One of L.A's most prolific and up and coming emerging artist and designer Leftyjoe. (also known to some as: the cartoonist David Torres, caricature artist Joe Torres, artist Jose Tores, even Jose David Torres.)
Leftyjoe has joined several sites that help promote artists. Well with technology these days, and social media, Leftyjoe is taking full advantage of his resources.
Here are some sites you can check out:
Leftyjoe: daily art blog:
http://leftyjoe.blogspot.com/
Have Leftyjoe entertain with Live caricatures at your next event!!!
http://foryournextparty.blogspot.com/
Clothing and apparel featuring the art of Leftyjoe:
http://www.naturesmistake.net/
Merchandise featuring the art of Leftyjoe:
http://www.zazzle.com/leftyjoe
Art Prints and Merchandise featuring the art of Leftyjoe:
http://leftyjoe.deviantart.com/
Leftyjoe's personal merchandising project!!!
http://nerdlifeclothing.blogspot.com/
Another site where you can buy Leftyjoe artwork as prints, posters, coffee mugs, and tons of other custom designer artist merchandise!
http://www.redbubble.com/people/leftyjoe/art
You can check out Leftyjoe on artslant too!!! while you're at it, join up!!!
http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/108216-leftyjoe-torres
Artist friends, I recommend you join as many of these sites as possible.
http://www.coroflot.com/public/individual_details.asp?individual_id=215067
The story of Leftyjoe!!!
Leftyjoe is an emerging LA artist who's goal is to reach the hearts and minds of the world over.
Leftyjoe: "Art has touched my life so profoundly, and as an artist, I hope that my art can continue to touch more and more people."
Born in an affluent community the Federal district of Mexico city, Leftyjoe came to live in the U.S with some family members hoping to attain that dream that people the world over strive for. The American dream.
Well, Leftyjoe has been living his dream with the support of his family, friends and very supportive acquaintances.
Leftyjoe began his career very early. Instead of selling lemonade in front of his childhood home, Leftyjoe had a cute lil stand, where he sold "Drawings on demand"
Neighbors would walk buy and stop and melt at the sight of a six year old who claimed to be able to draw anything. At the customer's request, lil six year old Leftyjoe would draw the requested artwork for a few bucks.
Leftyjoe could not stop creating works of art throughout his young life. From special art classes as a kid to nearly failing highschool all together because art was just way more important to him than homework.
Leftyjoe went to a community college and took some naked people drawing classes, and a few other art related classes, but in 2001 he was diagnosed with a very virulent strain of cancer. Testicular cancer.
Cancer would not be an obstacle for the artist. He continued to draw even though his body had lil strength at times. Chemotherapy and two major surgeries that left him scared across his entire mid section also seemed not to put a stop to Leftyjoe's art.
By the way, he wasn't always called "Lefty"
Because his left testicle had to be removed due to the cancer, his college buddies dubbed him "Lefty"
Leftyjoe was a screen name he chose for a site, and the name just stuck.
Leftyjoe later worked at the L.A zoo as a caricature artist. You know, caricatures in layman's terms (the guys at theme parks that draw your face all funny)
At the L.A zoo, caricatures actually brought him great job opportunities. LA being the entertainment mecca that it is, is filled with people who work in that field.
Often visitors to the zoo would offer creative work to the artists.
There he was given a chance to work as an freelance illustrator for the Wayans Brothers, and later working in house full time for their merchandising company landing Leftyjoe's first in-house/full time art job.
With that company, Leftyjoe learned a great deal. His projects soon became more than just illustration for a series of books. He was given graphic design work, product packaging and label design. Also product design and toy design, storyboard re-visioning, and even some animation.
Later Leftyjoe went on to work as a character designer for a very popular humor entertainment website.
In it's hayday, liquidgeneration.com was one of the founding fathers of the internet entertainment revolution boasting the creation of the "Sabotage"
You know, that thing you got in your email that made you turn the volume way up in your computer, only to scare the living crap out of you!!!
At liquidgeneration.com Leftyjoe worked on various graphic design projects, even animated in flash quite a bit. But, later as the lead character designer, Leftyjoe really polished his chops.
While at his job, a friend (renowned illustrator Chuck BB) gave him the task to create a painting for an art show. Leftyjoe caught the fever, the painting fever.
Days later, (renowned toy designer/street artist/and all around awesome dude... Jack Rossi) invited Leftyjoe to [articipate in a gallery show. Well, from there on back in 2007, Leftyjoe didn't stop painting.
Getting laid off from his dream job as a character designer in 2008 he continued to paint. changing his career path to a full time painter. Going on to do show after show even curating some of his own.
He returned to caricatures at a theme park. Universal studios in Hollywood. But, was soon fired, lol.
Soon after his stint at Universal, Leftyjoe continued to paint and do shows. All the while, making a decent living with his hobby turned self-proprietorship; CARICATURES AT PARTIES!!! Having Leftyjoe entertaining at a party with live cartoon drawings of your guests!!!
As an independent and self employed artist, Leftyjoe has found much happiness and many good friendships he would not have made had he continued to sit at a computer from nine to five for an art studio.
Through his art shows, he has met with great opportunities. One such instance, his meeting of Matt Geiger, owner and founder of the hot L.A based apparel and merchandising company "NATURES MISTAKE"
Now Leftyjoe has partnered up with Matt G and Natures Mistake to further establish the brand's bad-ass status, ( with the help of many many wonderful people they've met along the way!!!)
Leftyjoe designs most of the brands tees. While still painting for art shows, and continuing to strive for the next art job, hopefully as a concept artist for a video game company!
Keep an eye on this prolific young artist! Hopefully his art will touch your heart and captivate your imagination and hopefully leave some sort of impression on you.
That, my friends, is ultimately the legacy each artist hopes to leave this world.
A short biography about Leftyjoe:
written by:
Leftyjoe's manager/agent
Rosanne Erickson.
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