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

Abner, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Since I started reading comics and illustrated stories it became of great interest. After college and many different jobs later, I finally landed as a children’s book illustrator for an independent publishing company. Working as an illustrator really was what pushed me to pursue and continue to explore different ways in which I can be creative.

Abner, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an illustrator with a background in traditional art. For the past few years I’ve been working in an animation studio as a background artist and environment designer artist for various shows. I was Born in Puerto Rico where I studied and specialized in Fine Art. Since then I’ve worked on children’s books, comics, album covers, business logos and products, gallery work and personal artwork.

I first started working professionally as a children’s book illustrator and designer. After a few years I started exploring other media in which I could grow as an artist. I became an art teacher specialized in figure drawing and sequential arts until I had the opportunity to submit my portfolio to an animation studio as a background artist and environment designer; there I remain to this day. In addition to running an online shop of my personal artwork and designs.

My personal art is diverse. I like to work with music themes , skate, comics and every other fan art. But mostly I based my “serious art” on iconic characters from Puerto Rican and Caribbean folklore as these are interesting in the way they carry and represent tradition and culture. Especially the character of “el Vejigante” which is the character I represent the most in my illustrations for its rich history and religious syncretism that defines my culture. There are two different representations of this same character and it makes an interesting conversation on how, depending where you’re from; the significance may vary. Being that these characters are so important, it is inevitable to include some political and socio cultural criticism in my work. Sadly because of the extreme Americanization of Puerto Rico a lot of these icons are not viewed with the same value or importance as older generations do. So as a mission I try to present said images in a different style, colors or environment in a way that I consider captivating, not only for younger generations of Puerto Ricans but also to spark an interest to a broader public.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, it is very rewarding to share my work and have people interact, comment, and discuss it on a personal level. It is what keeps the learning process growing during my entire career and life. As an artist I have the freedom to use my imagination to communicate whatever message I have in mind; whether it is some sort of criticism or express an insignificant feeling like falling as a child. Communication and show of feelings through art is a direct connection that you create with total strangers, and it’s the best feeling!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are many ways to support and help artists, like buying their work, commissioned art, showing up at exhibitions, donating to local art organizations etc. But more importantly in my opinion is sharing their work, and giving them credit through social media so they can promote their work and reach out to new audiences. When you follow them online, you are helping them to increase their visibility and reach more people. Nowadays social media is the biggest tool for an artist to be recognized. Sadly if you’re an artist with no social media, it might be considered irrelevant no matter how talented an artist might be. So if you know an artist who might need help with social media and you can help then please do. That way we’ll feel supported and encouraged to keep on working.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abnerillustrations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abnerillustrations/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abner-j-cardona/