In Conversation with Carmela Caldart

Get to know the illustrator from Brazil, currently based in Barcelona. Her Time's Up piece to what art means to her, as well as a look into her favourite pieces.

The 5 words I would use to describe myself are, Curious

Questioning

Calm

Caring

Empathic

My work, Bold

Feminist

Colourful

Lighthearted

Eman: Tell me about one experience you’ve had that has shaped you into the woman you are today and/or if it affects your work? Carmela: The main experience in my life (which has also remained a constant) has been moving cities/countries. When I was younger, my father was transferred to different places a few times, so we moved a lot. Moving (especially as a kid) had a big impact in my life . It's like you have to start from zero in a new place, with new people, sometimes with a new language and a new culture. So these experiences (moving to 9 different cities up until now) impacted me a lot. I think they've made me a more adaptable and understanding person. Both those qualities are part of my work - it’s important to be able to adapt to a client’s demands without losing sight of your style and your vision as an illustrator. It’s important to understand what your client wants from you, but still be firm about what you’re able to deliver. Working as a freelancer is all about creating balance, and I think moving so often gave me a good base for being able to create balance within myself.

E: Do you think your work has a signature style and what is it? C: Style is such a big conversation when it comes to artists - I think we’re constantly evolving (both ourselves and our work), so I think style is something that is never stagnant. It’s a good thing to develop and evolve your style as time goes on. That being said, it took me a long time to feel comfortable in my illustration work and to trust that I knew what I was doing with it. In the past year, I’ve felt I’ve reached a style and technique that resonates with who I am and what message I want to communicate in my work. I feel my style is both strong and bold in lines and colors, yet still lighthearted and fun.

E: Is there another artist whose work you feel inspired by? C: Absolutely, so many! I’m from Brazil and am very inspired by some illustrators from there, like Willian Santiago, Helena Sbeghen, and Henri Campeã. I’m also very inspired by illustrators from all over the world, like Mark Conlan, Jose Roda, Jing Wei, Alva Skog and Yukai Du, among many others.

E: What’s your educational background? How’d you get into il- lustration? C: I originally went to college for Illustration, but right when the illustration-focused classes started I got very scared of going into that world of illustration and freelancing. I transferred schools and got a BFA in Graphic Design (though to be honest, most of the classes I took were in drawing and painting). After that, I did a one year visual arts program. 2 years ago I moved to Barcelona to get a Master’s in Illustration, which was when I really began to focus on illustration full-time.

E: What message that’s really close to you would you want a viewer to get from your work? C: What’s really important to me in my work is to communicate messages of equality, diversity and empowerment through subjects like LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights.

E: Do you like producing more for print or digital work? C: Both! It’s always exciting to see your work in print, but digital media is so present and a bit easier.

E: What’s your process like? Do you get asked more for specific projects or start them yourself? C: I have pretty different processes for commissioned work and for personal work. For commissioned work, I like to receive a brief and some references of my own work from the client. I then create a sketch (or a few sketches, depending on what we’ve agreed on). I usually do 1-2 rounds of revisions before the final. For print, it’s usually a very fast-paced process, so I think it’s important to be able to think and sketch quickly, and to be open to feedback. For personal projects, I get to do whatever I want. Sometimes that’s a bit intimidating, but I like to sketch things on my downtime and later turn them into final illustrations on my iPad. I like to do a lot of personal work because it becomes a pretty good reference for clients when they hire you. It’s cliché, but when you create the work you want to do, you do eventually get hired to do it.

E: Tell me more about the Time’s Up piece, were you asked to do it or did you submit it? Tell me more about how you came up with the idea and the process of making it? C: The Time’s Up piece started as an open call from Society6 - they sent out an email to Society6 artists to apply. They then picked a few artists to create artwork for the collab - I think the reason I was chosen was because a lot of my work is already based on women and feminism, so it was a topic that was already a part of my work. The turnaround time for the project was very quick (and I had just started my vacation!) but it sounded like a great opportunity to work with two companies I admired so much (Society6 and Time’s Up Now), so I accepted the challenge. I made 3 or 4 initial sketches to show them and this one was chose. Once they chose the sketch, the finalizing was pretty simple — I tend to have some key colors I use in my palette, so I start with those. I also knew I wanted this illustration to portray diversity, so I wanted to use various different skin tones. In the final piece, I played around a bit with patterns on their clothes to bring some more fun into the illustration.

Eman: What would you like to say to the larger conversation about equality? C: I think equality is a huge topic in the world, and rightly so. As a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s extremely important to me to have this conversation and to call out inequality when we see it. I’m happy to see that we’re having these conversations a lot more, and I hope my work can contribute a bit to the conversation.

E: Let's get more into your proceess, I want to know if you've dealt with a creative block and how you go about it? God knows how much content is floating around out there! C: Oh yeah, definitely! I think creative block is part of the creative process sometimes. It’s very frustrating because I think as artists we tend to put a lot of our self-worth into whether or not we’re producing a lot of work. When I’m in a creative block I try to respect it and myself and take a little time away from drawing - I try to read, water my plants, go out for walks/bike rides, and really just clear my head for a couple of days. There’s no magic recipe for getting rid of creative block, but incorporating those things into my routine has helped a lot.

Eman: What’s your end goal? What are you working towards? C: My main goal with my work is that people connect to it, feel moved by it, and identify with it. I think more than working with huge companies on huge projects, it’s important to me to make work that matters. Earlier this year I worked on a project with The Brave House, a nonprofit in NYC that gives legal help and support to young immigrant women. I donated 3 illustrations that turned into prints and tote bags for them to sell, and 100% of the profits went towards The Brave House.

That project was incredible to me, because I’m able to make a difference and do some good through my work.

E: What would be the ultimate place you’d like to see your work displayed? C: I’ve never thought about that! I guess the ultimate dream is to have work up on Times Square.

E: Do you like to work on your own or around people? C: A little bit of both. I’ve been working in a shared studio space in Barcelona and it has really helped my workflow. It’s great to be around people who are also creative and to share experiences with them, and it’s also great to leave the house for work. It’s really helped me to separate my work life from my personal life, which was very hard to do when I worked alone from home.

E: How much time does a specific piece take you? C: It depends, but I usually work pretty quickly. I don’t like to spend too much time on a piece because the longer I stare at it, the more flaws I see in it. When it’s for a client without a rushed deadline (which is rare) I usually take about a week to deliver sketches and another week for the final. It usually takes a bit longer than that because there are revisions, but it’s rare for me to take longer than 2-3 weeks for an illustration. GIFs are a bit more complicated and time-consuming, so those usually take a bit longer. For personal work, it takes usually between a few hours but it could go up to a few days.

E: How do you start a work — do you have any rituals? C: I try to look at as little outside references as possible. If the client sends over examples of my own work as references, I keep them open for inspiration and guidance. But if the brief is more open, I try not to go on Pinterest or Google for inspiration. I first start sketching very loosely (sometimes in a sketchbook, but mostly on my Ipad), just to get a feel for the composition. I make many sketches quickly and use almost none of those. Then I pick a few of the ideas that make sense and could work, and refine them a bit more. Then I narrow those down and refine those a bit more. After about 3 rounds of selecting and refining, I work on detailed sketches to send to the client.

E: What does art mean to you? C: Art means expression, for me. Although illustration is all about communicating a message or topic, I think it’s still important for it to express something. We have so many individual quirks and opinions and ways, and I think it’s super important to express that in our art - whether it’s painting, drawing, photography, ceramics. Art is about putting a little bit of yourself into each piece.

"Kindness & empathy. Whether it’s through my work or just my personal life, I’d like to be remembered for doing good."