Several months ago, I discovered artist Sergio Santos on social media. On Friday, I had the pleasure of going "On the Beat" with Sergio of El Santos World to discuss his art.
Sergio has a unique style. He refers to it as "memorializing and reconstructing" images. That's better than I could have described his style. As you can see in the examples below, the images are completely identifiable, yet are not exact duplications.
This is such a fascinating art form to me. My mind doesn't work that way. I can sketch a fair approximation of an original, but I don't have the creativity to go out of the box the way Sergio does. The letters for the player names isn't precise. Sometimes a letter from the name or even the jersey might be floating above somewhere. When Sergio does it, I love the result. I would struggle with preciseness and not let my imagination roam like Sergio. That type of creativity coupled with his artistic talent makes his work incredible.
Sergio's work isn't limited to recreating trading cards. He has also put other athletes, wrestlers, musicians and more on trading cards. He also does a lot of art not connected to trading cards. It's all beautiful.
Another cool thing Sergio does is post Time-Lapse videos of his work in progress, complete with funky music that fits perfectly. It's not often you get to see the artist in action, but Sergio regularly posts his Time-Lapse creation process.
I talked to Sergio about all of that. He discussed his start in art, his creative process, choosing his subjects and more. We have common interests in pop culture of all sorts.
Pictured below are three of Sergio's creations of WNBA players Chamique Holdsclaw, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. It isn't often you see an artist featuring women athletes. Most artists do higher profile male athletes. Sergio does that, too, but he also does women, like these three, along with lesser known male subjects. The fact that Sergio is paying homage to women athletes is a major step in the right direction for women.
I finished the interview by requesting more women and I am sure Sergio will incorporate more into his work going forward. Sergio is very active on social media and he accepts suggestions, like he did with a Rowdy Roddy Piper request of mine. He also does commission, of course, where you buy the actual piece, instead of just enjoying it online.
Our interview can be found at On the Beat With Sergio Santos. Also, check out ElSantosWorld.com for more info and art.
