rae recinos designs

ILLUSTRATIONS | BOOK COVERS | COMICS

illustrations + book covers

comics

"the last orange" by rae recinos (spr’23)

this was my first comic for my comic and zines class at duke taught by bill fick. the assignment prompt was to be about an animal. my favorite animal (which i hope i’ve hinted at throughout the formatting of this site) is a capybara. (tw: self-sabotage, mental health discussions) i wanted to explore/capture my process of struggling with asking for help through capybaras because they’re actually a herd species, meaning they travel and do things together and do worse when isolated and alone (a symbolism for some of my self-sabotaging habits of isolating). the idea of the last orange is meant to symbolize survival and how collaboration and others are important for living a wholesome and loving life.

“the adventures of star & hart” by rae recinos (spr’23)

this was the final comic i did for my comic and zines class. it had to be about an adventure of some sort. dreams themselves are adventures of sorts. i challenged myself with this comic to make use of the gutter space between panels to inform the scene and to aid with the narrative needs (to help add height or add to the feel of star and hart being watch through stalks). it was a bit rushed by ultimately it helped me learn the craft of comics well and it is a study, in my opinion.

"las dos companeras" by rae recinos (spr’23)

this was my second comic assignment in my comic and zines class spr'23. this story takes roots in my central american heritage and some religious folklore native to parts of guatemala told to me by my very religious uncle and godfather. the story goes two companions (both men-identifying) got into a cave, have sex, and turn into rocks, forming the foundation for a religious site known as "the crest." the story was significant to me because of the representation of queer love in my family's language and lore (first i'd ever heard of such a thing). i wanted to capture the women-loving-women version as i'm a queer woman and i think there is something particularly poignant about hispanic woman and women in general leaving a place they call home and being able to make a home wherever they go (as i've seen with my aunts and cousins and grandparents).