Awesome Artist We've Found Around The Net: Mauricio "El Grimlock" Herrera

For years, Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net has been about two things only – awesome art and the artists that create it. With that in mind, we thought why not take the first week of the month to showcase these awesome artists even more? Welcome to “Awesome Artist We’ve Found Around The Net.” In this column, we are focusing on one artist and the awesome art that they create, whether they be amateur, up and coming, or well established. The goal is to uncover these artists so even more people become familiar with them. We ask these artists a few questions to see their origins, influences, and more. If you are an awesome artist or know someone that should be featured, feel free to contact me at any time at [email protected].This month we are very pleased to bring you the awesome art of…

Mauricio “El Grimlock” Herrera

Mauricio was born in 1975 in the city of La Serena, in the north of Chile, and has been a passionate professional illustrator since he 19 years old.

He currently lives in Las Vegas, Navada and works as a senior artist and art director in numerous projects, brands and companies around the world, mainly in the area of collectible cards art and tablet games usually in projects related to fantasy and science fiction themes.

JOBLO: What got you started as an artist?
EL GRIMLOCK: Like many, I think it’s a process that starts in childhood. In the early 80s, I grew up surrounded by TV cartoons (no streaming yet, haha, and I didn’t have a VHS). When the broadcast schedule ended, you had to wait until the next day (and sometimes an entire week!!!) to see your favorite series again. I think I began drawing them as a way to keep seeing them during that wait. I eventually started making comics with them, imagining what stories might happen in future episodes, making my own episodes of Transformers or The Real Ghostbusters. My father worked as an accountant and provided me with lots of papers I could use to draw on the back of. I think that’s the origin of my creative activity. My nickname “ElGrimlock” came much later at 29, inspired by my favorite transformer, becoming my public identity globally, to this day.

Who were some of your favorite artists growing up?
I think that before I was 10, I wasn’t really aware of authors’ existence. But my obsession with the series I liked the most grew. At six years old, I saw Mazinger Z for the first time, and it was a revolution. A whole life of watching humorous cartoons with talking animals, and then suddenly a giant robot enters the scene, launching its fists like rockets, and you could also pilot it. Absolutely crazy. Another Japanese show called Ultraman also fascinated me in my early years. Both were giant robots in my mind (I later learned Ultraman was an alien and not a machine). I think all of this paved the way for my fanatical embrace of Transformers G1 in 1984, as if it was a tailor-made suit. I also loved the wave of fantasy movies from the 80s by Jim Henson, like Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and The NeverEnding Story, and of course, all the movies with monsters designed by Stan Winston.

Who do you really dig these days, follow on Instagram?
I follow many authors I admire, colleagues and friends, sculptors, voice actors, and cosplayers. Among my favorite painters is Yoshitaka Amano whose work has been one of my favorites at different stages of my life, from Gatchaman in my childhood to Vampire Hunter D in my youth. Today I admire his ability to produce both highly commercial products and more mature, artistic works. Also, many artists drawing fantasy and science fiction, and lately, sites dedicated to sharing photos of collections, figures, or sculptures beautifully painted by talented people. Also, sites dedicated to retro franchises, although I love watching current series too. There’s always a special place in my heart for the giant piloted robots of the 80s.

What advice would you have for budding artists today?
Today is a special time. Many emerging artists fear how the work scene will evolve after the advent of generative AI. I’d tell them to keep investing time and effort into discovering the elements that form their own artistic proposal. The recurring themes in our work create a language to which people respond. I believe artists not only have the ability but the duty to communicate to the future. The valuable things for you: a theme, a way of drawing eyes, expressions, the attitude of our characters, what makes you laugh, get angry, or feel sad. It’s not about debating whether computers will have something to say eventually, but about preventing art from losing substance in the process. Become an expert in your own message and add to the difference in a world hungry for quality. Nobody wants a world covered in a gray mass full of soulless images.

What should we be looking out for from you in the future?
For now, I hope to continue exploring topics that interest me and finding people with similar tastes. Some will be consumer products, and others will be more artistic and personal experiences. I’ll share all these projects on my social media. I’m excited to invite you to my new YouTube channel, where I’ll focus on a unique theme I love: art around dragons. I want to cover the topic of their design and art with tutorials and art processes. I think it’ll appeal to people who enjoy these mythical creatures. For now, I’m enjoying sharing with friends with similar interests and slightly different areas. Haha. So, I’ll keep making art until I know how to build myself a giant robot.

Being a fansite, we have to ask you… What are some of your favorite movies/TV shows of all time?
I love Macross, a world I first knew through the Robotech anime, which accompanied me throughout my life. I’ve watched its series, OVAs, and movies many times. I’m a super fan of Watanabe, director of Macross Plus and Cowboy Bebop, among others. I love Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, Berserk, Record of Lodoss War. For movies, I love the Alien saga, Predator, The Thing, all things related to cosmic horror, and Conan the Barbarian stories, both the Arnold movie and Robert Howard’s pulps. Of course, the Savage Sword comics, Batman comics, especially post-Dark Knight, Vertigo’s publications, Sandman, Death, Hellblazer. Video games have also influenced me greatly: Soul Reaver, Dragon’s Dogma, Monster Hunter, Castlevania SOTN, and more. And sometimes I draw, haha.

Scroll down to check out some of our favorite art pieces from El Grimlock as we continue to follow his journey across his Website and social media hubs: Instagram / X / Facebook / Deviant Art / YouTube / Store

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