I’m Josh Figueroa, a San Diego-based author and illustrator with over 23 years of experience creating art for a wide range of audiences. I tell stories through comics and children's books, designing characters and worlds that empower readers. My self-published projects include a 108-page historical fiction children's book based on Aztec mythology titled 'Quetzal Messenger of the GodsmD', and I enjoy developing culture-rich narratives that reflect diverse communities. I thrive on collaboration, setting aside ego to work well with others, and I’m comfortable handling all stages of production—from initial concept and story development to final edits and art asset creation. I primarily work on an iPad Pro with Adobe Photoshop, but I can switch to a laptop and Wacom tablet when needed in my art studio.…

Josh Figueroa

PRO

I’m Josh Figueroa, a San Diego-based author and illustrator with over 23 years of experience creating art for a wide range of audiences. I tell stories through comics and children's books, designing characters and worlds that empower readers. My self-published projects include a 108-page historical fiction children's book based on Aztec mythology titled 'Quetzal Messenger of the GodsmD', and I enjoy developing culture-rich narratives that reflect diverse communities. I thrive on collaboration, setting aside ego to work well with others, and I’m comfortable handling all stages of production—from initial concept and story development to final edits and art asset creation. I primarily work on an iPad Pro with Adobe Photoshop, but I can switch to a laptop and Wacom tablet when needed in my art studio.…

Available to hire

I’m Josh Figueroa, a San Diego-based author and illustrator with over 23 years of experience creating art for a wide range of audiences. I tell stories through comics and children’s books, designing characters and worlds that empower readers. My self-published projects include a 108-page historical fiction children’s book based on Aztec mythology titled ‘Quetzal Messenger of the GodsmD’, and I enjoy developing culture-rich narratives that reflect diverse communities.

I thrive on collaboration, setting aside ego to work well with others, and I’m comfortable handling all stages of production—from initial concept and story development to final edits and art asset creation. I primarily work on an iPad Pro with Adobe Photoshop, but I can switch to a laptop and Wacom tablet when needed in my art studio.

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Language

English
Fluent
Spanish; Castilian
Fluent

Work Experience

Author / Illustrator at FIG Studios
February 1, 2002 - Present
Created and self-published a 108-page historical fiction children's book titled "Quetzal Messenger of the Gods" based on Aztec mythology, including character design, story creation, and all associated art assets. Illustrated sketch cards for Upper Deck's Marvel sets and various commissions including portraits, logos, and large-scale hand-drawn murals. Experienced in all aspects of book and comic art production using digital and traditional media. Worked on product design, website design, and branding for clients and personal brand. Exhibited at multiple comic conventions including San Diego Comic-Con and Latin Comics Expo.
Graphic Artist | Production Art Department at Gaslamp Insurance
November 1, 2008 - August 24, 2025
Produced promotional materials such as brochures, flyers, and business cards, transitioned business files to paperless format, and resolved technical hardware and billing issues.
Illustrator | Advertising Department at Moller Comunicacion de Marcas S.A. de C.V.
May 1, 2003 - August 24, 2025
Created storyboards, sketches, and concepts for car advertising campaigns for a Mexico City-based advertising agency.
3D Artist Intern | 3D Modeling Department at Vector Base Inc.
July 30, 2001 - August 22, 2025
Created character sketches and NURBs character models using Maya and assisted with facial blend-shapes for animation of company mascot under artistic direction.
Exhibiting Artist at FIG Studios
August 31, 2010 - July 22, 2024
- Exhibiting Author / Illustrator in Small Press Area / San Diego Comic-Con International (2024) - Exhibiting Author / Illustrator in Artist Alley / - Latin Comics Expo @ MOLAA (2023) - Exhibiting Artist in Artist Alley / San Diego Comic-Con International (2014-2016, 2017, 2019, 2023) - Exhibiting Artist in Artist Alley / Silicon Valley Comic Con (2018) - Exhibiting Artist in Artist Alley / Anaheim WonderCon (2013-2014) - Exhibiting Artist in Artist Alley / Long Beach Comic Con (2010-2011)

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at The Art Center College of Design
September 1, 1995 - December 1, 2001

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Retail, Professional Services, Software & Internet, Education
    uniE621 Quetzal Messenger of the Gods
    Author / Illustrator on my self-published creator-owned children's book about an Aztec boy who goes on a hero journey available here: https://www.twine.net/signin…
    uniE621 Superhero portrait commission for client
    This is a SheHulk illustration that I created for a client who requested me to illustrated his friend as SheHulk because she is a huge SheHulk fan. I also added the car she drives and modified its colors too match the theme. I additionally added her running shoes to the portrait. Since the clients friend was going to have this in her gym when she works out, it made sense to have SheHulk showing her strength by lifting her own car. Illustrated entirely on the iPadPro using Photoshop.…
    uniE621 Client portrait with pets
    Portrait Illustration commission for clients with her pets. Entirely drawn on the IpadPro using Photoshop.…
    uniE621 Illustration for government contract pitch
    This is an illustration I was commissioned to illustrate for a client for his pitch for a government contract. I was provided with the 3-D cad model and created the illustration on top of the cad model. Illustrated in Photoshop for the iPadPro.…
    uniE621 Liberty Call Distilling mural
    This illustration was created for Liberty Call Distilling's restaurant in Imperial Beach, Ca. It was to be one of 2 murals, 1 for each bathroom, but this mural was the only one illustrated due to cost. Each aircraft was hand-drawn on large bristol board sheets stitched together and then put together digitally after being scanned into photoshop. I then added the background.…
    uniE621 52 Sunsets: A Year of Calm Coloring
    I hand-illustrated a 52-page coloring book for ThunderBay Press under the direction of my editor while there. Pencil on 11"x17" Bristol Board. You can find it on Amazon right now using the link below: https://www.twine.net/signin…
    uniE621 Upper Deck 2024 Marvel Sensations Spiderman
    Here are a selection of some of the hand-drawn cards by me for Upper Decks 2024 Marvel Spiderman Sensations line released on December 28th, 2024 line. I believe these were the last cards before UP lost the Marvel license. I used pencils and markers and illustrated them pretty quickly.…
    uniE621 Spawn fan-art
    Sketched, drawn and entirely painted on the iPadPro using Adobe Photoshop…
    uniE621 Cyberforce fan-art
    Fan-art of Top Cow's Cyberforce characters, particularly Velocity and Ripclaw. Here, Velocity took Ripclaw to a donut shop for coffee and donuts in the morning. Sketched, penciled and flatted in Photoshop ofr the iPadPro. I then hired a colorist to color this but truly had to re-render everything due to a lack of detail.…
    uniE621 Ghost Rider glow-in-the-dark sticker
    Headshot of Dan Ketch Ghost Rider illustrated on my iPadPro using Photoshop…