We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jesus Santillanes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jesus thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Since I remember, I have always liked drawing, but I never really took it too seriously until my early twenties. I grew up reading comics and my first memories of making art was drawing Spider-Man and Ice Man. Of course it never came out the way I wanted, I continued doing it. Once I got older, my interest switched from drawing comic book characters to drawing monsters. I love monsters and creatures! Anyway, I pretty much continued practicing on my own. I never took any classes until my early 20s when I was in college, and that was because I needed a class to fill out my schedule to qualify for financial aid. At the time, I was working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.
I took Drawing 101, which gave me an excellent introduction to all kinds of media that I had never tried before. In this class I learned about charcoal, ink, Conte crayons, pastels, etc. In addition to learning about different media, I also became familiar with the Elements or Art. The next class I took was a 2D design class, which introduced me to the Principles of Design and other media, as well as giving me an introduction to color theory. Before these two classes, all my work was practically black and white and done with pencils and sharpies.
Once I finished my degree, I started working as a math teacher while continuing my education to get a teaching license, but I continued to make art on my own. Trying new things, experimenting, getting angry because things did not look the way the looked in my head. But I continued learning. I consumed any art book that I came across, whether it was art techniques or art history, just looking to learn more. One of the most influential books I read was Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards. That book taught me that the most important thing about drawing is observation, seeing what is there, not what I think I am seeing.
I have taken other classes here and there, as well as going to life-drawing sessions, but those two classes, as well as the book I mentioned have been the most influential factors in the development of my craft. Oh! And one more thing. At some point I decided to think of every piece I make as an experiment and practice. If the piece comes out the way I was hoping, it is a success, if it does not, it is still a success because it taught me something new.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

So here is a little about me: I was born in the city of Mexicali, Mexico. A desert city that borders with the city of Calexico, California in the United States. I grew up in Mexico until my high school sophomore year. At some point my dad started working in the fields in the US through some program. Eventually he was able to bring us over to the other side and I continued school in the US. It was a struggle. A new country, a new language, a new culture, but I always enjoyed learning, so that made it easy. I eventually graduated high school, went to college, became a Math teacher, until I got tired and decided to become and art teacher. I currently live in the city of Salem, Oregon with my wife, my son, three cats and a dog.
As a professional nerd, I have always been attracted to nerdy things. I remember attending the comic conventions and wishing that I was that person at the artist table, showing my art and just geeking out with people. Throughout the years, I have been trying to find myself as an artist. I do not know what type of artist I am, the only thing that I know is that I draw monsters and other geeky stuff and it has allowed me to be part of that world. I participate as an artist in local art markets and comic art conventions, I post my stuff online for people to see, I try to get involved with the local art communities and be part of local art shows. This has helped me network with other artists, which invite me to more events.
I would describe myself as a horror and pop culture artist, but once in a while I will create art with intentional meaning, although I do not do this often. There was a time that I often worked with acrylics and gouache, but lately I have been working a lot with colored pencils and markers. It is faster, I can carry the tools with me everywhere I go, and does not require a lot of set up. Once in a while though, I return to painting.
I turn a lot of my work into prints. It provides an affordable alternative, although I do not price my original art to high. I really enjoy it when people smile when they see something they like and how they get excited about a piece.
My true love for art began when I discover the work of Salvador Dalí and Rene Magritte as a teenager. I have also been a life-long fan of the work of H. R. Giger, particularly because he designed my favorite movie creature: the Xenomorph from the Alien movie franchise. I am also a super fan of Mike Mignola’s art and stories. Mignola is the creator of Hellboy. His stories are highly Lovecraftian, but there is a lot of folk stories as well. But it is his art that I primarily love. Another artist that I highly admire is Drew Struzan. Struzan is primarily known for his hand-painted movie posters, but his art style is magnificent.
Humor also plays a role in my personal life and as an artist. I enjoy drawing things that are humorous or funny, or that could get a chuckle out of someone. I’ve done mashups of characters that a lot of people seem to enjoy.
Some of my Mexican upbringing influences my art. For example, I have drawn several images of luchadores (Mexcan Wrestlers) such as El Santo and Blue Demon. I have also created a few drawings about el Chapulin Colorado, a Mexican TV superhero character. Another idea that I have been developing is my own version of the Loteria Mexicana, a version of bingo.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

As I mentioned before, I started my professional career as a high school math teacher, which I did for many, many years. Throughout this time, I never lost my love for art. Mathematics opened the door to a career and an income but I never felt I was in the right place. Teaching mathematics was always an uphill battle, very demanding, and it came with a lot of pressure to have my students perform at a certain level. In short, I did not enjoy it and eventually lead to some mental health problems. Given that I had a family to support, I could not just walk away from the job. One good thing about having a teaching license is that I can add more endorsements by testing, so I decided to try and get an art endorsement. I eventually did that but it took some years before an opportunity presented itself. I have been a high school art teacher now for about seven years. I am now a lot happier, I am able to share my knowledge with students and they seem to really enjoy being in my class. Earlier this year I even managed to take a group of students to a comic arts convention as sellers! They had a lot of fun and now they are looking forward to next year’s.
However, as much as I enjoy teaching art, I am looking forward to switching gears once again in the near future. I wish I could financially support my family with my art, but I do not see that happening any time soon. However, I will continue trying and working on improving my art. I will also continue to enjoy the local markets and fairs.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part comes when I have an idea in my head and the final piece turns out…good enough! I mean good enough because I always find something else that could be done. I never feel that I am done with a piece, I just find a good point to stop working on it. Once in a while though, I end up with something better than I had in mind, and that is a great feeling!
I also really enjoy talking about art and my art-making process to those who ask. More than anything thought, it is the feeling of accomplishment. The feeling that I created something with my own hands and it is the only thing like that that exists in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.santillanes-arte.com/
• Instagram: @santillanesarte
• Facebook: SantillanesArte

Image Credits
All art and pictures by Jesus Santillanes