ROBONAM - Inked Drawings by Alex Ariza 2012

 

ROBONAM, Ink on Paper, Alex Ariza, 2012

ROBONAM, Ink on Paper, Alex Ariza, 2012

ROBONAM | Illustrations of Robots Warfare by Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Sketch of Robot Soldiers standing guard, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - "Robot Down!" Sketch of robot soldiers carrying away a damaged soldier, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Splash Page of Weapons, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Abstract line drawing of metal structures, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Sketch of robot soldiers loading up a medical evacuation helicopter of their fallen robot compatriot, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Line drawing of robot falling, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Vector Art of Robot Exploding From Behind, Alex Ariza, 2011

ROBONAM - Dead Clanker, Alex Ariza 2011

Contemporary Paintings of Mayan Masks by Alex Ariza 2009

 

Mayan Bat Mask, Acrylic Painting on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting presents a stylized bat mask rendered in warm earth reds similar to terracotta pottery and sculptures, and ochres against a contrasting cool blue ground, evoking a visual language of ancient Mesoamerican sculpture. In Mayan art and mythology, the bat was a powerful and complex symbol, most often associated with death, the underworld, sacrifice, and transformation. Bats symbolized darkness, night, and the boundary between life and death. The ancient Mayans believed passing through darkness (the underworld) was necessary for renewal, fertility, and cosmic balance.

Golden Mayan Mask, Acrylic Paint on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting depicts a stylized Mesoamerican ceremonial mask rendered in luminous golds and ambers, floating against a rich violet background. The Maya viewed gold as a material closely associated with the sun, and gold objects were often described as the “excrement of the sun” or “sweat of the sun,” emphasizing their sacred origin. Gold was used for ceremonial masks, headdresses, nose ornaments, ear spools, and chest plates to signify a person’s role as a mediator between the human and divine realms.

Jade Mayan Mask, Acrylic Paint on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting presents a ceremonial mask made from jade, rendered in cool blue-green tones and set against a vivid red background. The face is frontal, symmetrical, and architectonic, built from rounded geometric forms that echo carved stone and polished mineral. Jade was considered a sacred material in much of Mesoamerica, associated with life force, breath, water, fertility, and regeneration. The saturated red background suggests blood, sacrifice, and vital energy, intensifying the tension between life and death. 

Wooden Mayan Mask, Acrylic Paint on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting of a wooden monkey head features bright red and orange wooden textures against a bright green background for contrast. Mayan creation mythology described monkeys as failed attempts by the gods to craft humans. Monkeys represented the mischievous and creative sides of human nature. They symbolized scribes, the arts, drinking, and dancing.

Making Linocut Prints for Band Merchandise - Coral

 

Linocut Prints for the band, Coral - 5 x 7 inches, Alex Ariza 2025

Linocut Printmaking Process

Everything begins with a sketch. 

Graphite Drawing of a Woman with Coral Growing Out of Her Head, 5 x 7 inches, Alex Ariza 2025

This graphite drawing combines a woman's head and the organic shapes of coral growing out of her head and eyes. The background is darkly shaded pushing the lighter face forward and enhances the dreamlike, submerged feeling.

Drawing of a Woman with Coral Growing Out of Her Head, 5 x 7 inches, Alex Ariza 2025

The next step is inking the graphite drawing to get an idea of the values using only black and white. Gray tones are created by hatching the line work closer or farther apart from each other. For maximum impact, the face is left pure white against the black background. 

The next phase is to transfer the drawing on to the linoblock. For this, I covered the back of the drawing with a layer of graphite. The line drawing is then transferred on the block. With a Sharpie marker I fill in the drawing on the linoblock. 

Carved Linocut Block for the Band Coral by Alex Ariza 2025

Then I carve out whatever should remain white and leave whatever is to hold ink and be printed black.

Linocut Prints for the band, Coral by Alex Ariza 2025

Drawing Under the Influence - Pastel Drawings by Alex Ariza, 2022 - 2024

The Toilet Bowl at Elmwood Manor, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza Art 2022 

This carefully rendered pastel drawing of the artist's bathroom features neutral colors, browns and grays to capture the mundane nature of the subject matter. The viewer is looking downward and sees a corner of a bathtub and shower curtain on the left hand side of the image and the toilet bowl with the seat down. To the right you can see a toilet paper roll and above a window with blue hues suggesting a nighttime scene. The artist's sense of humor comes through with this scene as the viewer cannot help but ask, what's in the bowl? 

The Artist's Shoerack, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza Art 2022

This loosely drawn pastel sketch shows an assortment of boots and sneakers on the artist's shoerack. The minimal use of color and brisk marks capture the scene with a sense of immediacy and recklessness. 

The Kitchen at Elmwood Manor, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper, Alex Ariza Art 2022

This carefully rendered pastel drawing of the artist's kitchen features a brightly lit kitchen with a chair pulled out from the table alongside an open dishwasher. This drawing captures the warm light and colors of the mundane in a specific moment in time. 

The Hallway at Elmwood Manor is a Liminal Space, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

This minimally drawn hallway captures the eerie quality of sitting at the end of a dark hallway with two closed doors. The viewer is left to question where these doors may lead. This is a quiet scene with muted limited colors leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and mystery.

Capturing the Light in the Living Room, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

This pastel drawing shows a lamp on a table. At the far right, a window with a blue hue suggests that it is nighttime. The artist is up late staring at light reflected off the walls. In the foreground, a rack of guitars are loosely drawing next to the table.

Bathroom Living Room Split, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

Portrait of Abuelita Rosa, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza 2023

The Meadow at Genesee Valley Park, Rochester NY, Plein Air Soft Pastel Drawing on 12 x 16 inch Canson Paper, Alex Ariza 2022

The Back Loading Dock of the Memorial Art Gallery, Plein Air Soft Pastel Drawing on Canson paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2024

This pastel drawing of the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY captures the light from the sun setting. The verdant garden behind the museum covers the left side of the drawing. The walls of the building show the sharp contrast between the lit planes and the walls covered in a blue tinted shadow.

Wendigo Painting by Alex Ariza 2023

 

Wendigo in the Snow Acrylic Painting by Alex Ariza 2023

The Wendigo is a creature from Native American folklore, specifically the Algonquians. The Wendigo represented insatiable greed, winter, and famine. It is traditionally depicted as a gaunt giant with icy features, which this painting captures by elongating the creature's limbs and placing it in a gray and snowy winter setting. In this acrylic painting by Alex Ariza, the Wendigo has just killed a deer biting down on its neck. The Wendigo has a sickly appearance meant to represent famine. It has antlers similar to a deer. The body of the Wendigo is dark and covered in a brown fur. The snow has small drops of blood spilled from the deer. The frost covered evergreen trees surround the scene peacefully below a mountain. The sky is overcast and snowy.

Detail of Wendigo Painting by Alex Ariza

Sleep Paralysis Painting by Alex Ariza

Sleep Paralysis Assignment Prompt

Create a double page spread; dimensions are 8.5 inches by 22 inches. Imaginary client / publication is Playboy Magazine.

During sleep paralysis you're aware of your surroundings but can't move your body or speak. Hallucinations are common and often includes feeling a threatening presence, pressure on the chest, or out-of-body sensations. Historical depictions of sleep paralysis included demonic or supernatural creatures such as the incubus or succubus. Some parts of the world describe visions of an "Old Hag" or ghost oppression.

Some patients described the sensation as "a devil laying upon their chest."

The most famous painting depicting sleep paralysis is Henry Fuseli's, The Nightmare.

Sleep Paralysis by Alex Ariza

Sleep Paralysis by Alex Ariza 2008, acrylic paint and ink on paper

This painting, Sleep Paralysis, by Alex Ariza, features a nude horse headed woman sitting on top of a male victim experiencing sleep paralysis. The man is conscious but unable to move or run away as his body is still asleep. The room features two doors with the one closest to the viewer slightly ajar. This is to build the psychological tension of an exit so close by, but unable to be reached by the victim due to their paralysis. The wall paper is striped and can be read as prison bars or a baby crib, further heightening the psychological tension of the inability to escape. The ceiling is ambiguous and dark like a thunderstorm is about to form. The horse headed woman figure is unnaturally colored to portray the supernatural quality of the sleep paralysis phenomenon. This painting draws inspiration from the historical depictions of sleep paralysis by including the presence of a horse. The decision to make the figure a nude woman is to align the image to the client publication, Playboy, while also paying homage to Fuseli's painting which was initially criticized for its overt sexuality upon first viewing in 1781 at the Royal Academy of London.

The Nightmare, Johann Heinrich Fuseli 1781

Testing Different Mediums Out on Karst Stone Paper

Trying out Karst Stone Paper with Ink Brush. The paper is water resistant and tricky to work with.

Karst Stone Paper Sample - Pepe the Frog with Color Pencil. 

Water-based ink does not work well with Stone Paper. Notice the smudges it leaves behind on the previous page. The pigment doesn't get absorbed. It dries on the surface.

Stone Paper creates interesting effects, but I question the longevity of water-based ink drawings.

Markers work really well on Stone Paper. No bleed. The ink glides against the stone paper nicely.

Color pencils work extremely well on Karst Stone Paper. The texture of the paper is a bit rough. The wax pigment holds well.

Yeah, color pencils are the perfect medium for Karst Stone Paper.

 

My brother Richard purchased a small Karst Stone Paper sketchbook last year for me to try out. I tested different mediums out on the paper. 

The "paper" is really a film of plastic with a fine grain of ground up stone particles. It is non-absorbent. It doesn't handle water/wet media well in the sense that it just blobs on top. If you're using ink and it dries, it rubs against the opposing page and leaves residue. Since the paper is non-absorbent, the ink literally sits and dries on the surface. 

Longevity is questionable at this point.

Color pencil and other wax-base media works well on it. The stone paper is tough and can handle a lot of layers and blending. 

Markers also work really well with the stone paper and glides nicely and blends easily. 

Overall, I'm probably going to fill this sketchbook up and won't be getting a new one anytime soon. I'm a  traditionalist. I like paper made from pulp. I like the feel of normal paper - its "tooth," thickness, and color options.

It's worth checking out. 

Blogger is Dead After All

Alex Ariza - Fashion Institute of Technology Student Days Circa 2008 or 2009

What the hell happened to this site? How did Google let this happen? 

Back in 2005, twenty years ago now (good Lord), all my FIT colleagues were on Blogger. It was fun. It was cool. People shared what they were working on in school or their personal projects.

Blogger was a place where you could truly express yourself freely. You could cultivate a small following. The ability to explore other blogs was also part of the fun. You saw the blogs your friends were following, or simply jumped from link to link until stumbling upon a great niche blog. 

My professors at FIT encouraged us all to start a blog. I remember starting this blog in 2007. The professors had a blog. The students had a blog. Other students outside of FIT had a blog. The professionals had a blog. Everyone in my world at the time had a Blogspot through their Google account.  

Alex Ariza - Scanning Artwork for School. Almost everything made for school was also posted on Blogger. Circa 2008 - 2009.

Some of my professors even followed my posts, which, looking back, was risky for me. Not all of my posts were safe for work or used appropriate language. 

Around 2012-2013, everyone left this platform to either start a tumblr or WordPress site, including me.

Google ruined this site by letting it stagnate and refusing to update or match the features these other platforms had. Why even buy a site if you're just going to let it rot?

That's how the tech business works, though. Buy out your competitor and exploit it, or close it down.

I'm surprised this site is still up. 

Do you remember the absolute failure that was Google Plus? What an absolute joke.

Visiting this site is like a digital time capsule. Everyone's posts end around 2012 on this site. It's like a singular catastrophic event wiped out this once thriving civilization. 

Ghost mall.

Ghost town.

Empty chairs and empty tables.

All that remains is a goodbye post stating they've moved to Tumblr or WordPress. 

Now, even Tumblr is a ghost town. What happened there?

Wordpress? Do people still use that site?

This place is like Detroit. Gary, Indiana. Some remote, deserted areas of the US that once had a rich history and a large population.

Everyone is gone. What the hell happened?

Twitter. Tik Tok. Facebook. YouTube. Medium. Behance. Whatever the hell else is out there. That's what replaced this?

None of those sites will give you the freedom that Blogger gave you. You can post just about anything here. Google indexed these sites. Google doesn't index anything from Facebook, Tik Tok, etc.

People don't want freedom. They want certainty and convenience. They just want to be where everyone else is. This is a perfect case study of this phenomenon.

This is a lost cause. I'm the old man screaming at the clouds now.