About me
Hi, I’m Isa Alcántara!
I’m an Illustrator & Graphic Designer that is currently based in Mexico City, Mexico.
At present, I work full-time as Head of Art and Design for Materia Music Inc.s’ Materia Collective, Curaga, and Firaga Records– while also being a freelance illustrator. I’m incredibly honored to do this for a living, and part of my day-to-day duties include bringing the work of talented Video Game Music musicians to life. One of my main goals is to constantly strive to find proper ways to translate songs and melodies into beautiful images and products.
I have lived, studied, and worked in the United States, Japan, and Canada, and I speak multiple languages: Spanish, English, and Japanese (currently learning French!) When I’m not drawing or painting, I am usually playing online games with my friends, going for walks with my beloved Pug dog, reading, cooking, singing Japanese karaoke, venturing out in nature… and planning how to leave behind this consumerism-ridden life to finally embrace a hippie life of true minimalism, move to the beach, into a Tiny House and run a self-sufficient farm and online business… among others :)
Resources & Tools
My Desk Setup
Apple M1 Mac Mini (2020)
I love that, for its size, the Mac mini packs a ton of power. Personally, I like the seamless-ness of the Apple ecosystem, too.
Asus ProArt 27” Monitor
I cannot afford an Apple monitor, so this one is a decent enough budget alternative. I care about color accuracy more than anything else and the ProArt gets the job done.
Digital Artwork Tools
iPad Pro 12.9” (2019)
The iPad Pro has to be the best drawing tablet I have ever owned– the Apple Pencil is unrivaled.
Wacom Intuos S
Though I mostly use this one for design and editing, I prefer non-screen tablets because they are better for maintaining a good posture plus they don’t fry your eyes.
Clip Studio Paint EX
Clip has been my main art tool for more than 10 years and the program I use the most when doing all my commercial artwork. (Contains affiliate link :) )
Adobe CC: Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
These 3 are my to-go software for my day to day design duties.
Procreate
I mostly use Procreate’s default pencil brushes along with the MaxPack’s gouache brushes. I use Procreate only when doing personal artwork since I feel the iPad’s capabilities are too limited and restrictive.
Blender
A free 3D modeling software I’ve been trying to learn.
Traditional Artwork Tools
White Nights 12pan Watercolor Travel Set
These pigments have a great price/value ratio. They are super vibrant while being not too expensive, plus the travel case makes it easy to bring them everywhere.
Windsor & Newton Designer’s Gouache
I really love the quality of these paints, albeit they are a bit pricey. I’ve gotten by with the Introductory 10pc set just fine because I prefer to mix my own colors.
HIMI Jelly Gouache, 24 colors set
While not as premium as the W&N ones, I bought this set to test it and really liked the colors. If I were to buy another set, however, I would buy a much more smaller, portable one.
Transon Round Goat-hair Brushes
For watercolors.
Transon Artist Paint Brush Set
For gouache.
Pentalic Aqua Journal
I own two: One for watercolors and another one for gouache paintings. I love that it can hold a lot of water without distorting and has a nice texture. It’s perfect for Plein Air painting, too.
Education
Imaginism Workshop: The Schoolism Lakehouse
2017
Introduction to Concept Art and Visual Development | Montréal, Canada
赤門会日本語学校
2014
Intensive Japanese Language course (N4-N3) | Tokyo, Japan
CENTRO diseño | cine | televisión
2013
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Design and Visual Communications | México City, México