About - Francisco Riojas - artist/ cartoonist/ creator of The Maizanos

Francisco Riojas is the creator of The Maizanos and The Paisanos. From an early age, Francisco would gravitate towards the comics section of the San Antonio Express News that his grandfather would provide on a weekly basis. Frequently spending time at the local public library and escaping into published collections of Garfield, The Far Side, Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbs , Where’s Waldo and many more, Francisco was inspired to pick up drawing and dream to one day be amongst the great creators that he has admired since childhood.

With little resources, proper direction and the discouragement from adults as a child to become a visual artist, Francisco was swayed into the direction of music. Joining the marching and symphonic band in middle school, Francisco became obsessed with everything related to music. He then eventually graduated from UT San Antonio with a degree in Music, emphasis in marketing and business. Spending several years working in live concert production, marketing and public relations in San Antonio and Austin, Francisco moved to NYC to further his career in music.

While experiencing an incredible time working in the music business during a major transition into streaming and music downloading that most record labels scrambled to adapt to, Francisco reconnected with the visual arts through various professional artists. One in particular that re-ignited and inspired him to create art again, is artist Hedy Pagremanski. Through an invite to attend her home for the release of her latest work in Long Beach, NY, Francisco learned of the possibilities of making a living as an artist from spending time and learning from the beautiful spirits of Hedy and her husband Eric Pagremaski.

After returning to Texas to be closer to family, Francisco married, had children and became certified to be an educator of Fine Arts at Winn HS in Eagle Pass, TX. Since then, Francisco continues to hone his skills as an artist and working in various mediums.

Currently, Francisco is focusing more on digital illustrations using Affinity Designer and Procreate.
The comic strip of The Maizanos is based on a family of tamales that reflect the experiences of life as Mexican Americans along the southern border. The Paisanos is a series inspired by current events related to immigration and the politics that surround it.