LA Times Festival of Books

If you’ll be at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend at the USC campus, come find me at Booth 513. I’ll have tons of my prints and plenty of my children’s book. Plus admission is FREE :)

Happy December & Update

I know I've been MIA for a while and in case some of you are thinking I upped and quit art and moved to the mountains I wanted to share why. A little while ago I got offered the opportunity to illustrate a children's book for Simon & Schuster's Kids label which I've been working on over the last few months. I can't say much more about it right now but I understand it'll come out later next year. In any case I've also got some really fun ideas brewing in my head that I can't wait to put out really soon. Happy December, everyone!

After shipping out the books and rewards to all my amazing Kickstarter backers, I'm happy to announce that my "SMALL DOGS" book is now available publicly on my Storenvy page. Simply click on the link below to check it out and for anyone who'd like their copy dedicated to someone in particular I'd be happy to oblige :) Happy Friday, everyone and remember to stay small!

http://mauricioabrilart.storenvy.com/

"Small Dogs" Is Going To Press

"SMALL DOGS" Update: I'm happy to say that earlier this week I was able to sign off on the new patch proofs I received from the printer which means that "Small Dogs" is going to press! Yup, after a few rounds of adjusting the color settings, I can finally get the book printed at the quality I wanted. I'll be obtaining all the other cool rewards for my Kickstarter backers in the mean time but if you'd still like a copy, you'll now be able to get one after I receive them. THANK YOU to those of you who supported the campaign and made this possible!

Last Kickstarter Weekend!

Just three days left on my “Small Dogs” children’s book Kickstarter. It’s been fully funded already so if you’ve been thinking about jumping on board but were just waiting, now’s definitely the time to do so. A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who’s helped put this book into production very soon. I can’t wait to share it with you all :)

http://kck.st/1R4DLTn

"Small Dogs" Kickstarter Shirt Goal Met & First Sample

I'm happy to say that thanks to everyone's continued support we've reached our second stretch goal for "Small Dogs" meaning that all the shirts will be printed on the American Apparel tri-blend fabric from my chosen shirt company. I'm also happy to announce that I just received the very first shirt sample with the tri-blend printing, and it not only looks great but also feels great! If your pledge doesn't include a shirt but you would like one, you can upgrade your reward tier at any time. A big THANK YOU to all of you who've shared and supported this campaign! Stay Small :)

SMALL DOGS Kickstarter 100% Funded!

HAHA in between the time I made this image and was about to post it, my Kickstarter campaign got FULLY FUNDED! Seriously THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING AND/OR SHARING IT! The way Kickstarter works is now any additional funds raised will go toward stretch goals which are ways to enhance the existing rewards or add new ones. In the mean time thank you again for your support and for those that haven’t yet pledged, if you do now you’re guaranteed to get the book. Cheers!

http://kck.st/1R4DLTn

SMALL DOGS Kickstarter First Week Almost Over

Holy moly! Thank you so much to everyone who’s supported my first ever Kickstarter. Despite all the planning and preparation I did, that didn’t stop me from being crazy nervous the moment it went live. For those that don’t know, it’s a children’s book that tells the sweet story about how a young Chihuahua deals with the fact that he’ll never be as big as the other dogs and decides to embrace his differences. Thanks for reading and checking it out if you haven’t :)

http://kck.st/1R4DLTn

SMALL DOGS Kickstarter Going Strong

This story is meant to show kids that sometimes we might want things in life that we can't control (like being a big dog for instance), and instead of looking for a magic solution the only thing we can control is how we react to it. This particular scene shows young Seth hearing something that he'll soon come to hear throughout the story - that he's too small to do anything helpful. 

Please check out the page if you haven't done so yet: http://kck.st/1R4DLTn

And thanks so much to all of you who've already supported the book :)

SMALL DOGS Custom Portrait & Giveaway

This is Jenny. She’s the owner of Seth in my kid’s book, and I drew her as an example of the Double Portrait reward for my Kickstarter. I’m also offering everyone who pledges this first week a chance at winning a FREE PORTRAIT commission. Thank you to everyone who’s already supported the campaign. As an independent artist/creator, it’s most appreciated :)

SMALL DOGS Kickstarter Has Officially Launched!

I'm happy to announce that the Kickstarter for SMALL DOGS has LAUNCHED! Now you can get your own signed copy along with other cool rewards that include custom art of you or your pet. If you're a fan of my artwork and enjoy the kind of storytelling I do, I definitely think you'll enjoy this book. Your support would mean the world to me, and if this isn't your cup of tea but you'd still like to help, please share it with anyone you think might enjoy it. Thank you so much for reading and for any and all support!

http://kck.st/1R4DLTn

Want to See Your Pet as a Cartoon?

Ever wanted a custom portrait of your favorite four-legged friend? Rewards tiers for my upcoming Kickstarter campaign will include custom color illustrations of your pet (not limited to just dogs either). Can also be a unique GIFT for a friend or family member with a special pet. Launches next week! I'm really excited to share it with you, and I hope you'll consider supporting once you see all the cool stuff you can get.

Meet Seth

Meet Seth, a spirited little Chihuahua and the star of my children’s book “Small Dogs.” In one week I will launch my first Kickstarter to get the book printed for all to enjoy this story inspired by the idea that our differences are what make us who we are. Thank you to everyone for your support and I’m really excited to share this story with all of you!

SMALL DOGS Friendships

At the heart of my "Small Dogs" story is the value of friendship. Little Seth's journey to prove the big dogs wrong wouldn't be complete without the help of Chester the aspiring superhero Pug and Winston the nerdy Dachshund. I'll be posting some more details about these three and their story as the Kickstarter draws near. Thanks you for all the support and encouragement thus far!

"Small Dogs" Coming Soon

Many of you can probably tell that storytelling is at the heart of what I do. Along that line I'd like to introduce another story. It's a children's book called "Small Dogs" that I wrote and illustrated three years ago. The book you're seeing here is a test copy which I've used to help me edit and refine it to the point that I feel it is ready to be shared with all of you. In the coming weeks I plan to post more information about the story in anticipation of launching my first ever Kickstarter campaign to help get the book printed. I've put a ton of work into this and I genuinely hope you'll enjoy seeing it. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement so far!

Father's Day 2015 Part 1 of 2

I'm not a father, at least not that I know of, but this first (of two) Father's Day illustration was inspired by a moment I experienced about a year or so ago. I was coming home late after one of those long and draining days at work. You know, the kind that are so mentally exhausting that they also drain you physically and all you want to do is lie down and do nothing?

Well as I was about to unlock my front door I had a moment for some random reason where I thought to myself - 'Oh my god, if I had to come home to a family right now and help my kid with their homework, give them a bath and put them to sleep, I just don't know how I'd be able to do it.' Usually I come home and do some art, but I didn't even want to do that and I LOVE art! It was then that I felt like I got a small glimpse into what it's like to be a father which led me to illustrate this one page comic. So this goes out to all the great papa bears out there who go to a grueling job day in and day out and still have enough for their kid(s) at the end of the day. 

"Small Dogs" - Meet Bella

Bella is the beautiful but mean leader of the big dogs. They don't take too kindly to small dogs and she's not shy about letting them know it either.

"SMALL DOGS" Revisited - Meet Winston!

Winston is a shy Dachshund who'd much rather watch the History Channel on the couch than play outside in the dirt. He's an incredibly smart and well-groomed pet, but not really that much of your typical dog. He'll follow you to the ends of the Earth, but you can trust that he'd much rather read about adventures than actually go out and have them.

Happy Friday, everyone!

"SMALL DOGS" - Meet Chester

Chester is a portly Pug whose passion for people food is rivaled only by his love of comic books. He becomes Seth's friend when Seth moves to the city and helps him understand what it's like being a small dog. Happy Monday, everyone!

"Small Dogs" Revisited: Meet Seth

Meet Seth. He's one of the friendliest Chihuahuas you'll ever meet and just can't wait to be big like the other dogs. Poor little guy though doesn't realize yet that he's a small dog and that small dogs sort of tend to you know...stay small. Happy Friday, everyone!