ABOUT RUDAS:

My name is Rudas (LAST NAME) and I am a 17 (going on 18) year old aspiring professional illustrator! I was born on June 13, 2007 in Guatemala City to Guatemalan and Colombian parents, although I moved to (CITY) in February of 2021, which is where I am currently living as of writing.

I've been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil! Of course, a lot of young kids like drawing - but unlike many others I did not outgrow my love for art - it only grew alongside me, and I could not be more thankful for that. My passion for creation is a huge part of my sense of identity, and it is both informed by and cyclically informs it. I put a part of myself into everything I create, and everything I create forms a part of myself.

I love art because it allows me to tell stories, which is another of my passions in life, and it is also, in my eyes, an act of love. I learn more about the world around me by drawing it and am able to appreciate both these details and greater idea as a whole, and my ability to draw allows me to create gifts for my loved ones that come straight from the heart! Throughout my life, illustration and storytelling have been constant. I've envisioned countless worlds and their denizens all within my mind and brought them to life through my art, and this act of creation, dedication, and love is galvanising to me. Art has also become a sort of self-therapy for me, allowing me to give form to my emotions and express them in a way i never could with words or any other communicative medium, and it has been an anchor for me throughout more turbulent parts of my life. Art has always been something I could turn to and express myself through.

I use a variety of media. Traditionally, I quite like pen and ink (I use G and "school" pen nibs), pencil, coloured pencils, fine liner pens, watercolour, gouache, acrylic paint, and oil paint. Digitally, I use the program Procreate on my iPad when I'm on the go and Clip Studio Paint EX on my laptop alongside a Huion Kamvas Pro 13 (2.5k) pen display tablet!

I am always learning and working to improve, and this is one of my biggest goals in life, which is one of the reasons why i am hoping to study illustration at university. My aims for my artistic future entail continuing to improve my skills, meeting both those like-minded and not, and discovering myself - my love for illustration is a core part of my identity after all. I believe studying illustration will be crucial in reaching a career in this industry. I hope to contribute to the practice of storytelling, something almost sacred to me, through my art however I can, and to bring others the same joy, hope, and solace many stories have brought me.