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​Azteca Moderno is an art  series centered around the art and life of the Gods of Ancient Mexico, once worshipped by tribes and peoples of the Aztec Empire.

I started on that theme many years ago and the evolution of the art style and subjects keeps expanding to the point where I am only interested in painting on big canvas at least 3 feet wide. There will be many digital illustrations along the way as I also intend to explore the digital medium as part of my creative path. 

In order to join the 2017 ABL art tour (sponsored by Jack Daniel's, Gentleman Jack, Honey Jack), I had to submit some current art samples to the curator: Dubelyoo. He always says that an artist should create constantly, not just when they are asked to create. So that means that I should have current  work that shows what I want to do for the ABL tour. Thats fair. 

These pieces were created during 2017, some for myself and some for the art shows I was involved in. 

The line work in my art has many fans, and the color palette adds a bit of drama to the composition of my Aztec Gods and Goddesses. Dubelyoo gave me the ok to produce a sketch that will show my composition for a 16 feet long and 8 feet tall corner wall. 

Challenge Accepted. 

On the left is my initial idea, middle and to the right are the drawings with the composition suggested by Dubelyoo.

The illustration was first drawn up on @SketchableApp to get the layout approved by ABL's Curator @Dubelyoo. 

We started on the wall on a Sunday afternoon and the first thing we did was to layout the sketch on the wall with the help of a projector. We spent a few hours using Sharpie markers to carefully outline the different Aztec Gods and dropping in the first layer of paint.

The second day was for a second coat and line clean up. This was the shortest day as we had to let the paint dry between passes.

The third and final day, was the longest, most tedious and detailed day. The line work to define the characters is very important. The line work to define the details. The thick and thin lines help show depth and volume to help each element stand out on its own. This is where the composition comes together to see the big picture! 

The wall mural was completed in 30 hours with big help from @TresFloresss, @BGIllustrations and @TheMaddPenciler. Without them, it would've taken me a lot longer to complete. 

The mural has now visited several cities including Houston, Chicago, Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and St Louis Missouri. Visit @artbeatsandlyrics for upcoming 2017 Tour Dates. Look for the hashtag #ArtBeatsandLyrics #ABL 
 
Not only is my wall mural in the Art Beats and Lyrics Art Tour sponsored by Jack Daniel's, also, I had a chance to draw live on some Jack Daniel's whiskey barrels in front of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Downtown Atlanta. 
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Follow DTM on all social medias @DeltaTangoMike Check out @VectorMaestros on Instagram and twitter. ​

Our Live Art at ABL painting on Jack Daniel's Whiskey Barrels 

Fan Pictures on Instagram. 

​I started thinking about Inktober back in mid September and I questioned myself into how I would tackle the challenge of adding a second challenge to my already busy schedule. Whats the first challenge you ask? #DrawDaily2017 where I have challenged myself to draw digitally everyday for the whole year of 2017 on a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and Sketchable App. See more of those drawings on instagram.com/deltatangomike

Back to #Inktober!
So in the last couple of days of September, I started to play with my ink pens and brushes, slowly testing out how they feel on the paper of my newest sketchbook. There were moments of trial and error where I wasn’t sure of my skills as it had been a while since I finished a drawing in traditional ink and paper.

As I mentioned above, 2017 was the year of digital and the Surface Pro was my focus. I do sketch on paper everyday, with a pencil, so I am not totally out of practice.

You can see that in my ink test drawings Batman looks crazy. I am trying out the pens, get a feel for their strengths and figure out for my weaknesses, etc. I picked the pens that worked for me and put away the rest.

October 1st comes around and its time! There was a rough time going for sure. I drew a bunch of drawings that did not make it to this post. I was unhappy with my ink drawings but I understood that this is why I am participating in the #Inktober challenge: To Improve My Drawing Skills!!!

I could tell after day 5 that I was now in my groove, my inking skills were improving and I would see better drawings as the month went by.

31 drawings later I am glad I stuck to the challenge and completed my drawings. I believe that through practice we sharpen our talents and Inktober is no exception.

Follow me on social medias under my artist name: @DeltaTangoMike and dacreativegenius