Gabriel Alcala's chucklesome illustrations

Date
5 August 2016

The brilliant work of Gabriel Alcala is one that is difficult to ignore. His striking colour choices slap you round the face, but once your eyes adjust you can’t help but smirk. This Miami-based illustrator soaks up his surroundings channelling vibrance through each piece of work.

Gabriel has already completed commissioned work for Pitchfork Review, Redbull, Warner Music and So Young magazine alongside a collection of his own zines. His most recent, Eye Cue, has been published by the fantastic Tan & Loose press based in Chicago. The inspiration for this zine came from Gabriel’s surroundings: “I always keep an eye out for things that could make for a cool illustration. I’m kind of like a mix between a photographer and an observational comic, only I draw. Eye Cue is basically a zine of funny observations and odd combinations. Sometimes the illustrations came directly from something I noticed in real life and other times I combine two different objects to create something new”, he explained.

Inspired by “rock & roll, baseball and animals” and as guitarist in Floridian band Jacuzzi Boys, you can see the musical influence throughout Gabriel’s work. His personal projects include Sister Ray, a diagram that became a t-shirt of the song by The Velvet Underground – “I listened to the song over and over until I mapped out the whole scene.” Another is a proposal to name a planet after David Bowie – “A month after Bowie died scientists discovered a new planet in our solar system. This was a t-shirt to start a campaign to name it Planet Bowie.” A particular favourite that sums up Gabriel’s personality and output is a print he completed for Tan Lines 4 where he illustrated an ode to his favourite solo album by John Lennon, Mind Games. When working on projects Gabriel’s favourite records to listen to include, Ram by Paul McCartney, A Rainbow in Curved Air by Terry Riley, Last Splash by The Breeders and Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson.

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Gabriel Alcala: Eye Cue

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Gabriel Alcala: Eye Cue

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Gabriel Alcala: Eye Cue

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Gabriel Alcala: The End

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Gabriel Alcala: John Lennon’s Mind Games for Tan Lines 4

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Gabriel Alcala: Sister Ray

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Gabriel Alcala: Things to do in Chicago for Pitchfork Review

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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