Takeover Tuesday Catarina Alves
An interview with Catarina Alves (AKA itsacat): a Graphic Designer and Illustrator born in Portugal who is constantly diving into the world of shapes and colours to bring them to life through animation.
Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi
Read time: 5min
Bella:
Thanks so much for joining our Takeover Tuesday series, Catarina! Please introduce yourself for the people who aren’t familiar with you.
Catarina:
Thank you for having me! I'm so happy! I'm Catarina, an illustrator and designer. I was born in Porto and currently live in Amsterdam. I've always been interested in art because my parents are both artists, so I studied graphic design.
I currently work as a designer/illustrator for the animation industry.
Aside from my work, I have a cat called Jimi and I'm obsessed with him (he reminds me of the Chinese lucky cat, fat and fluffy).
One of my hobbies is scuba diving but, now that I live in the Netherlands, it seems nonsense haha. However, it's something that makes me completely disconnect and feel like I'm in a whole different world. So, whenever I go on vacation, I try to go to destinations where I can dive to detox from the whole year I've been in front of a computer.
I'm also obsessed with food, and I love trying new restaurants with different concepts.
Bella:
How did you get into the motion design industry?
Catarina:
I started studying Graphic Design, and then I had the opportunity to work in a video mapping company. I began to explore 3D and 2D animation, so I took a postgraduate course in motion design. From that moment onwards, I had worked in an animation production company in Barcelona for five years.
However, keyframes weren't exactly what I wanted to do, mainly because my background was in design, so I started working more as an illustrator/art director for animation. Everything I learned in animation made the transition easier, as I began to understand better how to develop ideas and to design for the animation world.
Welcome illustration for Catarina’s website.
Bella:
What’s your experience been like working with Buck?
Catarina:
I'm really glad about this new step in my career. I had spent three years as a freelancer and, although it was something I loved doing, I have always had the ambition to work at Buck and develop my skills alongside their team.
Sometimes, changing from freelance to full-time can be challenging because both have pros and cons. But, so far, it's been a great experience to work with a team again, absorb wider knowledge, and grow professionally.
When we have such a talented team, sometimes we can feel pressured about your work, but, at the same time, we can learn more and understand that everyone has the same fear. So, we need to start believing in our skills. Nothing is impossible.
Bella:
I love all of the different characters you create. How do you give unique personalities to each of them?
Catarina:
Oh, thank you so much! I don't have an answer to that because I don’t have a very defined style like some artists. I try to absorb a bit from my day-to-day life and gain inspiration; which means that most of the things I develop are very trial and error oriented.
I have always had some difficulty in drawing certain body parts and I started doing it regularly so that I would feel more comfortable in that area. That’s why nowadays I really like drawing hands with different proportions.
I like exploring different styles, namely 3D realistic drawings, and more minimalist images…
When I don’t feel that inspired, I look up for photos I like and stylize the character as much as possible. That helps me develop my skills and explore my creativity.
Forbes Virtual NFT Billionaire Character Illustrations
Bella:
What’s the workflow like when combining 2D with 3D?
Catarina:
I've always loved mixing media between 2D and 3D, and for that reason I’ve been working a lot with Jonas, as he is a 3D designer. One of the best things when you team up with someone is trying to take the most out of the other person’s skills.
So I started creating some drawings, and then Jonas would do the modelling. After that, I could explore different textures, colours, and ideas.
I began to feel that some of the things would work better in 2D rather than 3D, so I decided to replace some 3D elements. Then, we realized that it works and brings character to our work.
Bella:
Is there a project you’ve worked on that stands out as a favorite to you?
Catarina:
One of the projects I loved doing was for Forbes. I was lucky enough to have all the freedom to design this project. The idea was to create different characters that could work as a toolkit.
I started by developing the first sketches, working on proportions, and exploring different eyes, hair, and clothing.
The challenge was to integrate 2D well into 3D. So the same eyes or hair could work on other faces. I felt really happy with the result, and the client did too, which was very important to us.
Another one was a secret pitch, I really enjoyed working on it. It consisted in an animation video using paper characters. When I saw the references for the first time, I thought, “Omg, what am I going to do with those paper references, how can I create some cool characters using paper?” So it was a challenge!
At the end, it turned out to be an incredible assignment, one I couldn’t even imagine it would have such a new and different result. For me, developing the animals was a challenge because I wanted them to be singular and, at the same time, to be able to build them up on paper. We nailed it because we had finally found a graphic style with which we identified ourselves.
I share with you my favourite animal.
Bella:
What/who inspires you?
Catarina:
Lots of things and people. It’s something that happens naturally on a daily basis. I learn something new every day, whether through a conversation, a project I've had the opportunity to collaborate on, or just something I've seen.
I'm a person who is constantly overthinking about everything but also very emotional at the same time, so, sometimes, the way to get my feelings out is through drawing. So, my biggest inspiration is my daily life.
Caterina’s favorite animal.
Bella:
What advice do you have for getting out of a creative rut?
Catarina:
When I feel blocked, I try to get out of my routine, see something new, take a different route, and try to meet someone I haven't met for a long time, but who will bring me something new. Nowadays, it’s very normal to feel blocked; there’s so much going on around you that sometimes it makes you feel too small.
Most importantly, we should respect that sometimes we need time and space and not push ourselves too much; take your time.
Bella:
How would you describe your brand/style?
Catarina:
It’s a tricky question; I’ve never thought about it. It was something I developed when I started freelancing since it's important to show more solidity and to keep up to date. Whenever I develop a new project, I try to explore other styles within "my" style. I don't like to feel that I'm always doing the same thing because I end up building limitations and not growing professionally.
I think that the best way to describe my brand/style is as friendly and with a great connection with graphic design.
Some of Catarina’s personal illustrations!
Bella:
Anything coming up that you’re excited about?
Catarina:
There are many things, but I’ve been working on a toy, in collaboration with my partner, Jonas, for some time. I've almost finished the design, and now we're working on the modelling to print and paint it. We will do everything in-house because we had already explored some prototypes a year ago and want to do everything from scratch. The idea will be to develop a limited edition. I love drawing something and bringing it to life; I think it’s quite special.
Still from Catarina and Jonas animation and illustration course.