Iris de Luz

About the Project

During the confinement of the pandemic I started experimenting with collages, this personal project is a series of 3 bears, each of a different color representing a different emotional state for me. This is the pink bear, but there was also the blue bear and the white bear that I added later.

Research

I researched the types of bears, their ecosystems and their relationship with flowers but then I let my imagination run wild exploring different textures of materials.

Materials

The technique I use is digital collage, in photoshop, I use photographs of textures, flowers, cards, spheres, and some 3D geometric elements made in illustrator.

Process

I love animals, I look at a lot of pictures of them, the bear in particular inspired me a lot for this work. first I looked for many images of bears, especially of their face, then I made sketches of their face to synthesize, marking their particular features. once I was satisfied with the synthesis of the face I did a search of textures and images that I grouped by shapes, colour, I wanted the result to be very cheerful and striking so I decided on the palette of saturated pink and glitter, and that would transmit warmth. Once I had selected all the textures relevant to my concept, I began to fill in the synthesised silhouette of the bear’s face, making tests until I was convinced of the final result.

Insights

From this particular project I developed a new aesthetic. I opened a new world of textures that allowed me to develop others. and the most important thing is that for a work to be well resolved you have to pay a lot of attention to every detail, with patience but little by little you complete it part by part until you complete the whole.

Distractions

I did this work during the confinement during the pandemic in Argentina. I was locked up for a long time and I think that helped me to develop my imagination as a way to escape from reality and imagine a world full of happy colours.

Numbers

This work has more than 500 layers in photoshop, more than 20 images of textures and 15 days of work.

Reflections

I would like to make it animated, to make his eyes move and all the textures move as if there was a little breeze.

Advice

Look at many artists that inspire you, from all artistic areas. But always listen to your inner voice and don’t be so influenced by the opinions of others. Trust yourself and take a lot of time to explore and play without pressure.

Future

I will continue making illustrations and enjoying them, developing personal works and selling them.

Dream Commission

To make a picture book with a nice story that gives a good message, that develops people’s imagination, no matter what age they are.

Favourite Thing to Draw

Flowers!

Workspace

I live in a small but cosy flat, my desk is next to a balcony with lots of plants, I can also see the street and people from the window.

Thanks

Thank you for choosing my work among so many other talented people. it is a great motivation to keep creating and working.