# Painterly Comic Book Renderings Nacho Molina Uses Geeky Characters as Muses for Sophisticated Art By Jason Soy | Published 2012-01-08 | Updated 2012-01-17 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nacho-molina References: [all-about-villains.tumblr](http://all-about-villains.tumblr.com/post/15508988751/poison-ivy-sketch-by-nachomolina#post-notes) & [nachomolina.deviantart](http://nachomolina.deviantart.com/) People often overlook comic book illustrations as a form of sophisticated art due to its affiliation with younger audiences, but these Nacho Molina paintings demonstrate just how technical graphic novel renderings can get. Employing a style more commonly reserved for concept art or realistic portraits, Molina re-contextualizes the dynamic images commonly seen in the pages of [Marvel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/masters-of-anatomy) and [DC](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jim-lee-batman) comics into something that’s art exhibit-ready. It’s strange to see some of the simpler characters rendered in such a technical manner, but it’s wholly satisfying to see comic book content treated with such seriousness. Nacho Molina is a Valencia-based illustrator. His painterly style is almost impressionistic with its sketchy strokes that focus more so on the artist’s movement of the brush rather than the refinement of the overall piece. Not one to only satisfy North American fans, Molina also renders a bunch of Dragon Ball Z images in his stellar style. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.8/10 - Popularity: 75% | Activity: 30% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Comic Book Art as Fine Art:** There is an opportunity for galleries and museums to showcase comic book art as examples of fine art. - **Technical Rendering of Simple Characters:** Artists can use the opportunity to create unique versions of popular characters by representing them in a more technical style. - **Impressionist Comic Book Illustration:** Artists can explore combining comic book characters with an impressionistic style to create unique, visually stunning art. ### Who This Affects Most - **Art Galleries and Museums:** Galleries and museums can host exhibitions displaying comic book art as examples of fine art. - **Comic Book Publishing Industry:** Comic book publishers can commission artists to create unique, technically sophisticated versions of popular characters. - **Fine Art Industry:** The fine art industry can expand their offerings by incorporating impressionistic comic book illustrations into their collections. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Comic Book Coloring Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/made-by-me-manga-artist-set.md) - [Mind-Bending Graphic Novels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/incal.md) - [Artistic Jaw-Dropping Lessons](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/masters-of-anatomy.md) - [Personalized Comic Book Creation](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dreamcanvas.md) - [Manga-Style Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hisashi-eguchi.md) - [Comic Strip Milk Bottles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seki-milk.md) - [Deconstructed Pop Art NFTs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/matt-gondek.md) - [Raw Sports Emotion Artwork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/game-exhibition.md) - [Sci-Fi-Inspired Classical Posters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sen-donnan.md)