“Drag performers are trailblazers,” says Buenos Aires–based graphic designer, illustrator, and educator Patricio Oliver. “They're on the front lines in many ways — fighting for rights and fighting for expression. It’s a political act. I’m part of the LGBTQ community, so they mean the world to me.”

Oliver has been “obsessed” with drag culture since he was part of the club kid scene in Argentina as a teen in the 1990s, and the freeform artform is still a huge source of creative inspiration. His Instagram feed is full of iconic queens that he’s immortalized in his signature style consisting of geometric shapes, super bright hues, and a fluid dynamism that makes it seem like they might sashay right off the screen. 

“One of the most amazing things about drag is that it exists at a kind of crossroads, where so many things mix together to create an entirely new thing that can’t be defined,” Oliver says. “I’m so happy to see trans people doing drag, and non-binary people doing drag, and drag kings, and drag queens. Look queens, fashion queens, pageant queens, conceptual queens, feminine queens — they all have a story to tell. They’re all part of our queer history.” 

His art is rooted in graphic design basics like shape, color, and composition — fundamentals he uses to teach typography and illustration students at the University of Buenos Aires, both his “second home,” and his alma mater. “Teaching isn’t something you do for the money. You do it because you want to give something back. You do it because it captures your heart. I draw drag but I don’t do drag — my only performance is teaching.”

We asked Oliver to imagine a completely new character using Adobe Illustrator on the iPad. Meet Pasionaria, a gender-nonconforming drag performer and “force of nature.” Here, Oliver shows us how he brought her to life. As told to Jordan Kushins.

Character building: Brainstorm + organize your ideas. 

It can be tempting to start working without thinking too much — like, “Let’s just draw!”— but because of my background in graphic design, I know that I have to organize my ideas before I begin. Sometimes this takes even longer than doing the actual illustration itself, but I really enjoy this part of the creative process. When I brainstorm, I’m looking for visual references, color palettes, and textures that I can add to a mood board. 

When I have the freedom to work on personal projects, I like to address things that are important to me. Here in Argentina, our wetlands are being burned. Nature is being destroyed — so nature was my inspiration for Pasionaria. 

First, I researched the birds from my city. The great kiskadee looks like it wears a kind of mask, and the shiny cowbird almost looks metallic, with some unique blue tones. They each have very distinctive colors that work well together.

Then I researched flowers. Argentine senna is an amazing yellow, and then the passion flowers — I have them on my rooftop, and I love them. They’re so beautiful and complex. I always tell my students: If you want to understand how color works, or how shape works, look at nature. Nature knows everything. There's a reason for everything. 

Makeup is such an important part of drag. For Pasionaria’s makeup, I decided to translate the shapes of a puma’s face to her human face. I also incorporated my love of illustrating comic books. My characters are always very flamboyant, with over the top costumes.


"Drag queens are a lot like superheroes."

 

Oliver’s mood boards for Pasionaria.

Get to know your tools. 

I usually use Adobe Illustrator for everything. I have my desktop computer with a huge screen where I usually work — my whole palace of software and hardware. I could tell that Illustrator on the iPad was going to be more fluid, it was just going to take some practice. Once I figured things out, it was so fast. Super fast. Modifying anchor points on the app is so easy, and more direct because it’s so hands on. 

From concept to final: Let there be life! 

My sketch was just a rough idea of what I wanted to do. Here, I used the Blob Brush.

Made with Illustrator on the iPad.


Oh my gosh, I am a huge, huge fan of Illustrator on the iPad’s Repeat tool. My work is very symmetrical, and I love doing patterns. They’re so easy to make now in the app — I’ll never make them on desktop again!

I used the Radial Repeat to create the passion flower in Pasionaria’s hair.

Made with Illustrator on the iPad.

I imagined Pasionaria in motion, moving and performing. I imagined the energy she has on stage, but I also can see her protesting. She’s a warrior. I felt like she needed electric colors — she’s bright, but she can burn you. 

Her two looks are like armor: structured, almost like an exoskeleton. They’re very strong, but then they begin to deconstruct and turn into the background. What’s the border, where she stops and nature begins? They’re the same.

Check out more from Patricio Oliver on Behance and Instagram.

See more inspiring articles about Illustrator on the iPad.

Header image made with Adobe Illustrator on the iPad.