This comic strip draws direct inspiration from real-life moments experienced by pedestrians in Santurce, a bustling neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With its dense foot traffic and constant movement, Santurce often places walkers in the middle of chaotic, sometimes humorous, near-misses—especially around the busy Walmart area. The comic captures the essence of these everyday struggles, with the term “Problemón” highlighting the exaggerated, yet all-too-familiar, magnitude of navigating these urban hazards.
The challenge: to narrate a visual story using only three colors and no text. By removing written language entirely, the comic invites viewers to interpret the humor and tension of the scenes through expression, movement, and composition alone. This minimalist approach shifts the focus onto body language and color dynamics, encouraging a universal connection beyond spoken words.
The creation of this strip was a playful yet detailed journey, balancing humor with artistic experimentation. Initial stages involved producing a wide range of sketches—both miniature and full-scale—to explore different visual ideas. Emphasis was placed on lively, entertaining details that capture the chaos and personality of Santurce’s pedestrians. Through color testing, refining compositions, and correcting drawings, the strip evolved into a polished, visually engaging sequence.
If you live in Santurce and have ever strolled to Walmart for a carton of eggs, this comic will likely make you smile—though possibly with a hint of frustration. It captures those all-too-relatable street encounters through vibrant, expressive imagery. Created on A4 paper using a 7" x 10" framing, the artwork relies on a palette of blue, yellow, and green (excluding black and white) and was brought to life with watercolor, brush markers, colored pencils, and detailed inking tools like Pentel and fine drawing pens.
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