Speaking with Illustrator, Rafael Gomes

Rafael Gomes is a minimalist illustrator who creates fun and playful artworks, often featuring people you know from films and TV shows you love. His style is simplistic yet effective and easy to recognise.

In our latest Azutura interview, we caught up with Rafael to discuss his use of minimalism, his love of pop culture, his creative style and much more.

Hi Rafael, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Can you start off by introducing yourself and telling us a little about your life?

Hi! I am a Brazilian illustrator, 33 years old, living a good life in the sunny city of Fortaleza with my wife, my son and my french bulldog, Liam.

What’s a typical day like in the life of Rafael Gomes?

Well, how I work in my home studio, I control my own time and creations. I don’t have a strict schedule, but I normally start my day responding to all emails and start to work in the afternoon. A good cup of coffee and music in the headset always creates a pleasant atmosphere to start to draw.

How and when did you first become interested in art?

I’m not entirely sure but I remember drawing in my school books when I was 5-6 years old. My mother kept a drawing that I made of myself with a trophy, saying: “I AM THE BEST DESIGNER IN THE WORLD” so, I believe I always wanted to do what I do.

I never studied art or majored in design. I studied Geography (yes, believe me!) and, in the last year of college, I decided to go out and study art alone. It wasn't easy, because at the time there was no YouTube. I studied the Photoshop/Illustrator tutorials in English (and I didn't know English).

I believe that it makes me a good illustrator, always trying and studying something I love.

A lot of your work features some of the best TV shows and films. What’re some of your favourites?

I’m a big fan of TV shows, especially “Friends” and “Breaking Bad”. About films, it’s really hard to say my favourites as there is a lot but I really loved “Jojo Rabbit” and all Tarantino’s creation.

What inspires your work?

I am always trying something new, so a good way to keep me creative is to watch good movies and tv shows as well as always listening to music. I’m a big fan of ‘80s music too so a lot of inspiration comes from that too.

What tools do you use to create your illustrations?

Photoshop and Illustration. I recently decided to study After Effects as well as I think that I can create my work on another level and give another perspective to my illustration.

Colour plays a huge role in making your art pop. Can you tell us a little about this?

Yeah, that’s right. There are a lot of other artists in the world, so it’s a pleasure for me to know that people buy my arts to make our home happier. And it’s part of my creative process to find the best combination of colours to make that artwork. It’s the beauty of the process.

Can you walk us through your creative process from how you come up with your initial idea through to the finished piece?

I don’t have a method or something that I always do but in general, when I have an idea, I start by drawing in my sketchbook. Something simple, just to make sure that what I thought is good.

After that, I take a picture of the drawing and start to take the next step in Illustrator. I don’t spend a lot of time on one piece. For me, when I go to Illustrator, I know exactly what I need to do, so normally, in a day or two, I finish the work and go to the next creation. The next work is always more exciting.

Can you tell us a little about your minimalist artist series?

My idea in the series was to make people understand that I was trying to represent something with the least information possible. This idea of creating something simple always moves me.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what career would you have pursued?

Maybe a Geography teacher. Haha.

What attracted you to minimalism?

Transforming something big, with a lot of information, into something simple and yet impactful.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Sometimes, a work that you made takes years to be valued, so never give up and always keep in mind that every work worth it.

What’s the future looking like? Have you got anything big on the horizon?

Keep doing what I love: creating stuff that moves me and taking my art to as many people as possible around the world.