I had a talk about illustration and art with some friends; it was a discussion about the difference between fine art and applied arts. Therefore I thought that the most suitable definition for art is that “Art is the thing that an artist does”. Nowadays, the thing that determinate what “Art” is, it’s the name of who did a particular piece.

The way I see it, “Art” must have three conditioning parameters to be considered as “art”. The first parameter is that a piece of art must be made with the intention of making a unique piece; this means that it must not have any copies. Any copy of the original piece of art would make the original less valuable. If a copy is made it will lose the characteristic of a “unique” piece. The second parameter is that this piece of art has to be made without the intention of selling it. It has to be made with the intention of communicating something personal, even if people don’t understand it. Consequently the third parameter is self-expressing something emotional, personal or sentiments of the artist who is making the piece of art.

In this post I share a personal process for illustration. It shows how life is given from a white space with each stroke I make. Illustration is the ability of giving life to a moment, real or fictitious, and it has to be understood by people who sees it. Illustration is to fill with life an empty space, the key of illustration is to find life where there’s emptiness.

This is a blank and white version of the illustration, hope you enjoy it.

Rafa G.A.