'Forest Giant' by Cayetano Valenzuela

A post-IC3 pickup!!

One of the highlights of IC3 was the number of super talented creators that I got to meet in person and talk with. One of those creators is Cayetano Valenzuela of Black Rabbit Comics. I first introduced to his work during the four and a half hour long stream that Matt Sardo and Jamie Jones put on the week before IC3 where they interviewed as many of the folks that would be at the show as possible. What I saw of Cayetano's work intrigued me and I knew I would have to seek him out at the con.

Cayetano was taking commissions for IC3, but I decided to hold off as I was already getting four and I wanted to save some money in case I came across any published art I may want to pick up. It's fortunate that I did because Cayetano brought a mix of original art from both his comics and some prints/posters that he made. All of them were really fantastic, but this lone water color page in his portfolio caught my eye. There was no price on it so I asked if it was for sale. I was told, "not yet," as it was a page that will appear in an upcoming issue of his comic 'Twilight Houses' and it had not yet been scanned. I asked if I could purchase it after it was scanned and he said yes. And now this lovely page is in my possession.

When I initially looked at this page I thought it was just a peaceful forest scene. Upon closer look I realized that the hill was actually a creature, the titular Forest Giant, peering down at the main character of the story, Cathead. I love all of the detail that is put into the inks in this piece. The muted colors add an almost somber tone to the scene. Is the forest giant friend or foe? Something else perhaps.

I picked up the first issue of 'Twilight Houses' at IC3. It is an ephemeral story with multiple layers of reality. Cathead seems to be caught up in a dreamy landscape that is always shifting. Oh, and there's a demon. I'm not really sure what's going on at this point, but I look forward to reading more and finding out where the story is going. And how the forest giant factors into things.

Inks and watercolors on 11x17 board. Image area is about 11x15.

Cayetano sells his comics, prints, and other assorted artworks on his website:
https://www.theblackrabbitstudio.com/

You can follow him on Instagram at:
Cayetano's Insta