Since you appear to be a one million-talent man, we have to ask: do you cook; do you play an instrument and can you knit? Just for our female audience. JHaha, unfortunately I don't knit, I cook from time to time. I love music, I used to play many instruments when I was a teenager: piano, guitar and drums. I would have become a musician for sure if I weren’t a visual artist.
To set the right mood, what kind of music do you listen to? Favorites?I like all sorts of music: rock, reggae, electro… I must say I have been listening to loads of modern electronic sounds recently, it really helps me being focused on my projects and keeping a good rhythm and energy while working.
How does a potential journalist mutate into a digital artist, combining design, photography and illustration? Bad pedagogical approach and counseling or just creative stumbles upon the way?I would say it was a wrong direction I took when I was younger. I candidly believed I would be able to manage 2 full time activities, one as a journalist during the day and the other as an artist during the night. After trying a few jobs as a journalist, I realized it would be impossible to live like that, my interest for visual arts was always there and I couldn’t get rid of it. I was going to fail everything. So I had to start over again and find opportunities in the art industry. Which wasn’t very easy because I’m mainly a self taught person as a graphic artist and don’t have prestigious diplomas in that field. I mainly have a degree in Journalism and that’s it, academically speaking. It didn’t really help me to be exhibited in art galleries. Anyway, I don’t regret anything; I’ve had the chance to meet several extraordinary persons during this strange progression.
More than ever, knowledge is web accessible and for almost everyone. Do you believe that institutional and college knowledge has made you a better professional? Or, in a nutshell, do you believe that colleges and universities have good creative and artistic teachers in design and photography?The fact that knowledge is being shared online is something really good. But many learners will always need some real professors, real humans to grasp important things. I think it’s possible to find online almost all the information that’s being taught in art schools. Motivation and determination is the most important element. As far as I’m concerned, I mainly learned what I’m doing by "trial and error”, it takes a bit more time than reading ready-made tutorials, but it’s achievable.
Designers are frequently seen and work well as photographers, as we see across the web. It seems that the opposite isn’t so plausible. Do you think it’s a genetic issue? What’s your angle on this?Haha, I really don’t think there is anything genetic in this observation. I guess it’s a bit easier to use a camera than to make a design or a drawing. That’s my only explanation.
Who are your creative top influencers? And how about the creative process? Do you have one method to think? Do you believe alternative substances spice up the brain?Oh, yes, I tried all kinds of substances, lol. It’s always nice to be in a secondary state when starting a new creative task so that I can work in a more “intuitive” way, especially when doing abstract stuff. When I’m on a project that requires many details, my concentration is always at it’s best. The persons I admire a lot are some well-established artists like Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Wim Delvoye, Banksi, Panamarenko and many others…
Speaking of brilliant ideas: do you have your shiny moments outdoors, indoors, or in the bathroom?Cool ideas often come when I’m alone in a quiet place, it might be indoor, or outdoor… this isn’t the important fact. My inspiration works better when I’m in peace, when I feel good.
Someone (we don’t know who) said: “copying is the best compliment you can give to an author”. Do you feel everything is a remix or are you copyright oriented?I think the community of artists is similar to the community of scientists; both have a few individuals working more than others and doing completely amazing things. Both evolve at a certain rhythm, making some new discoveries and innovations all the time. But in the end, everything affects everything and everybody influences everybody, I totally agree with that.
What’s your favorite photographer? And designer?Henri Cartier Bresson is one of my favorite photographers. And Shepard Fairey is a great designer.
What’s the best photo ever taken?I don’t have a very objective point of view on my own work. So I’d pick a photo by someone else. I think the famous portrait of Che Guevara “Guerrillero Heroico” taken by Alberto Korda is an extremely powerful photo. Everybody has seen it.
If some of the creative genes in your DNA failed, and you had to choose between disciplines in your work, what would you prefer?o Photography
o Graphic Design
o Illustration/Painting =>
I’d choose that optiono Would you run away for a distant island?
Modern days are a “visual overdose”. How do you see the unique success of pieces such as “Hope”, from Shepard Fairey? Do you believe it’s all about agenda setting and politics? Probably, we won’t have brilliant propaganda posters that will stamps us, from the future generation’s point of view, such as the Cold War graphic approaches, that still remain as communication icons.As I said above, I really like Shepard Fairey… Well, I think the success of this poster is due to different reasons. No doubt the publicity given by the Obama campaign was a huge booster. But even without this, I think it still remains an excellent and influential poster, simple, aesthetic and right to the point.
3 tips for newbies and beginners in design…- Confidence
- Originality
- Perseverance
“Computers are to design what microwaves are to cooking”... Is there – or not – an overwhelming dependence on technological tools to create design?Technology and computers often help doing better stuff than traditional tools. So why not using them?
The design and creation process – all around the world – is frequently influenced and owned by clients and not by the artists or agencies. The sentence “A camel is a horse designed by a committee” is an expression that reveals the usual client interference. What’s your angle and how do you manage the client participation?That’s the problem with commissions for client. As soon as there is an order with money involved, there will be” clients’ interference”. Artists and designers have to accept it. It’s part of the job.
Portugal … ever been there? What was your feeling to be contacted by a Portuguese blog?I’ve been there 2 times. I visited Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Faro, Obidos and some other well-known cities. It’s a beautiful and warm country, the perfect place to enjoy life! I was happy to receive an interview request from Zoomzine because it helps me to remember all the good moments I had in Portugal.
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Zoomzine is a blog based in Portugal focusing on Art and Design
Lisbon is super famous for its beautiful and old fashioned yellow trams. The best way to discover Lisbon is by tram. They rumble up and down through the alleyways of the city. Streets and curves are sometimes so narrow that the line becomes
a single-way track! I had already made a Pencil Vs Camera image, published in March 2010, showing the legendary and famous Carreira 28 Tram (see below), This time, I quickly drew a new version of it in colors, taking off, ready to fly towards new dreams and horizons...
I'm talking about this to explain the context of the following image, which was made at the mentioned location where tens of thousands of persons protested. As you can see below, the image shows a giant mouth saying "Lisbon Fever", because that day was full of tension. Again, it was a rough impro, but it really reflected what was happening around me.
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