LOOK AT THE CAT!!!: Javier Calleja Awareness Post

Javier Calleja is an artist based in Málaga, Spain. He studied Fine Arts at the University of Granada and has had exibitions in Paris, Athens, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Miami. His works come in a variety of styles, including sculpture, acrylic painting, and some mixed media work. He his known for cute, cartoonish charatcters with large eyes and exaggerated proportions. Even though his works appear simple, they display his impressive artistry and formal training, especialy in his paintings.

I really like Calleja's style, and I use a similar cartoonish style in my work. However, Calleja has a very good use of color that I'd like to take inspiration from. His work often uses bright, but simple colors that are very pleasing to the eye. I'd like to take some inspiration from that while still preserving the joke I'm trying to tell.

I also like how Calleja's characters are very friendly and easy to empathize with, very similar to characters on a children's show. As I've been experimenting with my characters' proportions, I've struggled to find a balance between a simple, cartoony style and creating characters that can be empathized with. If my joke requires the audience to feel empathy for a character, I'll definitely take some inspiration from Calleja.