Artist Spotlight! Ilustrata
Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up, and how did you find yourself interested in design? Was there a pivotal moment that you can remember?
As a team of three artists, we share a common childhood love for drawing, anime, manga, and video games. These shared interests inspired us to pursue our passion at the design college in our city, Limeira, Brazil. Our journey began when we met at a nearby design school, where we became friends and gradually developed the idea for our studio. Initially, it started as a graphic design studio, but after a year and a half, we decided to focus on what originally drew us to the design market: illustration.
Why do you believe nostalgia is such a powerful force for so many people? How do you translate that feeling into your art?
We are very nostalgic people for sure, and because our style translates that feeling. We love analog stuff (vinyl, film, photo, VHS cameras...) and retro stuff. I think the fact that we were born in the world before the digital era influenced us a lot. We grew in the 90s, so that feeling was always there.
I believe that most of the new movies/music/games that are created nowadays are very inspired by old material. So in a certain way, even young people will be directly or indirectly connected to a past that they did not live in, but kinda know because of this common creative genesis. I believe this is one of the reasons that nostalgia is so omnipresent in people.
We try to play with nostalgia, emulating old printing techniques or printing defects in our designs, also evoking retro themes.
What inspires you the most about creating your artwork, and what kind of image or idea are you ultimately trying to convey to your audience?
We like to create funny and visually appealing designs. With a graphic design background, we love to play with visual elements to create complex compositions or deep dive into an old aesthetic and implement it into our work.
How do you feel the cultural and philosophical themes of Vaporwave have influenced your artwork?
We were super influenced by that. I remember the first time we heard about it, we finally got a name for an aesthetic that we were already in love with. The music, the colors, and the vibe of the movement hit us hard. For a few years, we implemented it a lot into our work.
Do you have a work ritual? Take us through the process of creating your art.
Our creative process is a collaborative one, and it often begins with extensive research. We delve deep into the aesthetic or idea we're trying to bring to life. This is followed by the creation of thumbnails, either on paper or digitally. We then explore our favorite ideas in more detailed drawings, before deciding which ones to bring to fruition.
Of course, there are cases where we just receive the idea from the space/universe/inspiration, and it comes almost done, but it is super rare.
Who are some of your favorite artists, business people, creatives, or intellectuals?
We love the work of the Brazilian illustration studio Bicicleta sem Freio, also the work of the artist Gaston Pacheco, Yoshitaka Amano, Akira Toriyama, the film director Wong Kar-Wai, and philosophically, Vagabond manga from Takehiko Inoue is a piece of art that changed our relationship with life.
What has been the highlight of your artistic career so far?
We have lived so many special moments during our career, and we hope that more are to come!
But some landmarks are for sure when we had our first big release with the Brocczilla in 2016, which changed our style of work and opened a lot of doors for our work. Then we had the release of our first figure, the Kaiju Food, in partnership with Mighty Jaxx. And last year, when we moved to our new space.
Please tell us something about yourself that we may not know that influences your work.
One of my neighbors. He was an older boy who was really into the Japanese culture, with anime VHS, magazines, and manga, which taught me a lot about drawing and anime. Fortunately, after more than 15 years after that, I could bring him to work with us here at ilustrata. Despite his enormous talent, he was not working with art at that time, and now he makes a living from it.
What are your plans for the future and direction of your work? How do you see yourself growing as an artist?
We are always studying art, drawing, and design... so we plan to keep our skills level evolving. Besides that, we are excited about the prospect of producing more independent products in the future, special products, I mean, like figures, plushies, and other stuff, featuring some of the original characters we have created over the years.
It is something for the future, but we plan to create a physical space in our city that could receive more artists, projects, and other kinds of art.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
Try to find your own voice, and do what pleases you. I know sometimes you will need to do what people expect from you, but keep your own voice on top of all that. And of course, never stop studying art, it is something for the rest of your life.
Final Thoughts?
Thanks for the space and the great questions :)
