Man Arenas Artwork

Lauras Stern & the mysterious Dragon Nian _TRAILER

Warner Bros just released the german trailer of the 3rd sequal from Laura Star adventures.
German Title: LAURAS STERN UND DER GEHEIMNISVOLLE DRACHE NIAN
Opening in Germany on September 24, 2009

I worked on this feature as production designer as I did since the first movie. Most of the action is located in modern China.

Drawing a mouse in a forest 3

...and here a clean version of a "the Faun Gabriel" movie sequence.

Viva "The Brushes Revolution!!!

.Writer Josep Busquet & Artist Pere Mejan Winners Ficomic 2009.

At the 27th International Comics Festival of Barcelona, my friends Josep Busquet and Pere Mejan were rewarded for their excellent artwork in “La Revolución de los Pinceles”.
Winning not one but three statues for :
- Best Writer Award... Best Comics Book Artist Award and last but not least the Josep Toutain Award (for Author Revelation of the Year 2008).

And I wish to see very soon an american or british publisher translating this graphic novel in the Shakespeare's Speech balloons.
Also awarded for his elegant talent, Roger Ibáñez for “ Jazz Maynard. Contra viento y marea” (Ed. Diábolo) Best Comic Art Award.

Drawing a mouse in a forest 2

Designing and staging a new 3D production for THE Studio Soi.
Based on a very succesful childrenbook, the story features a mouse lost in a forest and creating a monstruous friend who can protect it from all the threats of the Wild.
The project combine CGI animation in a model surrounding. It's a great experience for a production designer to see the Studio Soi team pulling out a fantastic work of translating my designs into beautiful and accurate models.

For a New PERFUME Commercial

Visual development

The Pied Piper of Hamelin Cover

my graphic novel's wish for 2011

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Happy New Year President Obama

DOODLETTE 103

DOODLETTE 102

Here are the nymphs,
silent creatures,
One day they will crown a King
from the youngest of the fauns

DOODLETTE 101

Man Arenas print available at Nucleus

My graphic poem, "When I Whisper Totoro's Name..." is now original size available on line at the Nucleus Gallery.

Gallery Nucleus has colaborated with the Totoro Forest Project to release an exclusive print series. The Totoro Forest Project is a fundraising exhibition/auction to support the non-profit organization, "Totoro No Furusato National Fund", Oscar winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has been helping over the years, featuring original art created by internationally acclaimed artists in the fields of animation, comic books, and illustration. Proceeds of each print sale will go towards the Totoro Forest fund. Each print will also come embossed with a Totoro Forest insignia.

Artist:Manuel Arenas
Brand:Nucleus
Height:17.0" (43.18 cm) Width:13.0" (33.02 cm)
Printing Method:8-Color Process * Paper Type:Watercolor Paper * 30.00 $

La galería Núcleus ha colaborado con el "Totoro Foresf Project" para realizar una serie exclusiva de estampas.
La "Totoro Forest Project" es una exposición para la recaudación de fondos y una subasta en apoyo de la "Totoro No Furusato National Fund"; organización sin fines de lucro del cineasta Hayao Miyazaki quien ha estado ayudando a lo largo de los años con originales de arte creados por artistas de fama internacional en los ámbitos de la animación, del comics y de la ilustración.
El producto de la venta de cada una de estas làminas se destinará a la "Totoro Foresf Project". Cada impresión viene estampada con el logo Totoro Forest.

MYEL or the true nature of an angel

Simplicissimus Art Rules

thanks to Harald, I finally found the complet archives of the famous german Simplicissimus.
From the dusk of the 19th century till the end of WWII, this weekly magazine was a milestone for illustrator, craftmens and political cartoonists.
A true treasure online. about 2500 PDF files full of pencil art.

Guillaume Bianco launch Billy Brouillard

©ßianco/Métamorphose

"Billy Brouillard and the gift of sight trouble" will be available in all french comics bookstores by November 26!

An Irish Sheep Crime Story

Some of my early image treatment for this funny 3D feature project.

Screenshot & making of an production Illustration

Display of the two screens I use for working ( three with the cintiq).
I took this screenshot to show to a colleague some of my tricks... combining 2 languages which is not the most easy way to work .

Publishing the faun Gabiel

I'm quite happy to announce that the faun Yaxín and his graphic poems have now a publisher.the first stories of the little faun Gabriel will be published in the new and wonderful
collection "Metamorphose"
of the French comics editions "Soleil".

The collection "Metamorphose" is directed by the artist and editors Barbara Canepa and Clotilde Vu.
"The Faun Gabriel" in full watercolors, will be published in two volumes of 58 pages (Canto Canto I & II); The release of "Canto I" is scheduled by autumn 2009.

For the writing and especially for the narrative structure of this first opus , I asked my friend and writer Dimitri Vey for a collaboration. As a scriptwriter, Dimitri has the rare talent to inject some epic, life and wonders dimensions in the scripts, by essence, too technical. Our old friendship allows me to work in peace and freedom, knowing that Dimitri fully understand my creative world, my style and my narrative desires, that we share the same ideas which allows us to work in harmony. The particularity of our work is that is written simultaneously in 3 languages; Dimitri and I share two mother languages ... for me, the Spanish and the French and him, the French and the English ... This makes our process of poetic creation very interesting.

One of the reasons why I decided to sign with "Metamorphose" is the personality of one of the editors . I know the splendid talent of Barbara Canepa as author of comics, I know her long experience in the graphics industry, and, delicious esthete, her perfect taste for beautiful things produced in the sacred rules of Art.For me, those are the best guarantees that a publisher can give to ensure the best quality and dedication in his work.To know more about
Barbara Canepa
and to learn all about her collection "Metamorphose", I invite you to browse thru her superb page in the blogosphere.

Totoro Forest Project Book

Expecting it like the rain of May, today the copy of the book arrived by mail. In one word:
Magnificent!
it's a magnificent object, full of printed treasures.

Drawing a mouse in a forest

Designing and staging a new 3D production for THE studio Soi.
The story of a mouse lost in a forest and creating a monstruous friend.

Tribute to NÄVIS

Tribute to the cute Nävis, the comic book character of my good friend and excelent artist José Luis Munuera .
It will be published in the upcoming Nävis 5 ( Delcourt editions )

Kleiner DODO animated film Style Guide

The pre production period of an animation film look often like a long Jazz Jam Session of visual creativity. The design and story teams enjoy this specific time to pull up the many visual ideas the project will need. We, the production designers and art directors, are providing some kind of visual theories or artistic structure in order to lead and to fix the many concepts that will bring the expected film visual signature. Those visual teories or structure are called "style Guide".
Here, I show some of the style guide pages I did for the "little Dodo" 2D feature.

Looking for the "Little Dodo" Sets (2/4)

production design illustrations for a nice and believable jungle.

Totoro Forest Project Tickets

Totoro Forest Project Tickets Available Monday 8/11 10:00am Pacific Time!
Many of you have been wondering when and how you can buy tickets for the upcoming Totoro Forest Art Auction Benefit Event to be held here at Pixar on September 6th. Finally we are ready to start selling these online! The first pre-sale will start monday 8/11 at 10am. Here's the options available - Please note that all tickets include the stunning Art of Totoro Forest Book (worth $40)

Forest Friend - 100$ regular admission + book.
Forest Sponsor - 200$ includes admission + book + signed limited edition print
Forest Champion - $300 includes middle VIP live auction seating + book + signed limited edition print + gift certificate to Blowfish Sushi
Forest Hero - $500 includes front VIP live auction seating + book + an original drawing by one of the artists

Tickets will go on sale at this LINK exactly at 10AM Monday! We have a rather limited numbers of tickets so we suggest acting quickly if you want to be part of this event. Remember many of the donating artists will be in attendance, this will be a night to remember!! All the "Totoro inspired" art is up for preview at TotoroForestProject.org. All proceed will be donated to the Totoro Forest Foundation!! Let me know if you have any questions.

Totoro Auction Promotion at Comicon!

Designing Alien Planet & Monkeys in Space

TOTORO Forest Project

I can reveal now the secret about my little watercolors teasers....
I'm very happy to be part of an amazing event: Totoro Forest Project
This is an international charity effort to preserve Sayama Forest, also known as "Totoro Forest". This endangered green sanctuary on the outskirts of Tokyo is where director Hayao Miyazaki got the inspiration for his worldwide loved character “Totoro.” Miyazaki San has always been such an inspiration to so many of us... so, Dice Tsutsumi and fellow colleagues Enrico Casarosa, Ronnie Del Carmen, and Yukino Pang at Pixar thought it’d be nice to give something back for all the years of wonder and magic he’s given us. That’s how they came to this project. The website just launched and it’s already filled with amazing art! Over 200 top international artists from animation, illustration, and comics are donating artwork especially created for this cause.
my donation: "When I whisper Totoro's name" - watercolors on Arches paper ( 30 x 40 cm)

On september 6th 2008 Pixar Animation Studios will be hosting an art auction event featuring all these fantastic pieces of art. All the proceeds of this fundraiser will benefit the Totoro Forest Foundation.

And last but not least, A book is in the making.