O Livro do Desporto
To celebrate the 2024 Olympics, the Penguin Random House Publisher calls me to illustrate this incredible book about sports.
It was a long, and complex project in which the task was to organize a large amount of information and illustrate it in a fun way.
The more complex step was, at the same time:
to brainstorm creative solutions to illustrate the information,
to balance the amount of text with the space for the illustrations to stand out,
to ensure the text flows smoothly on the page.
Phew!
I was the happiest each time I succeeded.
It was like solving puzzles!
Noticing a pattern in the text,
I suggested a graphic pattern to creat
a more intuitive reading:
1) basic technical info under the sport's name, on the upper left;
2) a black box for the historical facts;
3) the iconic athletes depicted on stickers;
4) the "Where to find it" box in the bottom right, with a funny mascot related to the activity;
5) the background is the area where the sport takes place.
Every spread has great illustrated solutions that make the learning process easier and funnier. Here are a few of them:
I'm very proud of my work here and it wouldn't have been possible without the great material provided by the writer, Luís Cristóvão, and all the support and guidance of the editors. It was a great team ❤️
The Tortoise and The Hare
In my Domestika online course, I propose this project. The goal is to inject your own perspective and personality into a classic story.
We take Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare," but with a personal spin. My spin? Turning it into a Drag Race extravaganza!
I start my creative process by figuring out how I can contribute to the story with my artistic style.
And when I say "artistic style," I'm not just talking about graphics but all the ideas and concepts as well.
I include queer culture with drags, add humor with lots of wordplay, and show my nationality through animals and food.
Then I check how other artists handled the same story, ensuring
I bring some new elements.
Doing the same thing again is no fun for me.
Next, I delve into visuals—photos and illustrations—to plan character designs, balancing inspiration and avoiding too many similarities.
Now I'm ready to design the main characters.
Just enough to have an overall shape to see how they set in the composition.
Then, the thumbnails!
The next steps include:
1) gathering more references;
2) refining the sketch;
3) adding color.
For the jury, I chose only Brazilian animals - a marmoset, a pintado fish, and our beloved caramel stray dog ❤️.
The Mirror, the Carpet
and the Lemon
"The Mirror, the Carpet and the Lemon" is a picture book I created with Edebê Publisher, based on a famous Middle Eastern folktale.
What I liked most about this project was the decision to narrow down the focus of my research, which guided me in all my design choices.
This tale doesn't come from a specific region.
However, I didn't want to create a generic Middle Eastern universe.
I suggested to the editor that we should focus on Persian culture since the text mentions it once.
The Persian culture inspired me not just in terms of architecture, fashion, and ethnicity, but also with their art.
I like to dedicate some days just to the research. It adds more depth to the illustrations!! It's more than just telling a story, it's about showing a glimpse of a whole culture/subject.
Here are some of the results:
For the "princes from all
over the world" scene,
I aimed to portray a few variations of royalty that go beyond
the typical European ones.
The final spread
was inspired by a painting of
a traditional Persian wedding.
I made some adaptations
to ensure it remains relatable while preserving the
core elements.
Viva o Circo
This project, published by Nucleo Publisher, aims to introduce the circus universe to kids.
Clowns, jugglers, magicians – all of them filling a world of fantasy, vibrant colors, and endless possibilities.
The only composition with a horizontal background is the first spread.
Once inside the circus, there's pure chaos and energy.
For this book, the research took weeks because the theme captivated me, and there's a wealth of material to explore!
Drawing inspiration from various sources like Dumbo (both animated and live-action), Big Fish, The Greatest Showman, along with music, books, TV shows, documentaries, video clips, paintings, and photos, was essential.
This approach allowed me to discover numerous previously overlooked details in make-up, costumes, uniforms, graphic elements, and even circus backstage and engineering.
This part of the lyrics from The Greatest Show —
"Impossible comes true, it's takin' over you, Oh, this is the greatest show"
— guides me through the sketches.
A musical broom, floating dancers, a postcard from a lion - once inside the circus, nothing is off-limits.
And the editor was totally on board with the idea!
Another interesting observation from the references is that a circus is not a full-color spectacle; in reality, it's a rather dim environment with occasional pops of color.
This insight has led to a subtle adjustment in my palette, considering my usual preference for lighter colors.
I aimed to create a vibrant, colorful universe without cluttered compositions.
So, for each spread, I chose one predominant color and its complementary hue.
As a result, the colorful experience is not just in each illustration but throughout the entire book.
