Do Not Buy – Marco Luna

Do Not Buy

A series of digital paintings created in Procreate 5 using its built-in brushes. Though each piece was made with a different purpose, they all share a common goal — to inspire and promote the idea and practice of adoption.

VANI · AZUL CEREZA ATELIER · 2021

Portrait of Vani, our first adopted dog. She passed away on Valentine’s Day in 2020. Adopting her became the catalyst for a series of incredible experiences that changed our lives forever.

This piece marks my first experiment with faux paint brushes and colored pencils—an attempt to suggest fine detail without actually rendering it.

Process video

WORLD MIXED BREED DOG DAY · AZUL CEREZA ATELIER · 2022

Poster created to commemorate World Mixed Breed Dog Day, celebrated each year on May 28. Zorro, Negro, and Sofi were three stray dogs my wife lovingly cared for until they each found their forever homes.

I wanted to try something different by using black as the primary color, subtle touchesof color for the eyes only, applying a crosshatching technique, and pairing it with bold, modern typography to create a contrast between a classic drawing style and contemporary graphic design elements.

SALLY · PRIVATE COMMISION · 2025

Portrait of Sally, made as part of a fundraiser to rescue Luz and her seven puppies from an abusive environment. Today, they are all safe and adopted into loving homes.

I also revisited the style I used for Vani, but this time aimed to evoke a sense of nostalgia. Warm oranges and purples, paired with an electric hue reminiscent of JPEG artifacts, give the impression of viewing the image through the lens of an old digital camera.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE—FREE

All my illustration and writing work is free of AI. I'm a firm believer that using AI platforms, datasets and neuronal networks to reduce, replace or assist human creativity in a creativity-based work is lazy and unethical. Support the genuine human thought.

Read my stance regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in my creative and executional process here.