In Peques and Más we are delighted to introduce you to Esther Morales, a Bright young artist and illustrator who is finishing the Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Salamanca. According to his biography, since childhood he remembers with a pencil and paper in his hand. Esther is an extraordinary worker who enjoys learning, creating and exploring imaginary worlds in which her characters and creatures live. I met Esther in the ABC Museum where I attended the presentation of the Tatanka Publishing House and specifically when he presented us with the book, illustrated by her, Felix discovers the forest. In the interview Esther tells us about her current situation, her future plans and her vision of illustration in the world of paper and digital. In addition the article is enriched with several of the illustrations Esther has done in multiple formats and that your kids will love. I recommend you go through their sites on the Internet because it keeps them all active and with great achievements that you can enjoy with your kids. For now you can meet her a little more in the interview she has kindly granted us.
Introduce us the work Felix discovers the forest
Felix discovers the forest is an illustrated children's album for first readers that tells the story of a child, Felix, whose passion is the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. On an excursion to the forest discover, with the help of a little fox called Vulpes, the secrets and inhabitants of your home. Little by little, the little one realizes that creatures as fascinating as those of his imaginary worlds lived near him. I conceived the story as a tribute to the great naturalist Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente and the truth is that the experience could not have been better.
I am a big fan of the illustrated album format. Not only because I dedicate myself to illustration, but because I consider that books in which the image acquires as much weight as the text, complementing and discovering its contents in such different ways to the reader offer an enormously rich experience.
What is your experience of publishing on social networks
Well, the truth is that I started in the blog world six years ago. At the beginning as a way to escape, I hung the writings or drawings that I was doing in my adolescence but, as I matured and grew in my profession, the blog has become another tool, as a way of making known what I do the rest of the world. I also use social networks a lot, especially my Facebook page where I share my work and discover that of other amazing artists that I might not know otherwise.
What training are you doing
In this month of June I will have finished my Degree in the University of Fine Arts of Salamanca. This experience has been perhaps the greatest adventure of my life. I have learned countless knowledge and techniques, both from teachers and from my classmates and above all, it has been five years of personal evolution towards the person I am today.
As for the relationship between the University and the world of work, I miss some practice in real companies, in galleries or design companies for example, or future orientation classes that await us. But it is also understandable because our career is not destined for a single profession, such as medicine or law. The outputs are practically endless: design, advertising, illustration, audiovisual, painting, sculpture, drawing, engraving, teaching ... and it is difficult to give an orientation class for each of them.
Who were your idols of small drawing and how have you evolved since your first drawings
The truth is that as a child anything related to the drawings, whether in movies, in stories, in series ... I found them amazing, almost like now. But if I have to mark a reference the art of animated films like Disney, Dreamworks, Ghibli or Pixar have been my inspiration, both in their art and in their way of telling stories, from my childhood to today. As for the way of drawing of course with the years and the practice I have evolved a lot, and all that remains for me to improve.
I have always felt a predilection for character design, both human and animal, it is the part that I like to design in any illustration
What is the future of the comic: paper or tablets
Personally, I'm still a classic. Although I have tried tablets and ebooks, I still prefer paper and especially when it comes to comics, illustrated albums or any book with images I think a good impression makes the illustration win a lot. In any case, I think that one or the other format does not have to disappear, they do not seem to have to rival me, but each one has its own market and can live together, although the last word will be the public.
What do you think about the videogame industry and how is it absorbing the work of professionals who, like you, are great cartoonists and have the facility to create stories?
I think it's great and I would love to be able to work in this sector, as well as in animation or editorial. I am a big fan of video games, since childhood I have loved it, and knowing that there is an artistic team behind each one of them makes it even more attractive to me. Nowadays the world of videogames could not be booming anymore and that allows innovating professionals in the sector and small businesses, taking risks with new releases, such as Journey, a true aesthetic wonder.
What do you think about the option that now allows you to connect stories between movies, comics, videogames using transmedia?
I think it is a great innovation that allows feedback to all sectors and enrich a story with the different languages of various media. If it continues to grow, great sagas of stories can be created that cover a lot of creative fields.
At what ages can children approach the illustrated stories and with what works
Well, in my opinion, from the first year of a child's life you can start to familiarize yourself with books. There are adapted stories, with thick cardboard sheets or soft so that they do not break or hurt themselves with them. Illustrated albums are a great way to bring the first readers to the story told, even if they don't know how to read they can interpret their drawings, or listen to what they have to tell through an adult who reads it. For me, reading is a treasure and the sooner we discover it to the little ones, the more they will enjoy it in their adulthood.
What are your next projects
Well, for now, finish the final year project and, after the summer, start an animation course in Madrid. I want to discover that world that fascinates me so much and that it will surely bring more dynamism and new points of view to my illustrations. Meanwhile, I continue to improve my portfolio and develop a new joint editorial project, although there is still a long way to go.
Finally I want to thank you very much for the opportunity to share my opinions and work and wish you the best.
And here the interview with Esther Morales to whom we thank her collaboration. It has been a great experience to learn more about this fantastic creative work of this young Spanish author. At home we are the whole family delighted with his drawings and we are convinced that to Esther, with a great present, a spectacular future awaits you. We wish him the best and in the meantime we will continue to enjoy and get excited about his work.
