ADVERTISEMENT

If you've been in this world long enough, you'll probably know how absurd life can get. It was always weird, but in modern times, the absurdity permeates every facet of our lives. But life doesn't always have to make sense, and that's OK. There's even some upsides to it: for one, people take life's absurdity as an unlimited source of inspiration for their lovely creations. And today's artist, Santiago Bara, whose illustrations you're about to see, is one of those people who laughs in the face of absurdity and loves to make others laugh at it too. Perhaps laughter is the best medicine for this existential condition. Judging by how nonsensical our brave new world is turning out to be, there's plenty of material to draw inspiration from, and we're thankful that artists like Santiago try to make the dreadful entertaining.

More info: Instagram | sbara.bigcartel.com

Santiago Bara was very nice and agreed to talk about himself and his works with Bored Panda, and here's what he had to say: "My name is Santiago Bará. I’m from Moaña, a little town on the Atlantic corner of Spain. I've always loved comics and drawing, but around 2010, I decided that I wanted to make the effort to do long-form comics. In order to achieve this, I started making these little cartoons as a practice for bigger jobs. Kind of a side thing. Since then they've become something more than that, though.

RELATED:
    #2

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    ZooMom
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just mentioning this for anyone who us confused, on my phone this is the equivalent of "read" for texts.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu

    As for what moves him and inspires him to make comics, he said "I think about that often, in order to try to find if there's a method behind it. And I don't think so, each idea comes from a special situation. But I do believe that there is a common element to all of them, and that is that they usually come when there is a clash between the expectations that one has of the world and what one then finds. When we see everyday situations that we take for granted from a distant point of view, they can seem very strange. That can be a good starting point."

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Santiago was nice and gave a few tips for the upcoming generation of comic creators. "I would recommend starting small, without high expectations, but steadily. And don't despair because it takes a long time. As you gain experience, the times get shorter. We often make the mistake of extrapolating that cost of time and effort we have at the beginning of the learning curve to our future forecast."

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Bara's been busy as of late. "I have two comic books and one cartoon compilation published, but for the moment they’re only available in Spanish and French. I am looking forward to the time when they can also be published in English. My first comic book would be called something like 'Hardcore Misanthropy.' It's humorous episodes in the life of someone having trouble fitting in socially. My second book, 'Encounters,' just came out last September. It's a series of 10 short stories, each set in a different place and time, with the only common link being that they deal with an encounter between two characters."

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The artist gave a sneak peek into his whole creative process. "Well, the process starts with notes that I make on my cell phone, with ideas that come to my mind. But they are usually just the beginning of an idea, then I keep turning them around and changing them. Sometimes it takes months before I hit the key. One of the things I give importance to is to leave the text as clean as possible, I look for ways to say things in fewer words. Then, for the drawing, I usually take references that I have in front of me. Often the models are my friends or relatives. I would say that what I find most difficult is to put the color. Although I think I've been improving, I don't consider myself a good colorist and every time it's a struggle for me."

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #12

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    8Yorkies-and-63cats
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Any place that allows you to be yourself in it, to function freely and be self-sufficient can be your dream home. A mansion with all the amenities can he hell if you live with an abusive person.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #16

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Jeff
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is what it feels like when you know you know something, but you can't put it into words.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #18

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Andthenithappened-
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Woman: How dare you, sir! This charming art piece symbolises the frail nature of human existence... How the effort put into something slowly wears away... Then comes back... And wears away again... Something meant to be straight may turn out rugged... Hopes, dreams, fear, sadness and love all encompassed... Into a single tear drop of graphite on the blank canvass of life. Now selling at the low price of £274499.99!

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #23

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Jeff
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    CEO: Time to go catch some more dumb kids who think logos make your life better and are a status symbol!

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #27

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    EagerPanda 🐼
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Me rn. Having writers block over my thoughts and feelings. MY OWN THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS!! 😖

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #28

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Russ Kincade
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Presidents are not kings and the plaintiff is not president". Judge Tanya Chutkan

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
    Unlimited content
    Ad-free browsing
    Dark mode
    #31

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Nonexistant Shoelace
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Lol this is- uhm- this was painfully true once upon a time with my (now ex) girlfriend

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #33

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #38

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Jeff
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Would a baby be the beta version and an adult be the finished version then?

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #40

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Why?
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Also brought to you by Wheaties, 'The Breakfast of Champions'.

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #42

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Ozymandias73
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ya know? That's actually not a bad idea for "arguments". Forces each person to actually LISTEN to the other rather than a screaming match.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #43

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Manisha
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow business is bussiness no feeling fir u r employees they are like slave bezo stuff

    #44

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    #45

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #49

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Ryan Deschanel
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And his successor will have to raise the taxes, so people will blame them instead of him, so they will vote for him again the next time, so he will create even more debts, etc... People never learn.

    #50

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Wondering Alice
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I do understand what this is trying to say - but in reality few happy couples check each others Google. I'm totally sure I'd find nothing I'm remotely interested in - if there was the slightest chance I'd be interested, he would have shown me.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #53

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #55

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Zozo🤟
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Idk. We’re all human, so everyone probably has similar thoughts at some point right?

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #56

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    #57

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    #58

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #61

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    #62

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    #65

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    #67

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #69

    Artist Creates Comics That Show Life As It Is

    il.bara Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Gandalf the Pink
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hmm this smells a little antivax, if it's saying "the vaccines you need against covid will only increase and increase". Or am I not getting this one?

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu