I made this illustration a while ago inspired by the Japanese concept of ma, which can be loosely translated as “negative space”. I’m just a young Latin American guy here, so I would not be the best person to explain what “ma” is about, but I will try.

Ma is related to contemplating the still moments or admiring the pause between action scenes. It’s about understanding the artistic importance of an empty space in an artwork and has been described as “the silence between the notes which make the music”.

I decided to illustrate a common scene for me at the time: the line at the college cantina. It was usually terribly long, and you could spend the entire break time just waiting to get some coffee. There was nothing to do but wait and check out other people in line with you. It was the graphic design building, so you can imagine we came across all sorts of characters!

I’ve just recently printed this A3 poster in risograph, and it looks awesome! It’s a perfect vibrant and cool looking Christmas gift (or for any time of the year) and you can get it directly from me here (just send me a message) or on Instagram for only $12!