Lonnie’s dream

2 September 2009

By Flor Marenco and Jonathan Jackson

From early on, the life of Lonnie Ruiz Gómez was filled with imagination and darkness. Literal darkness. He grew up in Managua, Nicaragua, in a place where many days his family was without electricity. To pass the time his Grandmother would tell scary stories, and he and his friends would go off and create their own dark tales, characters, and games. Lonnie credits these imaginary adventures with helping him develop a heightened sense of creativity.

Many years later, Lonnie would enter a contest that would change the direction of his life and uncover his passion. The contest was ‘Cuentamelo Otra Vez’ and participants were asked to tell a popular story using three illustrations. Lonnie had always been into drawing, but this contest was a chance for him to try something a little different. He submitted his illustrations and was awarded third place, but more importantly, he discovered his natural ability to tell stories through his images, and in the process opened up an outlet for his creativity. Where words had sometimes failed him, Lonnie found that he could express his inner self and his imagination visually. The following year he entered the contest again and took first place.

In 2007, ‘Un Naufragio Inesperado’ – written by Ulises Salazar Medrano – became the first book published using Lonnie’s illustrations. He also calls it the project that opened his eyes and made him see clearly that illustration was what he wanted to do with his life. The characters Lonnie creates are often peculiar and a bit odd, a little scary and sometimes ugly, yet at the same time they are cute and endearing. There is a sense of weirdness and contradiction in his illustrations. His details are impeccable, soft colors and textures, creating beautiful compositions. As dark as some of his work is there always seems to be playfulness to it. In this way it is no surprise that the work of Tim Burton is one of his big influences.

In addition to Burton’s work and the work of other illustrators, Lonnie says a little bit of everything is what inspires him.

“To be a designer you must always be looking everywhere. We are like a video camera that records every image that passes in front of our eyes, and in the creative process we recycle it.”

To see more of Lonnie’s illustration work visit his personal blog at: www.pinol-ilustrado.blogspot.com

2 Responses to “Lonnie’s dream”

1. Samantha says:

   8 August 2010 at 2:10 AM

   Esta es sólo una pequña muestra del talento del profe Lonnie, sus ilustraciones estan super.!1
2. Samantha Caracas says:

   8 August 2010 at 2:13 AM

   Esta es sólo una pequña muestra del talento del profe Lonnie, sus ilustraciones estan super.!1