Dream Town Project: 2 days to go…

Ticket to Dream Town and passport is all set (YES!). Now all I need to do is tackle my suitcase.

Things to bear in mind while packing:

♥ It has been snowing in Dream Town. Temperatures ranging from 0 to minus 7. Nothing too dramatic, I guess (I have experienced the minus 20s before so I’m pretty sure I’ll survive), but still: need to pack scarves, coats, hats, boots and gloves. It’ll be weird having come from a 35-plus Celsius summer in Brazil and going to a bellow freezing winter in Dream Town in the space of two weeks. Weird as in good-weird, not bad-weird because to be honest, nothing gets me down these days. Cold: I am not scared of you!

♥ Accommodation is all set. Location is great. Everything seems to be in order. My new flatmates: 2 girls and a chiwawa puppy called Gangster. :) I haven’t had a flatmate since university (boyfriends don’t count as flatmates, do they?), and I haven’t lived with a dog since childhood (I had a beagle called Wendy years ago). I have no idea what to expect, but everyone seems very nice and welcoming. Watch this space.

♥ Illustration material is neatly piled up, just waiting to be included. Markers, sketchbooks, watercolours, laptop, walcom tablet, pencils and paintbrushes. All ready to travel. New business cards are done too. The cutest I’ve ever printed so far! I almost feel sorry to hand them out.

♥ Cameras are ready to go. I was given a Canon G9 as a Christmas present and together with my genius 500D, they make the perfect team: one for proper good images, the other for fun stuff. Note to self: need to empty out all cards to make space for new pictures. My new hometown will be way too irresistible. I’m sure I’ll be snapping away left and right.

♥ Still not sure where I am heading? Here’s another clue:

 Source: here.

Lots of love from Lisbon.

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

It seems like it’s been a very long time since I last updated this blog.

I finished 2011 in Lisbon, saying goodbye to a really great advertising agency where I’ve worked as an art director for the past 7 years, and also saying goodbye to a lot of very good friends that I made whilst working over there.

I started 2012 in Brazil, in the summer, among friends and family, some of the people I love the most in my life.

I am now packing my bags and heading to a completely new adventure. It involves a new location, a lot of illustration, a lot of walking and gazing around. It’s been a dream and a project of mine for the past 4 years and I can hardly contain myself!

Without giving too much information away, here’s a little clue:

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All I want for Christmas…

…is to give presents!

Here’s the first present I gave this year. A little illustration for a very dear friend.

He really liked it, which is all that matters to me.

 

♥ And speaking of gifts…

My print shop is up and running and taking orders. If you’re looking for something sweet and original for Christmas, this could be a good idea.

All illustrations were carefully selected and originally produced with a lot of love. The prints are limited edition so if you find something you like, let me know. Check them out here. 

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Let the chips fall where they may

Helena Bonham Carter in Fight Club.

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Smoking children

♥ My discovery of the week: Belgium photographer Frieke Janssens portrays children as smokers in an stunning new collection of images titled “The beauty of an ugly addiction”.

I am not an advocate of smoking. I pretty much loath cigarettes (those who know me personally have all been witness to my moaning and winning about smokers at some point or another), but I just adore these photographs. I’m not sure I find them specially shocking but I love the Bugsy Malone aesthetics and the characters these children are portraying.

The bloggers at I Love Belgium say:

“… So why kids? By portraying adults as children all  the attention went to the smoking. An adult would draw too much attention to the portrayed person. Thus these portraits evoke questions such as: is the smoking ban the right way to get rid of an absurd addiction and are smokers treated like little kids who can’t make the difference between good and bad? While Frieke doesn’t give answers, the portraits are strong enough to start your thinking process…”

Either way, regardless of the photographer’s intentions, I am always in favor of art that’s not just pleasant to look at, but also makes you think.

Check out the complete series here.

 

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