ZACKO

After the anime convention (2023)

Rebelle 5

Prime shitposting hours.

A lonely drifter in a barren labyrinth (2023)

Rebelle 5

Finally, an original artpiece for the first time in a long while!

I had an idea roaming in my head for a while about wanting to paint a mystic creature in an ambiguous setting. As a kid, I always drew (or rather doodled) monsters without any motive than just "I just think they're cool :)". This painting is partially in homage to those times. I also wanted to fulfill a personal wish from all those years to make a full on illustration when my skills were ripe and capable to render such a feat.

Transitioning (2023)

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Personal. Ignore my signature on the shadow, it's only there to prevent art theft.

Trans, 1/5 (2022)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

Personal vent on having insecurities as a trans dude. It's not only an "insecurity" but thoughts that after thinking for a while, can eat me away.

I may not sound like a "man", I may not dress in anything but a loose shirt, or use much else like a tank top from not having to expose feminine parts of my body. I sometimes even feel afraid of speaking on women's issues as many think you must be a cis woman or appear as one to speak on it (this erases the existence of transmasculine/nonbinary individuals).

"You don't know what it's like to be a (cis) woman" Jokes on you, especially those that use their platform for reproductive or women's rights but only focus on letting one group of people born with ovaries speak on it.

I do not want to speak upon any medical plans about my transition either after realizing it's just about how "Okay, so how will you change as a woman to a man?". I do not want to talk or bring up how I was born a woman. This is about a personal journey into becoming who I really identify as and I no longer want to remember who I was born as.

I do not want to feel insecure. And what I only ask from people is to allow me to feel comfortable to speak without worrying I sound feminine and speak on anything that isn't on answering basic or very personal transgender-related questions.

Birdman (2022)

Rebelle 5

(Caption from Instagram):

Ayyyy, this is my first ever art trade! I got the rad @buckle.queen on board to choose and recreate an art piece I've made/ vice versa. For my part of the trade, I got to recreate her illustration depicting her character, Birdman. I don't know if you can tell but drawing monsters butter my croissant (it was a personal past time for me as a kid) 👌😩.

Thanks Spook for this opportunity! I enjoyed the process and being able to work with a wicked OC!! ^^

The hunt (2022)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

(Something I had in mind for 3 years before I actually painted it).

(After note) Fun fact: This painting is actually unfinished and simply due to me being so insistient to post something as soon as possible on my Instagram page. Therefore, there's going to be parts of the painting which looks blotchy, off lighting/shadow-wise, and other fun stuff.

Squidward (2022)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

Skwidwah fanart again. But this time it’s recreating that one drawing as a chiaroscuro style painting. Haven’t painted in a long time so I needed something to practice with shadow and lighting. Also just wanted to try something with a Renaissance influence because I’m unapologetically fond of the Renaissance era art.

Gudetama (2020)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

Back with another painting, this time with Gudetama. 🥚 As with any project I do, they come with a challenge. And with this case, it was tackling glossy texture. I cheated a bit and used references of glass figurines and fried eggs for this but overall it taught me a lot about how lighting affects gloss.

The Renaissance artist (2019)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

“The Renaissance Artist”, 2019

There's two things that were new to me while making this: Anime and Historical time period (1550s). While successfully illustrating both those things in the end, I really wasn't ready to search up the exact time era with how easels, self portraits and even clothing looked at the time along with trying a whole different style (*cough* *cough* anime). The way anime illustrations are done was the most interesting experience to learn. Not only that but the hardest thing out of all of this was creating the sea water. I don't know how I did it but it was a lot of trial and error with this one."

Alaskan Bullworm (2019)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

“IT WAS BIG! SCARY! AND PINK!!!!” (Long description ahead)

So I did a mini project with trying to imagine an Alaskan Bull Worm in real life. :)

The process with designing the Alaskan Bull Worm wasn't as difficult but I did had to learn a little bit about worms and their physiology. So after getting some references, I got into work with interpreting the iconic worm. Honestly the hardest part about this painting was trying to create the sandy aquascape. I tried making the sand texture as objective as well as adding some aqua stuff seen in Spongebob (blue rocks, the corals, etc.)

Sacred Geometry (2019)

Acrylic on Canvas, ~36 x 36 inch.

Having a fascination with geometry, I once came across "sacred geometry" which brought me into a rabbit hole for these beautiful and intricate patterns. And then on, decided to make my own "sacred" design using a large canvas and a makeshift-giant compass for the volume (using two yard rulers as the compass'"legs" and a pencil taped onto one of them).

Finished this during June 2019 for an art showcase and as an "end off" for being a graduating senior at an art- focused highschool (where the exhibition took place).

Jollibee (2019)

PHOTOSHOP, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

My sense of humor has gotten so random to the point where I thought painting this was the funniest thing I’ve ever thought for an art piece. (Also confession: up to this point I’ve never had Jollibee but I’ve really wanted to try it. Can anyone give me recommendations on what to get from there?)

(After note) I still for the life of me cannot spell his name right without having to look it up.

The artist (2019)

ACRYLIC ON WATERCOLOR PAPER, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

Squidward stares at me with an energetic wave of romance. He gives a smirk and kneels down on his tentacles. “Would you be my bride?” asks Squidward. He reveals an engagement ring he’s been hiding beneath his clothes. I tear up, unable to process what just happened right in front of me. But without thinking about it, I stutter “Y-y-yes, I-I do....”. And so he starts to cry after hearing those words. It’s the beginning of a new family. ❤️

Despicable me 4 (2019)

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, ARCHIVED FROM INSTAGRAM

(Caption from Instagram):

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what my art has come to. Thanks for stoping by.