Turning my little ones into heroes!

I started this project because I didn’t know what else to buy as gifts for my nephews and nieces. I started to illustrate and design thinking of them, in the hours that my niece spent playing as a princess and how everyone who surround her become part of her royal court, or my nephew who transforms his bed into a ship and with an eye patch seeks to conquer the seven seas.

I do not pretend to give lessons on how to raise children, or how to boost their self-esteem or build confidence in children. I have no experience or knowledge about it, but one thing is clear, it is the effect that adventure movies, animated films, merchandise, etc. has on any child. I do not want them to look great in a costume. I just want to find a middle ground, where they – the children- can be reflected as part of that fantasy world – that’s why I cartoonize the face - and turn them into an important part of those stories. The rest is up to the parents and the children. I just design an image, they make the story, they make their hero at home.

I started painting when I was really young, in fact, I think portraits paid a lot of my studies! Was really different at that time, I used to work in watercolor and pointillism, those portraits took me days to finish. You can see some of my work on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/myheroathome

If you are interested in my professional background, here is a short version:

At an early age, I began studying Systems Engineering, thanks to an odd talent for mathematics and logic. Already in the eighth semester of studies, and a promising future as an engineer, I discovered theater and my life changed completely.

Years later, I graduated as an actor, in probably the most important theater company in my country (Venezuela). Besides acting, production in general interested me. I collaborated on set designs, costumes and visual concepts. I wanted to direct, write, produce and act. In the theater I found myself. I met the world (quite literally). I toured in many countries, and in theater I learned that when you are creating nothing is impossible.

It was at that time, when I started designing the graphic identity for the theater in the form of print ads and hand painted billboards, then I found myself studying Graphic Design. While studying, I started working as a designer and I was trained to teach graphic software. I completed my design internship in a financial newspaper. I graduated as a Graphic Designer in Advertising at the same time I was appointed Art Director of the publishing group, which went from producing one daily newspaper to creating three editions, plus two monthly magazines.

I lived in Miami for almost 15 years, there I have the opportunity to work with different advertising agencies, where I grew as a Creative Director. An independent business venture (Klever Solutions Group Inc.) kept me involved in theater projects, designing for film, soap operas, amusement parks (like Parrot Jungle Island), clinics, artists and restaurants, among others. I’ve been working in the last 9 years with Peruanitos Foundation, a non-profit organization in support of the abandoned children in Peru, based in Los Angeles, USA. Now I’m living in Toronto, Canada since 2011.

For more information about myself, please visit kleverguerrero.com