ACTUALLY, IT ALL STARTED A BIT LONGER AGO...
For what I recall, I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. Everywhere I went, I'd doodle in the notebook my mother carried in her purse, the one she used for her shopping list and to write things down. Before I even thought about having a personal brand, I was making comics, drawing all sorts of things, sketching the house I wanted to have when I grew up, half the margins of my school notebooks were filled with stick figures and drawings that decorated what I wrote in class, or even entire pages, and my favorite subject was art.
Step by step, I became more comfortable with a pencil and I loved putting down whatever came to mind, until one day I wanted a name to sign my creations. I thought that simply "Diego" wasn't that interesting in a world where social media was constantly growing. A friend used to call me "Diegatus"—it just came to him; there's no funny or interesting story behind it (sorry). But I had another problem, I loved many aspects of art: I enjoyed drawing, making comics, I'd tried oil painting, I was taking steps in animation... I wanted something that brought all of that together under my name. Since I'd also always been fascinated by the world of big-budget productions and the romanticism of Hollywood's golden age, after thinking about it for ten minutes, Diegatus Studios was born, and here we are.
WHAT INFLUENCED ME THE MOST: SPANISH COMICS AND CLUB PENGUIN (YES, SERIOUSLY)
As a child, my parents introduced me to comics with the Mortadelo and Filemón comics by the great genius Ibáñez (may he rest in peace). Later, I continued reading some of his other series, as well as Superlópez, Zipi y Zape, and Tintin. Some classic Disney comics were also part of my reading, although the franchise that impressed and influenced me the most was Club Penguin, the snowy virtual island with colorful penguins. I loved the art style, the monthly updates and activities that changed the game's atmosphere. In a way, they also brought stories to life, although instead of reading them, you played them.
Also, the decorated parties I organize here on the website and the tradition of making an anniversary hat every year come from Club Penguin. I like it because making something ordinary colorful or changing its appearance, even if just for a little while, is a way to break the routine and give it a special touch.
Over the years, animation has continued to influence me in many styles and media, and to this day it remains my favorite way to watch movies and series.
A WALK THROUGH THE STUDIOS: HOW I'VE GREW AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED OVER THESE 10 YEARS
THE STUDIOS ARE BORN
On February 26, 2016, I published a drawing on what used to be my personal Instagram account, later converted into my official art account:
"🎥 😀 Welcome to the Diegatus Studios! 😀 🎥"
And it was a silhouette of what would literally be a film studio where supposedly everything I wanted to create was going to be made: animated series, comics, illustrations,... The studies were colorful, perhaps somewhat "strange" depending on the eye, but I wanted to represent that imagination reigned there, and that it was like the "central place" from where everything I did and was going to do came out.
There was no website, no logos, nothing... It was like a glimpse of what I was preparing, but for me it was the date on which I officially created Diegatus Studios.
THE FIRST WEBSITE AND THE DIEGATUS STUDIOS BRAND
The website was born because I needed something to upload all my things and that I could customize to the fullest, not just a grid of photos like Instagram. First came one on Wix in May 2017 (which fell short in the end), and then a more modern one in November 2020, which is the one you're seeing right now (made with HTML and CSS that I learned during the COVID quarantine). And there's a third, even more modern one that I'm planning on the drawing board.
I've always wanted a place to call my own, where I could present everything the way I wanted. On the website, everything has its place, and for me, it's a showcase not only for uploading content but also for introducing myself and showing you my style and my little world. The name Diegatus Studios encompasses it all, so I created a logo that represents all of this with a style that reflects what I know how to do.
To give everything its own space and keep everything organized, I ended up creating departments, each grouping different types of projects: animation, illustration, comics, etc. All within the umbrella of Diegatus Studios Productions. Later, I dropped the "productions" part and left them separated.
On the one hand, I was still caught up in the Hollywood delusion of being a producer and giving each project its spotlight, but on the other hand, it's also a way to guide those who want to see my projects. For now, I still like this system.
UNLEASHING THE PROJECTS
Aside from drawing and other odd jobs, my main focus has always been projects, and the phrase that sums it up is "I want to tell stories." Crazy, funny, mysterious, or dramatic stories. My goal is to create characters and worlds to launch into the world so you can be entertained by them.
One of them, "Small and Elusive," released in February 2017, was one I wanted to experiment with, and at first, it didn't go well. I intended it to be a comic without dialogue, where you followed the story through the characters' actions, but the first story received negative feedback: people didn't know what it was about or what was happening. That's when I learned that telling stories isn't so easy, and that perhaps what I was trying to do was too advanced for my skill level, so I added dialogue to the following stories.
The rest, short and funny stories, have always been well-received. For example, the Diegatus Studios Comics BOMB, released in August of the same year, was quite well received.
It's about gradually seeing what you can do and how, but if you don't experiment, you won't know what your weaknesses are or what you need to improve.
A REALITY SLAP: WITHOUT EXPERIENCE AND ALONE
I had a lot of projects in my mind from the beginning, which I don't know how I didn't see as being too ambitious back then. I'm not exaggerating when I say I wanted to do:
- • Two animated series (one silent and one with voices).
- • Two comic book series.
- • Another animated series I wanted to pitch to production companies.
- • Several animated shorts.
- • Commissions.
- • Illustrations.
- • Web parties.
- • Website and social media updates.
- • A smartphone video game.
- • Learn to produce music.
And I must have thought things would happen quickly, so I believed I could complete twenty projects in six months.
Later, obviously, I realized that wasn't the case. Each project needs its own time and development. I learned this in part when I did the Diegatus Studios Comics BOMB, in which sketching, drawing, layout, and preparing five comic strips and seven pages of a special feature, plus marketing, and publishing it all over the course of a single week, took me almost three months to prepare.
Later, in 2021, having almost abandoned them, I definitively canceled several projects I had announced and put others on hold. In my mind, it was "I want to have a lot of things going on to make myself known", when, being just one person and unable to afford to hire more artists, what I had to do was release things step by step.
EXPLORING STYLES: MY CHARACTER AND MY ART
My first character was literally a Minecraft skin back in 2013. I knew exactly what I wanted: a green t-shirt (my favorite color, in case you didn't noticed), jeans, and sneakers. I initially drew the blocky model as my character, and later refined it into a more human form. Over time, as my drawing style evolved, I molded it and added more real-life features (beard, piercings, bandana, etc.) until (for now) it became the character I use today. Nothing is set in stone, and styles change; you're always learning.
My drawing style also changed. At first, I used colored outlines without shading, then I added soft shadows, eventually settling into a more comic book style with black lines, simple shadows, and fine lines for details on the clothing and body. I tried a style without lines or textures, but it didn't work for me. You have to experiment until you find what you're happy with!
A CLEANER FACE
Around 2019, I decided to refresh my brand with a "cleaner" image, because my mind was set to "profesionalism". I redesigned the logos, changed the font to a more serious one, and made all the elements more straightforward, although I didn't officially launch it until late 2020. My intention is to do another redesign later, making it less formal and trying to blend it with a more personal style. We'll see how it turns out.
THE TIME OF THE BLUES
Between mid-2020 and 2024, I barely touched the projects I wanted to pursue. I had just graduated in 2019 with a degree in 3D animation and design, but with the disastrous state of the art job market in Spain, then COVID, and the fact that every time I posted something on social media I received practically no attention, my desire to actually create something worthwhile faded, and I had little intention of getting serious about anything.
I drew less; almost everything was for advertisements for things on the website, recycling artwork or drawing new things as simply as possible, or perhaps commissions or event-related pieces. I did occasionally upload some art, but not as frequently as before.
I also wanted to focus more on producing things with a more "professional" look to see if I could get a job, but these days I've realized that I don't care what something looks like. I'm going to create what I like, and however it turns out, it turns out, and if you don't like it, don't look. Art is my passion, and I want to express what's on my mind. I'm still trying to find a job opportunity to grow in this field. (Do you know anyone? Send them my resume 👀)
AND WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?
We all have our ups and downs in life. You've already read that I had a low point of several years, but now I feel motivated with a new perspective. I'm not going to pursue this to stand out; I'm going to do it because I enjoy it. I'll gradually pick up projects again and release them when I can. In between, aside from work, I'll do other things, and I'll enjoy or face whatever comes my way. The flame of wanting to share my stories with the world hasn't died out yet; all that's left is to keep moving forward.
We'll see how things have gone in another 10 years.
THE REST OF MY CHARACTERS
Just because I have projects that are canceled or on hold doesn't mean the characters from them disappear. I like to showcase them and use them as supporting elements in comics or short stories. Each one is special to me, and I believe that if I've brought them to life on paper, they should appear from time to time as well, because I want them to return to their projects someday so I can tell their stories.
During these 10 years, I have created...
18 COMIC STRIPS
1 SPECIAL COMIC ISSUE OF 5 STRIPS AND 7 PAGES
1 FANTASY COMIC SERIES OF 3 STRIPS AND A SPECIAL 12-PAGE ARC
ANIMATIONS AND MOTION GRAPHICS
MORE THAN 40 COMMISSIONS
AND MANY, MAAANY DRAWINGS
Is it a lot? Enough? Not much? Well, personally, I think I could have done more, but I'm happy to have pulled all of this off, and I know I'll keep releasing things, so stay tuned!