Research Image 1 placeholder
Add moodboard, reference, or research imagery here.
Case Study · Illustration · 2025
Abuela's Altar
Abuela's Altar is a charcoal still life that honors both the beauty of Catholic devotion and the grief of ancestral loss, exploring the inherited tension between organized tradition and personal spirituality. Inspired by Churrigueresque altar design, I curated prayer candles, tarot cards, and fragmented relics from my grandmother's life as symbolic anchors of memory and ritual.
Hero image placeholder
Add the main hero image, a still, or a process visual here.
Brief
Project Brief
This project begins with a compact design brief that frames the audience, the visual problem, and the mood the final system should carry.
Abuela's Altar is a charcoal still life that honors both the beauty of Catholic devotion and the grief of ancestral loss, exploring the inherited tension between organized tradition and personal spirituality. Inspired by Churrigueresque altar design, I curated prayer candles, tarot cards, and fragmented relics from my grandmother's life as symbolic anchors of memory and ritual.
Research
Research
Research gathers references, tone, and context, translating outside cues into a clearer visual direction for the project.
Research Image 2 placeholder
Add a second reference image or comparative source here.
Sketches
Sketches and Early Iterations
Early iterations trace the movement from rough marks to more deliberate structure, revealing what to keep and what to refine.
Sketch 1 placeholder
Add thumbnail sketches or early composition studies here.
Sketch 2 placeholder
Add rough layout or variation studies here.
Sketch 3 placeholder
Add another early iteration or refinement here.
Concept
Concept Development
Concept development pulls the strongest signals together into a single direction with a more resolved mood and composition.
Concept development image
Add one key concept image or process frame here.
Details
Details and Application
Details and application place the system into its final setting, where scale, texture, and presentation give the work its finish.
Application 1 placeholder
Add an application, mockup, or detail image here.
Application 2 placeholder
Add a supporting square application image here.
Application 3 placeholder
Add a supporting square application image here.
Application 4 placeholder
Add a supporting square application image here.
Application 5 placeholder
Add a supporting square application image here.