Mickey Mouse - 'L'Île du Bonheur' (Le Journal de Mickey #1765, 1986). © Disney.
José Miguel Tortajada Aguilar was a Spanish artist of Disney comics during the 1980s. He then continued his career in the advertising industry.
Studio Recreo
Born in Barcelona in 1959, José Miguel Tortajada Aguilar studied fine arts, and had a keen interest in photography. In 1983, he joined Francesc Bargadà's Studio Recreo as a comic artist. His younger brother Maximino, fiancé Marga Querol (they were married from 1983 to 1989) and good friend Cèsar Ferioli were already working there. Working for the studio's output of Disney comics, the Tortajada brothers were part of the art team for the German series 'Abenteuer aus Onkel Dagoberts Schatztruhe', a series of book-length treaure hunt adventures starring Uncle Scrooge.
Studio Comicup
By 1984, the Tortajadas and several other artists left Recreo to join other art studios. José Miguel - along with his brother and wife - joined Studio Comicup, headed by José Canovas. Between 1985 and 1990, José Tortajada was a productive artist for the French Disney magazine, Le Journal de Mickey. He specialized in 'Mickey Mouse' adventure stories and gag pages with 'Sport Goofy' and Goofy's mischievous mynah bird sidekick 'Ellsworth'. In 1990, he drew a 'Duck Tales' story for the Danish publisher Gutenberghus, before leaving the comic industry.
Advertising
With a degree in Graphic Design from the Escola Massana Centre d'art i Disseny, José Miguel Tortajada Aguilar continued his career doing graphic design, art direction and creative strategy in the advertising field. He has worked as either art director or creative director for agencies like Laborda & Asociados (1990-1992), his own firm Onno Comunicación (1993-1997), DDB Spain (1997-2000) and Grey Group Spain (2000-2014), along the way specializing in film, interactive and outdoor advertising, brand development, corporate identity and digital strategy. With clients like Ambi Pur, Honda, Pilot water, Pringles, Nescafé and Mitsubishi, José Miguel Tortajada has won several awards at international advertising festivals.
Ellsworth ("Genius") - 'C'est du propre' (Le Journal de Mickey #1893, 1988). © Disney.