Shi-Gu - Itzcacalotl

Mysticism of a Hopeless Atheist - Developement of an Obsession - Mexican animator and wanna be story teller. Working on my webcomic Codex Black.

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I made a new design, this time Tlazolteotl (based on a Huastec depiction of her).

Also finished carving both the Tlazolteotl and my ExLibris. Whenever I get some free time, I'll do some stamp tests, both in the traditional way, and I'll try with a regular ink pad too.

The Huastec conch shell ornament where I took this Tlazolteotl from.

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Just shared a new illustration you-know-where!

Chalchiuhtlicue 🌊 and Tlazolteotl 🌚 as Yohualtecuhtin ("Rulers of the Night") of the western direction of the universe, Cihuatlampa.

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it was foretold in the texts that i would draw some DonaMina yuri

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here. Citlalmina drawn from memory

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Very cute! ♥✨

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Was watching this ball game video and, what's that?! A Donají cameo?!

Thanks a lot for the little nod, @macoatl!

Though Donají would probably have an entire collection of yellow and red cards 🟥

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Here's the video, for those interested, it has dual audio options for Spanish & English!

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Was watching this ball game video and, what's that?! A Donají cameo?!

Thanks a lot for the little nod, @macoatl!

Though Donají would probably have an entire collection of yellow and red cards 🟥

[shi-gu]

Last batch of landscapes & backgrounds 🏞

This time all sneak peeks from book 3 (in process). Aerial views of the Cañada region, with Yabaham (Cuicatlán), and Naxi Yujne (Quiotepec) visible; and a night scene in the highlands flanking the Cañada to the west.

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More landscapes & backgrounds 🏞

The Isthmus Zapotec city of Guidxiguie' (today Juchitán).

A slice-of-life river bathing scene, one of my favorite panels from book 2. Back then, they used the "xiuhamolli" plant (Aniseia Martinicensis) to produce foam like soap.

And a wild river during heavy rains (a sneak peek from book 3).

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Hello! I have just stumbled across your blog and started reading your webcomic and I am entranced. I am thoroughly enjoying the care you've clearly put into the names; I'm not amazingly familiar with Mesoamerican languages but I can tell there's a bunch of very obviously Nauhatl names and a bunch of very obviously not Nahuatl names (which I assume are Zapotec), and I've picked up that Nahuatl 'cacalotl' is 'crow' (^^) (it does hurt my soul a bit to see all the commenters complaining about "Mayan" names, though ToT) I see the pages I'm reading are dated 2019; I'm hoping that means I have a whole lot left to read!

(also your art is wonderful, and I love the little speech scrolls in montage sequences and Itzcacalotl collapsing on the ground into a very Mesoamerican art pose and all the little details - and Donají is completely adorable)

Hi! Thanks a lot, I'm very glad you're enjoying it!

Yeah, the webcomic began in 2018, though the version you're reading spans only up to chapter 5. In 2021 I signed a contract with IDW to publish Codex Black as a graphic novel series. So far there's two full colored books out there, and I'm currently working on the third one. The webcomic that's online corresponds to what is book 1, although we reworked the plot a bit, particularly chapter 5, and added a new climax and considerable material to that part of the story, as well as some extra scenes, so I'd say the book version is a much more developed one. Of course, as part of the deal I had to cease the publication of the webcomic online, so for example, none of what is book 2 is online, for now.

Indeed, as for the part you're reading, it's mostly Nahuatl and Zapotec names (Donají and Itzcacalotl themselves being examples). Though later on there will be characters from other cultures, like Otomi, Huastec, P'urhepecha, etc.

The pose you mention of Itzcacalotl after they fall down the cliff, is a reference to the famous Coyolxauhqui relief!

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Landscapes and Backgrounds 🏞

The most time-consuming, but also among the most satisfying to make. A mountain Ayauhcalli shrine, the Anahuac (Mexico Basin), and a Oaxacan tianguis (market).

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Visit to the steamy hot springs with Cacalli & Yaoxochitl ♨🌫

June's pin-up illustration available you-know-where

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Very quick question but like, how do you get your lines so crisp???? I love the idea of digital art but then when I actually do it all I can see is pixels, and even adjusting the resolution doesn’t help??? Your art is so smooth and nice and it makes me want to try digital art again

Hmmm, a big part of it is the canvas size. I usually work around 3000 px or 6000 px resolutions, in 600dpi, depending on how detailed I want an illustration to be, though some computers may have trouble working with such sizes. The bigger you go, even if you can see the pixels and messy lineart/brush strokes when you zoom in, the version you export for online viewing will pretty much always look crisp and clean.

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Another time lapse, this time of the "Quechquemitl vs Poncho" illustration I did for Codex Black's book 2. Drawing all the little details of the two garments was surprisingly relaxing and fun.

The poncho drawn here is the typical poncho from Cusco, Peru (the rainbow colors are the city's flag). A friend brought me one from a trip he did there, so I was able to use it as reference (photo by me lol):

The quechquemitl on the other hand, is based on the typical ones from the Huasteca, since it's been said that they may have originated in that region, and then spread to the rest of Mesoamerica:

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Evil Donají be like... hold on... 🤯

I was inspired by Setzeri's recent art of his characters' evil versions, and felt like doing it with Donají, but upon thinking of her opposite personality traits, suddenly it's unclear which one is the evil twin.

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15th vs 21st centuries Donají

No matter the era, Donají always getting in trouble with authorities.

This is an idea I had in my head for several years already. It's actually a redraw of a panel from Codex Black's chapter 7 (book 2), where she's forced to fight a group of Mexica warriors without her poncho.

You could say this is how Donají ended in jail.

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A piece of useless trivia: When designing Donají's mom, Béelia, aside from a single unruly curl, I drew her hair with all the same basic elements of Donají's hairstyle. Though instead of fluffy/pointy, she has straight ends, contrasting their opposite personalities.

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New art for you-know-what-site 🌬