QRT the character vs how you drew the character
The "character" in question is Emperor Axayacatl, wearing a xipe totec styled war suit. Setting is different though, my illustration shows him on campaign.
The codex shows him killing king Moquihuix during the Mexica civil war.
#CodexBlack
: A Bird of Ill Omen (book 2)
Here's the official cover art!
You can now preorder your copy! (link below)
Release date is scheduled for June 25th!✨
#CodexBlack
: A Fire Among Clouds (book 1)
This is the cover art!
You can now PREORDER your copy of the graphic novel! (link below)
Release date is scheduled for April 4th✨
"She who bleeds over people"
Guidiribeela, the blood sorceress.
Her name literally means "bat" in Isthmus Zapotec.
It was about time I did a full illustration for her.
#CodexBlack
"Dark Donají"
A brainwashed, evil adult Donají, from a
#CodexBlack
fanfic that a close friend is writing. Obviously not canon haha
This is a March r3ward release!
March 21st is Donají's birthday!
I had wanted to do a family portrait for a long time.
From left to right: Béelia, Donají, Yela, Gueela, and Bio'.
Also a February reward release!
#CodexBlack
Quetzalcoatl over the Popocatepetl.
A watercolor I painted 9 years ago. Back then I would always see the sunrise behind the Popocatepetl while in the school bus, which inspired me to draw this.
Chalchiuhtlicue, "She of the Jade Skirt"
The goddess of terrestrial waters.
I'd love for her to do some cameo in
#CodexBlack
, but she's more of a relevant character from my other story. She's Capri's mentor and the one who gave her the giant molinillo.
Itzcacalotl "Obsidian Crow"🐦⬛
I had planned this as a 10th anniversary illustration for Itzcacalotl. However, his anniversary was all the way back December 12th, so it's over 9 months late haha.
At least I managed to do it before his 11th anniversary.
#CodexBlack
"We are the Darkness, the unconquered Wilderness. The Unknown that lords fearfully try to stop with their high walls, to keep away with their ample halls, and to overlook from their thrones in the heavens. Our wings are the Primordial Night, we are Crows."
Itzcacalotl with tucked wings like a raven when resting. Makes more sense than him having them extended all the time.
Also took the chance to draw him in the outfit he'll wear throughout book 3. He has a gauze tilmatli (cape), so it is see-through.
#CodexBlack
Caramel Crow and her giant molinillo.
(Has audio)🔊
I finished it at last! Just some
#animation
I did during my scarce free time. From the story that takes place 500 years after Codex Black.
Despite being a goddess known for inducing lust and nightly passions on people, Tlazolteotl can't help but blush at Citlalmina's dirty jokes and teasing.
I doodled this while answering to a reader who wanted to know curious facts about Tlazolteotl in
#CodexBlack
Scorpion warrior, Colotl.
A character that will eventually show up in
#CodexBlack
. He's an elite warrior from Tenochtitlan, of the cuachicqueh "warrior society" (with many artistic licenses).
A collection of gentlemen with dubious pretensions.
I made these designs prior to the miniCodex of the other day. Some had already appeared, but others are completely new characters.
#CodexBlack
Alternate outfit for Itzcacalotl.
I liked the idea of giving him a gauze/transparent tilmatli. Also, he's not wearing his usual headdress, but I want his red feather to be present in all outfits, so I tied to his necklace as a ribbon.
A February reward release!
#CodexBlack
#Donaji
reading her favorite comic, "The Adventures of Lady 6-Monkey"
Donaji has turned 10 years old! I drew her for the first time in November 2011, and back then I had no idea this fearless girl would end up changing my life.
Thank you all for receiving her with such love!❤️
There's no
#CodexBlack
update this week, but here's a little piece of trivia:
Many of my character designs for the comic are closely based on sculptures. Since the story has only developed in
#Oaxaca
so far, it's mostly Zapotec sculptures.
#characterdesign
Capri in the casual outfit I sketched months ago.
The background is a picture I took in my latest visit to Oaxaca in Spring. The city is famous for its historical buildings made with green quarry, earning it the title of "La verde Antequera."
(Capri is not from Oaxaca though).
There's this dress trending around, and through someone's suggestion I sketched this for fun and giggles.
I didn't plan on posting it anywhere, but a friend convinced me of doing it, so here it is.
#CodexBlack
characters set
#10
!
One commoner and three nobles.
-Gueela, Donají's aunt.
-Zinzicha, young P'urhepecha prince (aka Tangaxoan II).
-Tlilpotonqui, the Cihuacoatl.
-Coyolichcatl, Mexica princess and Ahuizotl's daughter (popularly known as Coyolicatzin).
Today is
#Itzcacalotl
's 10th Anniversary!
Before
#CodexBlack
, on December 12th 2013, my short film 'Black Feathers' was screened for the first time during my graduation from VFS, where Itzcacalotl's character debuted.
That's also why I made it his birthday.
Quetzalcoatl over the Popocatepetl.
A watercolor I painted 9 years ago. Back then I would always see the sunrise behind the Popocatepetl while in the school bus, which inspired me to draw this.
Revamped the outfits sheet for Donaji, and since Itzcacalotl is the one making these dresses for her, I've been itching to draw a set of alternate outfits for him as well.
#CodexBlack
Donají's evolution in the latest 10 years (I created her in 2011). Although she's not my oldest character, she's the only one for which I have at least 1 full illustration for each year.
#CodexBlack
Spring's end 🌼
Capri and Chalchiuhtlicue enjoying tea together. This took so long that jacarandas aren't even in bloom anymore in Mexico City haha
From my other story that takes place 500 years after Codex Black.
The Triple Alliance Tlatoque 👑👑👑
I was sketching the two remaining kings of the Triple Alliance, and decided to throw in Ahuizotl as well to have the three together.
#CodexBlack
Chalchiuhtlicue, "She of the Jade Skirt"
The goddess of terrestrial waters.
I'd love for her to do some cameo in
#CodexBlack
, but she's more of a relevant character from my other story. She's Capri's mentor and the one who gave her the giant molinillo.
A quick sketch of my take on Huaxyacac fortress.
The Huey Tlatoani's chambers' private backyard. It has a small pond and a cacti garden. Atop a cliff, it oversees the entire Valley of Oaxaca.
#CodexBlack
"I am the true protagonist"
I tried experimenting a bit with my rendering process, but it doesn't look at all like what I wanted to achieve. Will probably have to start looking for tutorials.
BG is inspired in Cacaxtla's murals.
#CodexBlack
MiniCodex
#10
A bit more about Donají's family, and the situation with Béelia and her swarm of suitors (this is set a few years prior to
#CodexBlack
).
1/2
"Yuri crumbs"
I just thought it would be funny to draw.
(Milpa are the traditional fields from Mesoamerica where corn was cultivated among other crops)🌽
#CodexBlack
Characters Super Thread!
Set
#8
:
Finally the protagonists,
#Donaji
&
#Itzcacalotl
! Plus the charismatic Corn Man!
Ixiztayo is the head priest of Aztacalco, Tenochtitlan, donning black body-paint, an incense burner and a copal pouch, all symbols of priesthood. 1/8
I've been so deeply in comic-drawing mode, that I've had nothing to share around here in a while, so here's a little teaser from the pages I've drawn recently.
#CodexBlack
A sneak peek to the behind the scenes of the
#CodexBlack
Graphic Novel.
These are some color schemes I made for the colorist to reference. It's the first time I color several of these characters (in fact I had only colored Cosijoeza before).
#CodexBlack
book 2 is coming out on August 20th!
But right now,
@BNBuzz
is holding a 25% discount sale in preorders, until July 17th!
If you haven't already, take this chance to preorder Codex Black's second book!
(link below)
#CodexBlack
characters set
#7
Supernatural characters only this time! Three deities and a ghost Crow.
I'd challenge you to guess who the last goddess is, but some of you may actually guess right and spoil things, so I won't haha
#webcomic
#characterdesign
#artistsontwitter
#CodexBlack
book 2 is coming out in less than a week now!
Here's the map of the general area where the entire story takes place. I've been working on it intermittently for years, and there's still space for changes, but this is already a "finished" version. 🗺️
Lady Yaoxochitl, a key character for
#CodexBlack
's story. (No, she's not Hoh). Redesigned her clothing a bit to give her a more dignified/high ranking attire.
Ended up looking kinda Japanese even though I exclusively used Mesoamerican references.
Lady Ñuñuu Dzico-Yecu ("6 Monkey War Quexquemitl") (1073-1100 C.E.), the famous
#Mixtec
warrior princess of Añute and later queen of the Añute-Huachino alliance.
Her life is truly fascinating, I'd like to adapt it into a comic someday if I ever get the chance.
#CodexBlack
For
#CodexBlack
book 2, I switched to fully digital inking, and it worked out. Now for book 3 I tested how it would be to sketch the pencils digitally as well, but there's something about it that my hand isn't enjoying at all.
Anyway, here's a sneak peek panel.
New
#CodexBlack
character bios!
Cosijoeza, Ahuizotl, Motecuhzoma and Tliltototl, all of which have already made their debuts in the webcomic. They're all real historical characters as well.
(All birthdates are fictional, the real ones are all unknown).
Here's a new batch of
#characterdesign
for my
#webcomic
#CodexBlack
!
Among them, the famous Motecuhzoma, as the young tlacochcalcatl (Highest General) and Tliltototl, the tlacateccatl (mentioned by Clavijero and Torquemada).
Also Tlazolteotl, one of my favorite goddesses!
Today, October 28th, is Ahuizotl's birthday*, and coincidentally I was designing his military attire for the comic, so I made a full illustration.
(*Fictional birthday, no one knows when he was born).
Design sketches: