Cargo / alvarodealmeida

Occupation: Graphic Designer / Illustrator | Amsterdam
Hello Álvaro! Tell us a little bit about your background?
I have grow up in Portuguese country side, in between mountain and trees what I think had help me expand my imagination to further levels, creating complete imaginary worlds, I always had a big interest for illustration what took me study and graduate in Design by the University Aveiro in Portugal, I moved in Barcelona in my last year of studies, where I had the chance to study mainly illustration related classes what re-fired my interest, get a better perspective about how it was developing so strongly in parallel to design and fashion. This experience opened my eyes to the World in a more global way. Currently I’m based in Amsterdam, where I’m working as freelancer graphic designer and working in my portfolio. Just few months ago started to focus mainly illustration and started to develop the digital illustrations that you can find in my site.

How would you explain your style of illustration?
I’m still looking for my personal style, currently I’m drawing mainly very detailed characters with a nonchalant features and body strange expressions and I try to make them the most captivating possible. In the general ambiance I try to create the most harmonic composition possible, having a big attention in the color and gradients that I use. I try always capture them in the middle of a narration, but leaving open what will happened before and what will happen next. By other side I have a more naïf lines, that you can find in my sketchbook mainly, where I take less importance by the detail, and a bit more to the fun side, being a bit more contemporary, I’m trying fuse both, well finished illustration more naïf.
The illustration made for “White Crow” is beautiful! Tell us a little bit more about the creative process.
Thanks! In my illustrations I normally spend some time imagine the story of the character, sometimes when I’m in the process of finishing other illustrations, I start by drawing in my sketchbook, were I define perspective and forms, after I scan the sketch, or I restart to drawing using the main lines that I defined before, I try to give always a big importance to the perspective. After redrawing all lines in Photoshop I color the form, when I finish the basic color application I start to apply gradients in order to create profundity and transparencies, In the end I just readjust them to find the result that I was looking for.


Tells us about your most special projects and the reason why it’s so important for you.
Until now my most special project is not illustration but Animation, it is a animation in stop-motion in clay figures that I made when I was 18, is a reinterpetation of the Alice in Wonderland where I try to recreate the comeback of Alice, but as she grow the dream faded, and she encounters a dead Wonderland. It still the most important because it took me so long to create all characters and scenery and I’m really proud of the result.
In which point do you think technology can help an artist?
Technology can help a lot an artist, I believe that all pieces should start by traditional media, just recurring to digital to create a finished product, in my case specially in the color application, as it makes the process so much fast then manual painting, but the main advantage of a production of digital piece always will be the “?+Z” allowing the artist of making experiments without taking risks at any point.
What programs do you use to create your illustrations?
I’m using Photoshop, and If animate I do it in After Effects.


Which draw was the most difficult to do?
Not as more difficult but more time consuming I would say the White Crow, because of the level of detail in the hair and feathers.
What would you tell for those who are starting in this area?
I fell that I’m now starting in this area, so I will advice what I’m trying to do myself: you should start to find your own style, take the time that you need until find something that you are proud and comfortable with, after produce a nice portfolio, and after that, find a nice agent or collective that will help you find work.
Your favorite artists?
Sam Weber, Alex Trochut, Sean Freeman, Romain Laurent, Gehard Demetz between others.


Your computer?
A Macbook Pro 15″, and I draw it a Wacom Graphire.
What is your favorite food?
Octopus, cooked in every way is incredibly good.
What kind of music do you like?
All kinds but depends my mood at the time, Electronic and Minimal to party, New Folk, Indie to work as normally the narrative lyrics are a big fount of inspiration, one of the last addictions is Perfume Genius.
Do you have any hobbies outside of art and computing?
I really like cinema and tv-shows, because they can transcend us to other realities, I spend a lot of my free time seeing them, specially in Winter with the dutch weather that doesn’t give the motivation to big activities, but for a good concert there is always motivation. Summer comes mood to new activities as cycle, travel, swim and mainly sunbathing.
Any final comments?
First I would like to thank for the interview. And I would like to say to keep on fallowing my work, because I plan introduce new works soon with a more evolved style and launch my new personal website in the next months.