10TH – 31ST JANUARY 2020

Ecstatic Flux group exhibition curated by Tim Maclean, hosted by WOW x WOW art gallery.

Opening night: Friday, 10th January 2020 (Start time: 7pm GMT).
The show will be on view until: Friday, 31st January 2020.

You can visit the online show here.

“Dark Matter Lagoon”
Ink on paper
2020

Participating artists:

Inktober... I did it!

November 4, 2019 Alejandra De la Torre

ENG. It’s been a long October, it is the first time I finish an Inktober challenge and I feel very satisfied. I really like Inktober because on the one hand it is an exercise limited by one word, but on the other hand, you have all the freedom to draw anything (I mean anything!) that comes to your mind.

It is always a challenge to work on a daily illustration, especially at the level I would like to, but I’ve learned to relax, enjoy it and take it for what it is, just an exercise and even though I didn’t like all the drawings, I noticed how my hand got really loose and I’ll definitely make some pieces inspired by these sketches. I am very happy because of the evolution, specially in the creative aspect and really enjoyed using different types of strokes and inks. It is also the first time that I do the challenge with a friend and it is very nice to see the evolution of his drawing and to share our results, joys and frustrations. What a good Inktober! hopefully many more come. These are my inktober illustrations ñ______ñ

I think I’m going to make a 2020 Calendar with some of them.

✍ ✒︎ ✍ ✒︎ ✍ ✒︎ ✍ ✒︎ ✍ ✒︎

ESP. Ha sido un Octubre largo, es la primera vez que termino un reto Inktober y me siento muy satisfecha. Realmente me gusta Inktober porque por un lado es un ejercicio limitado por una sola palabra, pero por otro lado, tienes toda la libertad de dibujar ¡cualquier cosa que se te ocurra!.

Siempre es un desafío trabajar en una ilustración diaria, especialmente al nivel que me gustaría, pero aprendí a relajarme, disfrutarlo y tomarlo como lo que es, solo un ejercicio y aunque no me gustaron todos los dibujos, noté cómo se iba soltando mi mano conforme iban pasando los días y definitivamente haré algunas piezas inspiradas en estos bocetos. Estoy muy contenta porque me gustó el resultado y la evolución, sobretodo en el aspecto creativo y disfruté mucho usar diferentes tipos de trazos y de tintas. También es la primera vez que hago el reto con un amigo y es my bonito ir viendo la evolución de su dibujo y poder compartir nuestros resultados, alegrías y frustraciones. Qué buen Inktober, ojalá vengan muchos más. Estas son mis ilustraciones de este Inktober ñ______ñ

Creo que haré un Calendario 2020 con algunas de estas ilustraciones.

Inktober 2019 Ink drawing illustration artwork by Ale De la Torre Ink on paper

Ink drawing illustration artwork by Ale De la Torre Inktober 2019. Ink on paper

Calendars / Calendarios
2020

Identidades Ilustradas

October 18, 2019 Alejandra De la Torre

Identidades Ilustradas exhibition

Identidades Ilustradas
Palacio de Minería | Collective exhibition (ILUSTRAMDI) | September 25 |Mexico city.

Identidades Ilustradas
Centro Nacional de las Artes | Collective exhibition (FILIJ) | November 13 |Mexico city.

“Estructura del Caos en un Bosque de Niebla”
Digital illustration

Jan Hendrix

September 17, 2019 Alejandra De la Torre

Jan Hendrix. MUAC, UNAM.
Ciudad de México. 2019.

Santiago Caruso

August 25, 2019 Alejandra De la Torre

ENG. Last Friday I attended the IV International Colloquium of Fantastic Literature (UNAM) to listen to the illustrator I admire and enjoy the most: Santiago Caruso. For some reason, I had the great opportunity to get into auditorium full of people who admire their work to witness an intelligent, entertaining talk in which I found several reminders of the reasons why I illustrate and many answers to questions that I had been asking myself for a long time about art and illustration.

I left the place with a wide smile and a wonderful book that I couldn’t find anywhere: his art book Dark Matter, which is a true treasure and a gift from a person whom I love deeply and has been by my side in a key moment of my life.

Sometimes life has beautiful ways to teach, to remind us of our purpose and enjoy the moment; this trip and the words of this great artist are a great example.

In a dark life that in itself is beautiful, this day was a shooting star.

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

ESP. El viernes asistí al IV Coloquio Internacional de Literatura Fantástica de la UNAM para escuchar al ilustrador que más admiro y disfruto. Por alguna razón, tuve la gran oportunidad de entrar a un auditorio repleto de personas que admiran su trabajo a escuchar una charla inteligente, amena y en la que encontré varias advertencias de las razones por las que ilustro y muchas respuestas a preguntas que llevaba tiempo haciéndome acerca del arte y la ilustración.

De esta charla salí con una sonrisa amplia y un libro maravilloso que tenía tiempo tratando de encontrar: su libro Materia Oscura, que además de ser un verdadero tesoro, fue un regalo de una persona a la que amo profundamente y me ha acompañado en una etapa clave de mi vida.

A veces la vida tiene maneras hermosas de enseñar, de recordarnos nuestro propósito y de hacerse disfrutar. Este viaje y las palabras de este gran artista son un ejemplo.

En una vida oscura que de por sí es bella, este día fue una estrella fugaz.

Bjork's Utopia

February 8, 2019 Alejandra De la Torre

Illustration inspired by Björk’s new album Utopia and the amazing art around it: orchid mask by James T. Merry and bizarre makeup by Hungry. I just love everything about Björk’s work.

Utopia
Bird species never seen or heard before
The first flute carved from the first fauna
Utopia (It’s not)
Elsewhere
Let's purify
You assigned me to protect our lantern
To be intentional about the light
Utopia
It isn't elsewhere
It, it’s here
My instinct has been shouting at me for years
Saying let’s get out of here
Huge toxic tumor bulging underneath the ground here
Purify, purify, purify, purify toxicity

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I would grow an orchid garden just for you

November 30, 2018 Alejandra De la Torre

I would grow an orchid garden just for you…

I would open my skin to plant the seeds of your favorite flowers,
water with my blood the small buds to root their bulbs with my arteries
and keep the substrate wet with the stream of my eyes.
I would retain the warmth of your orchids with the fire of my heart,
while my vanilla essence would attract insects to pollinate every flower.
I would feed only on their nectar and occasionally on yours.
I would learn to run through the hills with my imagination just to be with you,
and if I got lost I would find you by your smell of coffee and paper.
I would build a secret refuge under the leaves for you to hide
whenever you need to be absent from the world.
I would draw clouds around me to refract the light.
I would write new orchid names and paint them in your favorite colors.
I would let you cut the flowers with the edge of your madness
and make them grow again infinitely.
I would give anything to see you smile every day.

I would grow an orchid garden just for you.

✾ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ✾

Cultivaría un jardín de orquídeas sólo para ti…

Abriría mi piel para plantar las semillas de tus flores favoritas,
regaría con mi sangre los pequeños brotes para enraizar sus bulbos con mis arterias
y mantendría el sustrato húmedo con el flujo de mis ojos.
Retendría el calor de tus orquídeas con el fuego de mi corazón cuando te siente cerca,
mientras mi esencia de vainilla atraería insectos para polinizar cada flor;
me alimentaría sólo de su néctar y ocasionalmente del tuyo.
Aprendería a atravesar cerros con mi imaginación para estar contigo
y si llegara a perderme, te encontraría por tu olor a café y papel.
Construiría un refugio secreto bajo las hojas
para cuando necesites ausentarte del mundo.
Fabricaría nubes alrededor mío para refractar la luz.
Escribiría nombres nuevos de orquídeas y las pintaría de tus colores favoritos.
Te dejaría cortar las flores con el filo de tu locura y las haría crecer de nuevo infinitamente.
Daría cualquier cosa por verte sonreír todos los días.

Cultivaría un jardín de orquídeas sólo para ti.

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The beauty of diversity

July 16, 2018 Alejandra De la Torre

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

Vincent van Gogh

Disonancia I

June 4, 2018 Alejandra De la Torre

Disonancia I: para atravesar una aurora boreal hay que arrancarse el corazón.

Sketch / boceto

Ink / tinta

Color

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 7, 2018 Alejandra De la Torre

Client: Current Affairs
Art Direction: Nathan J. Robinson
Art: Ale De la Torre
Design: Áurea Carmín Design Studio

ENG. I made this Illustration for Current Affairs magazine, for a very interesting article about how US drug war policies create violence across the border, and the links between drug addicts who die of overdoses in US cities and the people impacted by cartel violence in border cities in Mexico. A very interesting topic, which hopefully will raise awareness among US citizens about this violent exchange that not only affects those involved in this drug war, but innocent people in both countries.

☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩

ESP. Ilustración para un artículo de Current Affairs acerca de la violencia que se vive en México y EEUU debido a la guerra contra las drogas y al vínculo que existe entre las muertes por sobredosis en Estados Unidos y las muertes por la violencia que generan los cárteles en la frontera Mexicana. Un tema muy interesante, que con suerte logrará crear conciencia en ciudadanos norteamericanos acerca de este intercambio tan violento que no sólo afecta a los involucrados en esta guerra contra las drogas, sino a personas inocentes en ambos países.