In the following article, we will show you an interview with inspiring artists: Ulises Díaz López – Part 2. At only 31 years old, he is already working in the most important advertising companies in the world.
In addition, he will tell us about his teaching career, his experience doing murals, among many other things.
He tells us what he likes to draw, the tools he uses, and how he creates his characters.
Don’t miss this second part!
Tips and experiences of a fascinating artist
We continue with the exclusive interview with Ulises Diaz Lopez, professional artist, who will reveal his tips to design characters and the tools he uses, in addition, we will know his teaching facet, and his experience making murals, among many other things.
If you want to know how he has been able to draw sneaker advertisements, pay attention, here we go!
How do you proceed to make the character designs?
The first thing I look for is that the client gives me information about what he wants, if there is a Moodboard, the better, it’s a file, where there are aesthetic and conceptual references, of where he wants to go, otherwise, if it doesn’t exist, I do it myself.
I look for images or things, and I say “It can go this way, with this style of line, with this style of body” When I have an “ok, go ahead”, I start to think of ideas, based on that.
From there, you go forward, you start from the general, and you go towards the particular, you can even choose: “I like the head of this sketch, but the body of the other one, and the sword that the other one has” Then you go putting together, making a kind of selection.
Also, the projects themselves are quite different, and perhaps, they are looking for other things, I really like the exploratory part of that, and to start proposing ideas.
How was the experience of making murals? Did you learn things that will help you in the future for other works?
I don’t know if it has much in common, it’s another world, it’s taking a drawing to a much larger scale. Besides, what seemed crazy to me about doing murals, or things outside a sheet of paper or a small format, is that when you do a mural, your whole body is drawing.
I have painted on scaffolding, and also, with those extensors to paint from a distance, and then, when you are there drawing, it seems that your own body is also the tool itself, because they are very long strokes.
There were situations in which, on a very long wall, you had to run 5 meters, look from a distance and come back, I think there is a more physical question, of relating your body with giant formats.
What tools do you use?
Now I’m working more digitally, I use Photoshop, I also use a specific storyboard program which is StoryboardPro, and I started to make things in ClipStudio, but mostly digital media, and occasionally, I use a small notebook for sketches.
Then there’s ToonBoom, which is for animation.
You are teaching at the university. How do you get along with teaching?
At La Matanza University, each commission is a chair, and I had two commissions, therefore, I was in charge of the chair, I liked it a lot, it’s different from being a teaching assistant, because you have to define everything, set up the program, etc.. I did not come from teaching, I was working as an assistant and I was in charge of correcting.
You don’t set up a program, nor do you propose the guidelines for the whole course, this year, it was surprising to do that, to sit down and define those things.
When did you feel like becoming a teacher?
It came, in part, by chance, but I think I always liked it, first I started as an assistant in a Visual Language course, but before that, I really liked the idea of giving guided tours.
I never worked in any museum, but I always liked that explanatory thing in museums, that you have a good time, and that you take something away with you.
What are you like teaching?
I have moments when I’m very funny, I gave classes, with an assistant, who ended up being my friend, we divided the class, a fairly theoretical part and then, what we do is take breaks, in which you can draw.
As it was in pandemic, we did not want to make a class of, I don’t know, 4 hours sitting at the screen, so we make a break, we send them to draw, we come back, and they show us.
The last part of the term focused more on them developing their own story, with a character, so it’s good to alternate the fact of giving theory, giving a method and then, with that, they make something of their own.
Everyone liked that “I made something of my own, not something copied”.
What was the hardest thing for you to learn to draw and how did you solve it?
(Laughs) I don’t know, if I could solve it, I’m much more of the line, and to raise volumes with planes and lines, and it costs me more, what is the chiaroscuro, values.
I don’t know if it’s hard for me to see it, but it’s hard for me to raise it, and to make it look like a solid drawing, more than a potato.
What do you like to draw in general?
Characters, I even like to draw hands.
What tips would you give for drawing hands?
I think what I saw the most at the beginning, was some structure, but also, what I did the most was to observe my own hand and copy it, I don’t know if it will be a great advice, also, I like to draw torsos and faces, I also like a lot, to pose the clothing of the characters, to look for clothing references.
I see that you use a lot of urban style to draw the clothes.
Yes, it’s something I like a lot, at the time, I had to design a kind of sneakers, that search is also good, I saw a documentary that is on Netflix, called Abstract, but there is a chapter, which is a designer of sneakers that is very well known, called Tinker Hatfield, the one who made the Nike airs, it helped me, yes, to make sneakers.
We thank you for all your advice, Ulises! Surely you, dear TFC reader, have taken note of the experience of this formidable artist who has managed to work for big companies while maintaining his own creativity. We invite you to investigate the networks of Ulises Diaz Lopez (Behance: /LucyWayne / ig: /lookdyl) to learn more about his work. We look forward to seeing you in the next interview!
Conclusion
As you may have seen during the course of this second part of the interview with Ulises Díaz López, he talks about what it’s like to be a teacher, how he gets along with that job, what tools he uses, and how he teaches his knowledge.
He also gives us tips on how to draw hands and many other things, such as what is the hardest thing for him to draw and how he solved it.
We hope you liked this great interview with Ulises, it’s really valuable.
See you next time!
