Paul Fuentes is a graphic designer known for his ironic, and somewhat metaphoric illustrations that combine an avant-garde approach to art by incorporating aspects of food, surrealism and inspiration from everyday life. With more than 200K followers on Instagram, Fuentes is on the verge of becoming a household name.

Recently, Fuentes’ art was featured within the Museum of Ice Cream, where thousands of people were able to admire the seamless mashup of fantasy and reality he creates within his art.  

In continuation of the FOODBEAST video series in collaboration with Nissin Cup Noodles®, Just Warmin’ Up, we sat down with Fuentes to discuss his creative process, his ability to create art outside his comfort zone, and why he loves yarn so much.

The Just Warmin’ Up series spotlights young, up-and-coming entertainers and entrepreneurs riding their own wave to success.

Fuentes find his creative inspiration from real life situations. He can become inspired from simple, everyday situations. Anything from conversations with friends, or a trip to the supermarket has the ability to spark a new idea.   

Fuentes’ tendency to incorporate vibrant shades of pastel into his artwork in the form of bright blue and pink backgrounds is a direct correlation to Mexico City, where he was born and raised.

It’s easy to see Fuentes adopts his surrealistic concepts from a database of common and relatable objects like fruit, animals and nature. Although there is no true formula to his artistic process, Fuentes capitalizes on the use of mixed media, paint, photography, and hours of Photoshop magic to create his inspiring and never-before-seen designs.  

“Every image has their own story, their own background,” he said. “What I try to do is open my own senses, and get ready for everything.”

For Fuentes, it’s all about being inspired by his surrounding environment. While it might seem effortless to some, Fuentes explained that he can hit creative roadblocks. Ironically, Fuentes has appreciation for those stagnant artistic periods, because it forces him to work outside of his comfort zone.

“I kind of appreciate it when it happens, it means I'm not in a comfort zone,” he said. “It means it’s time to move on, don’t care about the block just keep going.”

Learn more about Paul and his life in our latest episode of Just Warmin’ Up.

Created in partnership with Original Cup Noodles