Never be deceived by their beauty for they are a force to be reckoned with…

 

His art is mostly composed of beautiful women immersed in a world of darkness and despair. An artist from Spain who is known for his dark and gothic paintings, Luis Royo is now one of the most respected icons in contemporary art.

 

His Early Beginnings

 

Born in 1954 in the city of Olalla, Spain, Luis Royo studied painting and interior design at the Applied Arts School and the Industrial Mastery School in Zaragoza in 1970 and 1971, respectively. In 1978, he discovered the world of adult comics from Moebius and Enki Balal and began making his own comics. He featured them at the Angoleume Comic Festival.

 

Royo started making book cover illustrations in 1983. He has worked for prominent publishers such as Bantam Books, Tor Books, Berkley Books, and Warner Books, among others. This led him to work in different countries such as the United States, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

 

The Rise of an Icon

 

It was in the 1990s where he really shined as one of the most influential illustrators of his time.  In 1992, the first book containing his illustrations was published by Norma Editorial in Spain. It was later on published in France and in Germany.

 

Comic Images even made a collection of trading cards using his illustrations, the first part of which was called “From Fantasy to Reality”. He also received the Silver Award Spectrum for best in Contemporary Fantastic Art in 1996.

Continuing the Legend

 

In 1997, Heavy Metal magazine had a gallery dedicated to Royo for their 20^th anniversary edition. Royo is one of their famous illustrators at that time. He has published numerous art books such as Malefic, Prohibited I to III, Secrets, and many more. His current art books are “Evolution”, which was published in 2000, and Conceptions, published in 2001. This shows the process of his works from rough sketches to the final product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aj Aviado is a Painter and Musician. He started life as an artist when he was 3 years old and started doodling on walls with both his left and right hand. Everything around him is a potential piece of art. From bubble gum stuck to the carpet, to little spores of fungi growing on the windows.

He created Design Spirals to showcase art and everything related to it.

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