El Muertito....Ah, ain't he cute?!!

The other day I received this via email:



Looks like production art for a new kid's EL MUERTO cartoon, doesn't it?

Well, it's actually a page from the sketchbook of Luis Escobar, a layout/storyboard artist for the SIMPSONS tv series & movie. I actually only recently met Luis, he just became a member of the CARTOONISTAS art group I'm in. In the short time I've known him though, we've hit it off pretty good. Naturally, we've discussed art-related issues, and in fact he was a guest on my podcast JAVILAND, where he brought in a topic and spent the entire show with us as part of our roundtable discussion.

His EL MUERTITO artwork really brought a smile to my face. The look on the one at the bottom, running with all the gusto he can manage, is hilarious. Little Muerto is so earnest! The shimmering quality Luis achieves in the hair and clothes is really effective. I could totally see a vinyl doll based on these designs. Vinyl doll makers....Send me a contract!

Luis maintains a blog where he often posts short comic stories, usually relating to some incident in his life. They're very pleasant-to-read vignettes, crafted in a nice, loose, shorthand style of drawing. They really feel like stories he's jotted down in a journal. Here's one he did in color, mixed with a photo:

Luis on a recent trip to Disneyland with his family.

My sincere thanks to Luis for sending me these sketches.