Can Mexican spirits and Japanese yokai get along? Exploring the fluorescence technique that makes hidden drawings come alive
── Congratulations on winning the pixiv Award! How did you feel when you found out you won?
── This time, you won the pixiv Award. Were you familiar with pixiv before this?
── How did you come across the Copic Award?
── How long have you been drawing?
── What do you like the most about Copics?
── Could you show us a photo of your Copic collection and your workspace?
elquijoteART：I also want to show you the Copic collection I’ve gathered over the years. Like I mentioned earlier, I started with just three Copics; now, I have maybe, like, 50.
── Would you mind sharing some pictures of your other artworks made with Copics?
── What other materials do you use apart from Copics?
elquijoteART：I use a wide variety of techniques and materials. I love to experiment a lot, so I have different types of markers of varying mediums such as water, alcohol, oil, or solvents. I also have a lot of watercolors and acrylic paints, and my favorite materials to use with Copics are colored pencils.
My philosophy is that a great artist uses several techniques at the same time. It’s not wise to use just one because you would be limiting yourself, which is why I combine Copics with colored pencils all the time, use watercolors to create a color foundation, acrylics to make base colors, and other markers to blend them into Copics. Oh, and I also have a digital tablet to make digital paintings.
Creating art that bridges Japan and Mexico
── Can you tell us about the story or concept behind your winning piece?
For this piece, I wanted to depict a scene where a Japanese tourist goes to a Mexican pottery store, accompanied by benevolent spirits who have come to play with our local spirits, both of which are known to be forest guardians.
── It's lovely how the spirits become visible when you expose your drawing to UV light.
elquijoteART：I like to try new things and techniques, so I decided to create my own fluorescence technique when creating this piece. I got the idea when I saw people using UV light to check if a money bill was fake or not, because there are hidden details in those bills that can only be seen with this light.
── How long did the creation process take?
elquijoteART：Making the piece itself took five days, but the whole creation process took about seven months, mostly because I was developing a technique that didn’t exist and needed to test it.
First, I needed to find the right materials that worked with Copics. That process took about four months and consisted of buying many pigments and making a lot of errors until I found the perfect material that worked exactly the way I wanted it to with Copics. The next step was conducting trial runs so I could master it and use it as an art material.
Once I was confident that my technique worked, I could finally start thinking of the main topic. During the brainstorming process, I used to travel a lot inside my country, taking photos of rural environments, picking flowers, and looking at the mountains and stores as I went from place to place. That was when I came up with the main theme of this particular drawing.
── I heard that your piece was inspired by your hometown. Could you tell us what it's like?
── What were the most challenging parts of the creation process?
elquijoteART：The most difficult part was developing my fluorescence technique. I know that invisible UV ink exists, but that ink is only for printers or toy markers. They also have a lot of problems because the UV ink used for printers is highly saturated and doesn’t resemble watercolors, and the ink from toy markers start to fade with time and direct light, so they’re only suitable for playing with and are no good for making proper art. Therefore, I needed to make my own pigments and create a technique that no one had used before.
── It's impossible to tell in bright lighting that this drawing contains hidden spirits. What sort of inks or techniques did you use to achieve this effect?
── Which part of your artwork do you like the most?
Can Mexican spirits and Japanese yokai become friends?
── Your girl characters are adorable. Do you have any special tips for drawing them so cutely?
── You’ve mentioned on social media that “Mexican spirits are very similar to Japanese yokai.” Can you elaborate on the similarities you see?
*brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical (fantasy/mythical) creatures.
── You seem to enjoy Japanese culture. What are some of your favorite anime or manga?
elquijoteART：My favorite anime/manga would be Goblin Slayer, Spy x Family, and Oruchuban Ebichu.
── Are there any Japanese anime or creators that have influenced your work?
elquijoteART：Yes, of course! The most influential artists I think are Rumiko Takahashi and CLAMP.
── Are there any differences between Mexican and Japanese illustration cultures?
elquijoteART：I think the biggest difference between them is the content. Mexican illustrations are more focused on street art and pre-Hispanic roots, so they tend to be rougher, more vivid, and angular, while Japanese illustrations are more focused on telling the daily lives of Japanese people but blending them with fantasy.
── Thank you for your valuable insight. Lastly, do you have any advice for those aiming to win a Copic Award like you?
Check out the other winners' artwork here!
Check out the link below to see more artwork from the winners of Copic Award 2023, which include many other international artists besides elquijoteART.
For the selection process and judges' comments, check out the video above.