Experienced concept artists often render their subjects with an efficiency usually reserved for draftsmen and architects, defining muscle and bone with determined strokes and sparse lines. Carlo Arellano exemplifies this minimalist philosophy, yet his figures are often richly detailed and vibrantly alive in spite of the seemingly sketchy textures and occasional hinted limbs.

Mr. Arellano’s portfolio is a ragtag band of rogues and warriors from history and unhistory, plus an unusual assemblage of ferocious alien monstrosities and the sassy pinup girls who love them. Clues to the lives led by these people can be found in their accessories and hardware, be they battle axes or bionic limbs. Each portrait tells a story not only of individual history, but strength of character and purity of purpose.