Texan Mosaic

by NOELL LUNA//Staff Writer

David Alaniz has always wanted to draw ever since he was little.

Now, Alaniz is getting the chance to live his dream during his journey in college, drawing cartoons for a living.

Alaniz, a sophomore at South Plains College, is a cartoon artist from Lubbock who is working on his third year majoring in seraphim design and communication.

On a daily basis, Alaniz routinely practices his drawing techniques.

“I have no regular drawing routine, to be honest,” Alaniz said. “I draw between a time frame of six to ten hours a day, and on good days 10 to12 hours.” “But when it comes to breaking up the day, it’s really all about finding time to do it.”

After the drawing, there is revising and editing that take place. Alaniz says that he has his own special way of doing things.

“When it comes to revision/ editing, my work is all based on my pencil layout, Alaniz said. “Sometime I would go between two to four tries, but I learn from every failed one I do. But I try to shoot for one take a drawing, and that’s about 20 percent of my drawings.”

There is a process artists come across when thinking of ideas on what to draw and script to make, or some just make things up as they go. This is the way Alaniz does things.

“My process is mainly make things up as I go along with the drawing,” Alaniz said. “But when it comes to animation or a comic strip, I basically write a script first.”

Artists have to compose the page; Alaniz goes into detail with it.

“When I compose pages, I look at the whole page and place what I want for each frame,” Alaniz said. “Then, for each frame, I put all I have to convey what the frame is and what is significant to the story. And for every frame, I try to outdo the last one I did, to make each frame unique.”

When it comes to supplies, the most important ones for Alaniz are, “prismacolor markers and pencil, copic markers, pencil, sharpie, Crayola markers, gelly roll pens, ect…”

When it comes to papers, Alaniz uses, “Bristol board paper, card stock paper, copy paper, and mix media paper.”

Drawing comics and reading them are a little different. But most of those who draw comics read comics themselves. Alaniz is definitely one of those drawers.

“I am a person who reads a lot of comics,” Alaniz said. “And to be honest, comics have made a lasting imprint on my life. And I make comics to no particular series, but to illustrate worlds that I admire because I love telling and illustrating worlds of unbelievable excitement.”

Drawing is a lifestyle for some, and just a side job or hobby for others. For Alaniz, it’s making a living.

“I do make comics a little, but I make cartoon illustrations, which is mainly comic strips,” says Alaniz. “And I make money by doing commissions. It is all the same process, whether it is comics, character designs, comic strips, or even illustration.”