IT'S ART : Cris de Lara, Can you tell me a biography of yourself

Cris de Lara : I started painting at school; I used to study art at a catholic school, when I was nine years old, oil paintings classes up to 12 years, when I decided to draw, because I wanted to paint my own images instead of painting other images that my teachers offered. From age twelve up to sixteen I took several other courses to improve my drawing skills but I was young and influenced by my friends, who persuaded me not to continue studying art.

At university I took business administration, and from the age of eighteen to 26 I had no drawings or paintings. At age 26 I felt the call back into artistry. In 1995 I marked this return by founding my own graphic design company. In 1997 my partner and I decided to change our approach to work more with illustration, digital painting, training, and consulting. From 1998 up to 2001 we ran a small printing house. Clients would come to our store where I would design logos, and illustrations. My partner or some of the employees did the “desktop publishing” and we printed everything right there: folders, banners, periodicals, business cards, flyers, invitations, and letters.

In 2002 we changed our approach again. We shut down the printing activities and I came back to my SOHO activities working as a freelance illustrator and painter for some clients as well as a comic colorist for an American company. In 2006 I quit my comic colorist job but continued to work as a freelancer. My partner and I had an important conversation about what to do as an artist; to produce something attractive to the audience or to create a product to sell and to be recognized as unique. We thought about producing pinups. In 2008 I moved from Brazil to Canada where I continue doing the same as before. From here, we continue working in the Brazilian market. I am the illustrator and the responsible for artistic things in my company and my partner is the responsible for all “non artistic” things.

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I.A: How would you classify your style / work if you had to?

CDL : Clients say I am a versatile artist because I do a variety of drawings and paintings, children’s illustrations, fan art, comic books, cartoon, portraits, caricatures, manga, and pinups. Sometimes I look at the things I’ve done and guess I have no defined style yet. I like doing Pinups, no matter if they are manga, comic, classic, “chase cake” styles. This is something that I really love to do.

I draw and paint my own images, and while I’m painting them I mix the styles; a little using traditional technique (though it is done using computer) and a little using vectors to mark and define the details of the pictures.

If you compare my images, you will see they are different from other traditional artist’s paintings. I guess it’s is the comic’s influence on my job. You notice in comics the art line often appears in the images. The boundaries between one area and another are clear.

If I had to qualify my style I would say I am an artist who prefers making realistic drawings and paintings, mixing a comic/vector style in my work.

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I.A : Lots of people are depicting creatures, fantasy scene, etc using CG tools and it's good sometimes to meet some people like you using CG for a refreshing work. Can you tell me who're the other artists who've influenced you and why you've choosen to express yourself with cg tools?

CDL : Hmmmm, This is a long diverse list. I would say I ‘ve been influenced not only by artists, illustrators and painters, but also by writers. Actually some of them were introduced to me by my partner.... old artists, especially from comics and cartoons but I have some current ones that are a sort of reference to me. For pinups, classics and fantasy images: Joseph Leyendecker, Norman Rockewell, Gil Elvgren, Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, William-Adolphe Bouguereau

For other styles I would say: Will Eisner, Carl Barks, Albert Uderzo, Hergé (Georges Remi), René Goscinny, Morris (Maurice De Bevere) Adam Hughes, Alex Ross, Frank Cho, John Buscema, John Romita, Mike Wieringo, Dave Stevens, Hermes Tadeu, The Hildebrandt Brothers, Alan Lee, John Howe, Jo Chen, Mike Deodato Jr., Steve Rude, Olivia de Bernardis, Kim Hyung Tae, Jeong Juno. Wow, I think the list is long enough.

Expressing myself using CG tools, was, I suppose, a natural condition of my work. I painted and drew in the traditional way but not as a profession. When I founded my company with my partner 13 years ago I started doing graphic design and drawings for advertising. I used to work with Corel Draw and progressively I became more confident with digital technology. Later I studied Photoshop and Painter, and was amazed by the things I was able to do using those softwares... /