Adalberto Alvarez Marines (born 1952) is a Mexican artist and artisan who specializes in creating sculptures and other works in hard paper mache, called cartonería in Mexican Spanish. As a child, Alvarez began drawing and writing, with some success in publishing illustrations and stories. In his mid twenties, he discovered cartoneria and shifted his artistic work to this medium, first on a personal basis while working at a factory until in 1994, when he dedicated himself to the craft full-time. Alvarez's work is distinct in Mexican cartoneria because of its often non-traditional themes and artistic sense, often classed as art, rather than handcraft. With the exception of alebrijes and skeletal figures, Alvarez avoids traditional forms in favor of exploring what can be done with the medium,