When it comes to his illustrations, Gabriel Alcala thinks out of the box. An illustrator and a funny-man, his creations capture a feeling or sensation, translating these into bite-sized imagery, with the added humoristic edge. It’s the kind of humor that needs no further explanation – intuitive to both children and adults.
“Ultimately I want my illustrations to have the same kind of impact that a great Mitch Hedberg one-liner joke has,” Alcala reflected in an interview with Amadeus Magazine. “Really simple, hits you hard on contact, yet can stick with you for a really long time.”
But creating a one-liner joke is harder than it seems, and Alcala admits his process entails a lot sketching beforehand. “It might not look like it because my illustrations tend to be pretty simple, but the most simple drawing could have hundreds of sketches beforehand,” he says. “A lot of it is just boiling down ideas until the drawings are totally efficient.”
Based in Miami, FL, his work has also grabbed the attention of commercial brands, with his clients including brands as big as Apple, Nike, and The New Yorker. In these bleak times, his illustrations might just be the ray of sunshine your feed needed.
