Can Mexican spirits and Japanese yokai get along? Exploring the fluorescence technique that makes hidden drawings come alive

The Copic Award 2023, is an illustration contest in which people from all over the world participate. Out of countless entries, elquijoteART, an artist who lives in Mexico, won the pixiv Award.

This stunning artwork depicting a Mexican pottery shop has a delightful surprise: when exposed to UV light, spirits come to life in the drawing.

Where did this unique idea come from? In this interview, we asked elquijoteART about his creation process and the story behind his artwork.

── Congratulations on winning the pixiv Award! How did you feel when you found out you won?

elquijoteART：It was awesome. It felt like a bolt of lightning had run down my spine, and knowing that I got to be one of the winners was like pure magic.

── This time, you won the pixiv Award. Were you familiar with pixiv before this?

elquijoteART：Yes, I used to consult it for inspiration from time to time since I really like anime and manga culture.

── How did you come across the Copic Award?

elquijoteART：During the world pandemic of 2020, I lost my job as a designer in the city and moved to a small town, where I started to develop my artistic skills. I found Copics while browsing an art store one day and bought just three basic colors, and in that same store, I happened to see a banner for the 2021 Copic Award, which was the first time I’d heard of it. I decided to enter the following year’s contest in 2022 and again in 2023, so I entered a total of two times, last year and this year.

── How long have you been drawing?

elquijoteART：I have been drawing all my life, but I started to take my art more seriously in 2020.

── What do you like the most about Copics?

elquijoteART：The transparency and how well the colors blend like watercolors. I also like the great resistance the markers have to light. Because of this, my fluorescence technique could work perfectly.

── Could you show us a photo of your Copic collection and your workspace?

elquijoteART：Of course! Here is where I normally work, but honestly, I just work everywhere I go, be it a cafeteria, a park, or a friend’s house. This is my general-purpose studio, where I and some other friends gather to draw and chat.

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?

elquijoteART：Yes, of course. Here are some illustrations I made with Copics., I’m a fan of Hatsune Miku, so I even bought the limited edition Copic Ciao Hatsune Miku Set. I’m also a fan of Japanese culture and folklore, like the legend of Princess Kaguya. Last of all is this dragon drawing that made me a finalist in the 2022 Copic Award.

── 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?

elquijoteART：I love Japanese and Mexican culture, so I decided to create a piece incorporating elements of both cultures to help bridge the gap and strengthen the bond between the two countries.

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?

elquijoteART：I live in a small town in México named Ocotepec in the state of Puebla. There are a lot of artisan activities here, and I wanted to show the world what my people can do. Here is a photo of my home, where my dog Momo and my wife are looking at our neighbor’s house. As you can see, I am surrounded by nature.

── 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?

elquijoteART：That is my secret recipe. The only thing I can say is that the pigment I used was something I discovered by accident, and I never thought it would work.

── Which part of your artwork do you like the most?

elquijoteART：I think what I enjoy the most is that I feel totally free when I make art. I like to try new and weird things and always find joy in new discoveries. What I like the most about doing art is looking at my process and seeing all of my work and research materialize into a single artwork.

Can Mexican spirits and Japanese yokai become friends?

── Your girl characters are adorable. Do you have any special tips for drawing them so cutely?

elquijoteART：My tip when drawing cute characters is to think cute as well. I think that everyone can be cute or adorable if given the chance, and that is not a bad thing. As you can see, I have a beard, and I consider myself to be very manly, but I still enjoy making cute things. If you let yourself enjoy adorable things, you will automatically know how to draw cute girls.

── You’ve mentioned on social media that “Mexican spirits are very similar to Japanese yokai.” Can you elaborate on the similarities you see?

elquijoteART：Our cultures are very similar. We also have our guardian spirits and our monsters and demons, and they have somewhat similar roles here in México too. Some spirits are caring and look after other living beings in nature, while others inhabit stores and homes, and tend to make pranks like moving stuff from one place to another. I wish I could list all the similarities I’ve found, but there are a lot, so I think that will be my next grand project—to make a lot of art that features them. I do believe that if Mexican alebrijes* and Japanese yokai were to meet, they would truly become friends.

*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?

elquijoteART：Try a lot of things, and don’t be afraid to fail. Go outside and see nature and look for inspiration in your everyday life; sometimes, the best ideas come when you least expect them.

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.