Interview with Roagui

Below is an interview with Alfredo of Roagui, an Etsy shop featuring incredible illustrations and artwork.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your Etsy shop.

Hola! My name is Alfredo, but everybody knows me as Roagui. I live with my boyfriend, Aldo, and my funny red cat called Cilantro. He's been my best buddy for four years already and counting! We recently decided to adopt a new one, a small female kitten called Cebolla, because you need coriander and onion for a good "taco." I live in Guadalajara (México) or, as I call it, Wowdalajara: the land of mariachi music and tequila.

I have been drawing since I can remember. Of course it took quite some time and preparation to finally find my style, although I believe that you never stop learning. That's why I'm constantly saying that I'm an endless student, because you always learn new things every day. Otherwise, you just block yourself. I studied graphic design and worked for some branding agencies in the past, but I just wanted to be drawing all the time. Now, I have been working from home as a freelance illustrator since 2004 and have been working doing illustrations for diverse companies and editorials since then, too. Right now, I'm working as an Art Director of a magazine, and I keep creating new illustrations all the time!

My Etsy store is something very new for me. I started in October 2010 by recommendation of my sister (464Handmade on Etsy). She just gave me the advice so I can promote my 2011 Calendar there. It's series of pin-up guys and is going on it's second year!

What inspires you to create?

I am very fortunate and proud to be living in Mexico - a land full of rythyms, flavors, and colors! I like colorful things, and I guess it gets reflected in most of my illustrations. Mexican folk art is amazingly rich and can inspire everyone to create lots of things. I love Disney animation and pin up art, and I also like when I can mix two or more things in a single idea!

Describe your creative process.

I'm always writing down things and ideas. I have a terrible memory and a very hip brain which is working all the time. Most of the time, I'm working at night but always in company of Cilantro! I like mixing different things, like sugar and spice, and in my drawings, things like sweet and sexy - being provocative as well a bit naïve. But, I always start with paper and usually red pencils (I don't know why.) and sketching a lot before I get the final piece! When It comes to drawing guys, most of the time they come out of my head without any reference, unless is something very specific.

Although I have been drawing for quite some time, sometimes I don't feel very good for doing some things. 16 years ago, I couldn't draw a man, and If I got to make his face, then I was having lots of problems with the body. Then, I started learning by watching my own body. Sometimes, I think you don't need any other dummy than yourself! Most of my work is digitally colored because I really take my time to choose the right color combination for the illustration.

What are some of your own favorite creations?

Maybe "Un Ratoncito" (the little mouse, a guy dressed as Mickey Mouse) because it was in a collective exhibition in Paris last year, and also, a good friend made it a tattoo on his arm. But, I have this weird policy of the same favoritism for everything I do no matter how big, small, or well done it is. I constantly put them on the same level, otherwise you just keep remembering your past "great" creations (like your greatest hits or something). Even a small drawing on a napkin can be amazing. Sometimes, I'm working on something that I think is amazing, but there always comes other ones that will be better and better, and sometimes, it depends on my mood. When I get really inspired, I just want to hang every drawing on the walls.

How do you want your craft and business to evolve?

First reaching lots of more people with my work. Finding my gay target market was great and also capturing women's sights. The internet helps a lot these days. Hopefully in a short time, I'll be trying new ways to print my work other than just paper, and with some luck, maybe in a few years I'll see myself in exhibitions with large formats of my work everywhere, campaigns, and billboards maybe.

What or who influences you as an artisan?

Well, I've always been a huge Disney fan. (My favorite movie is the Little Mermaid.) I grew up watching those movies and believe it's one of my main influences. Also, pin-up artists, like Alberto Vargas or Mexican calendar artist Jesus Helguera and vintage movie posters, liek the really old fold ones (I blame those about for the folding marks I use on everything.) influence me. As a gay artist and illustration lover, I've gotten plenty of influence from great masters like Glenn Hanson, Joe Phillips, and Luc Lattulipe with all their hunky guys!

What brings people to seek out your creations and what makes your work unique?

Maybe my style or subjects, but I believe it's because most of the time I'm following my heart while working and don't feel afraid of showing myself as I am through my work. I mean, I have this collection of guys and of course lots of people know I'm gay, but I don't feel like showing some private parts just to sell. Sometimes you can be sexy and provocative and have good taste at the same time without showing it all! (You don't need to show all your dishes to sell a restaurant.)

What choices have you made that helped your business the most?

I keep promoting my work over the social networks. I having about 2000 fans on Facebook (and growing). Also creating the "Mucho Muchacho" Calendar was a huge plus! Suddenly, I started to send it to places that never thought I could reach.

What advice would you give to other artisans?

Keep promoting your work and preparing yourself and just open your eyes and look around. Practice a lot, and fill up all the sketch books you can! Something that was very important for me was the fact of finding my own style in illustration, and when somebody sees your work and knows you did it without your name on it, that's amazing! This can also happen with any other kind of art. Sometimes it's hard to be unique and original, but it happens if you want it to!

Where can your creations be found?

You are all welcome to visit my Etsy store, my blog/site (www.alfredoroagui.com), my Facebook fan page, and also follow me on Twitter (@Roagui) In late May, I'm going to be visiting Chicago for the IML market at Hyatt Regency. So, Chicago people can look me up there during the last week of May!

Enjoy all of Roagui's wonderful illustrations and artwork, as well as the other wonderful artowrk found on Etsy. You can also find my own shop, ideology, where I sell my handmade jewelry here, and you can read more articles of interviews with Etsy's many incredible artisans here.