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CortesNyc vs The Titans
Written by Tameeka Time

CortesNyc premiered the 6th video installation of his Premium Blackbook Series on youtube. The theme and title of this blackbook video is “CortesNyc vs The Titans.” In Greek Mythology, the Titans were known as the elder gods who ruled the earth. The Titans were also known as the oldest Greek Gods. The Titans were overthrown by the powerful Olympians. Cortes has always been a fan of mythology and was inspired by the 2010 film; Clash of the Titans to create this double paged blackbook for fellow artist; Str8Evil.

Graphics artist Isa-D gave a hand with her after effects / animating skills to help Cortes create the intro for this blackbook video. Isa-D helped bring the characters from the book to life … literally. There’s a scene in this video where the Kraken animates. If I enjoyed seeing the Kraken being released you will too! Check out the blackbook video above to see more Greek Mythology references, character animations, and the drawing skills of Cortes.

Part 2 – Top Ten CortesNyc Skulls
Written by Tameeka Time

Visual artist CortesNyc is known for his highly detailed skulls. People often ask him why he draws/paints skulls so much. His simple reply is “it represents life.” In the spirit of celebrating life, creativity and more art to come, we put together a list of CortesNyc’s Top 10 Skulls. This is a two part post. Part 1 will contain the Top 10 to 6 skulls and part 2 will contain the top 5 to 1. 

Coming in at number 5, this one “Twin Ghostly Skulls”. Cortes painted these two massive skulls in the Sunshine State of Florida. With limited space and time, Cortes finished these skulls in just a few hours. This piece was painted in the Wynwood Arts District in Miami (one of the hot spots during Art Basel). Read more about this wall and the others he painted in Florida right here: Graffiti, Skateboards, and Hurricanes.

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This wall on the left is titled “Skulls and Roses” and it comes in strong at number 4. Cortes painted this wall during the first annual South America/Sudamerica Graffiti Meeting of 2010 in Quito, Ecuador (the center of the globe). The best part of this piece is the combination of the red skulls and roses as a compositional element. If you want to learn more about Cortes’ Ecuador graffiti adventure click here: Graffiti At The Center Of The Globe .

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This massive vertical panel of skulls coming in at number 3 on our list is called “Voodoo Skulls”. With the help of a crane Cortes blessed Jackson Avenue in Queens with these grey stacked set of skulls. These skulls are still up and can be seen at the Graffiti Mecca of New York City; 5 Pointz.

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In at number 2, we have “UpHigh 3 – Flaming Stacked Skulls”. This 4-story high vertical graffiti mural was painted by Cortes in a total of 3 nights, no sunlight, only street lights were used to help him find his way around the crane. This wall can be seen at the world famous graffiti haven; 5 Pointz. It’s a sight to see if you live in New York or plan on visiting New York.

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The number 1 most memorable skull piece by CortesNyc is the pile of skulls in the Custom Airbrush T-Shirts video. The amount of detail shown in each skull is fascinating. Cortes painted each skull with it’s own personality. In the video, you can see how he confidently draws out each character directly on to the t-shirt with the airbrush. These are hands-down the best set of skulls created by artist CortesNyc.

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Part 1 – Top Ten CortesNyc Skulls
Written by Tameeka Time

Visual artist CortesNyc is known for his highly detailed skulls. People often ask him why he draws/paints skulls so much. His simple reply is “it represents life.” In the spirit of celebrating life, creativity and more art to come, we put together a list of CortesNyc’s Top 10 Skulls. This is a two part post. Part 1 will contain the Top 10 to 6 skulls and part 2 will contain the top 5 to 1. 

Coming in at number 10 the “Savage Sword” Premium Blackbook. Everything about this blackbook screams out details. Even though this book is done in black and white, the skulls are the necessary detail that make this full page the master piece that it is. Savage Sword was done with radiograph, ink brush, and crow quills. This blackbook was inspired by the original 1982 movie; Conan the Barbarian.

A poster of this blackbook can be purchased here: For Sale | Savage Sword Blackbook Art Poster

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In at number 9 we have the hooded skull featured in the “La Gloria” Blackbook. Cortes created a double page black book for the music duo Guillotine Cuts. In the blackbook there’s one large hooded skull on the right and several different smaller skulls in the middle of the page. The best feature on this skull is it’s eyes. Take a peep for yourself. For more info about this blackbook and why it was created click here: LA GLORIA BLACKBOOK VIDEO

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We’ve got piles of skulls in at number 8. These skulls are seen in Cortes’ premium blackbook video titled “Raisin’ Hell.” This video and blackbook concept was inspired by the popular movie franchise; Hellraiser and by a track titled “Raisin’ Hell” produced by Pagan Society (TWrexx and 2Nen Bladez). Cortes created the double pager using markers, color pencils, and gauche highlights. I recommend watching the pile of skulls being drawn and colored by Cortes. You’ll be amazed!

A poster of this blackbook can be purchased here: For Sale | Raisin Hell Blackbook Art Poster

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“Rooftop Legends” makes it to the list coming in at number 7. It’s our first graffiti wall on the list. This giant skull was painted in New York City on the rooftop of the New Design High School. Cortes painted this wall in a day and a half  and it’s personally one of my favorites wall pieces of his. The idea of the smoke rising to the top from the empty skulls eye socket is what got me.

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Number 6′s skull was painted on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Cortes and his fellow HD Crew members rocked walls throughout the island and this skull definitely turned some heads. This wall can be seen in CortesNyc’s Graff Tour Part 10 video. This skull is different from the others, it’s a possessed skull sort of mixed with a zombie. It’s one of a kind.

CortesNyc Art Studio on Live Stream

Written by Tameeka Time

CortesNyc has started a new web series called CortesNyc Art Studio Live ! This show is an extension of  his popular Youtube channel and is meant to fill the need for tutorial and interactive videos.

Art Studio Live is an unscripted and unedited broadcast. It features artist CortesNyc drawing, answering questions, giving tips, and demonstrating different art techniques. The show’s live Chatroom is moderated by me (Tameeka Time).

The first two episodes took place last weekend and they were a blast to be apart of. I’ve never produced a live broadcast, so this is a new experience for me. I’m switching between multiple camera angles and reading the comments outloud for the viewers. Our first couple of broadcasts showed us how unstable live streaming can be, so we’ve upgraded our equipment to ensure a smooth streaming show.

We have plenty of topics to cover and we’ve set up an email address (info@cortescreates.com) for feedback from the viewers, incase they want to contribute ideas for possible show topics. Be sure to like CortesNyc’s Official Fan Page on Facebook for updates on the scheduled shows.

The idea of a live podcast or Vlog was always on our minds. Cortes and I both listen to several audio podcasts weekly and we like the variety of formats that independent podcasters produce. Here are a few of our favorite podcasts: Web Comics Weekly, Keith and the Girl, Distorted View Daily, Writing Excuses, and Sick and Wrong. These shows have definitely served as inspiration for our venture into broadcasting.

I encourage you to join us at the next web stream on Wednesday January 30th, 2013 at 8:30 PM EST. We will be premiering a new blackbook video, sharing some tribute images created by Cortes fans and demonstrating sumi ink and brush techniques.

Spread the word! Invite your friends!

And if you missed the first two live stream episodes we put together a highlights reel for you guys! Check it out! Comment/Share/Like.

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Aerosol Wasteland

Written by Tameeka Time

Graff writers CortesNyc, Dilak, Zeso, and Gro joined forces at the world famous graffiti haven 5 Pointz in Queens NY to rock an Aerosol Wasteland themed wall.

This was the first time all of these writers would paint together in New York City. Cortes met and has painted with Dilak and Gro in South America, and he’s painted with Zeso here in New York City. All four artists have very different graff styles and it was a great experience to see them put this theme together.

This particular wall they painted was not leveled and there were several different platforms and holes they were painting over. In addition to the unbalanced wall the writers painted through a rain storm. They painted in the rain from the early afternoon to early next morning because Dilak had to catch a flight back to Florida. The crew was determined to stick around until he finished the wall. The guys toughed it out and got most of it done.

Once the wall was completed, Cortes set up a video shoot with Japanese hip hop dance group; BaBlack. The girls were amazing! Very professional and fun to work with. Their dancing added a new b-girl dynamic to this graffiti video. The girls also inspired Cortes to create the music track you’ll hear in the video.

Check out the final product above. Enjoy!