It's that time of the month again - we've got a new background! This time round it's done by our good friend, Herbert Loureiro. Hailing from the coast of Brazil from a place called Maceió, Herbie is a 20 year old journalism student, who also happens to own Estúdio Alba, a design studio along with his amazing and talented partners, Daniel Hogrefe and David Pacheco.
What I enjoy most about this superbly talented young gun, is that he exhibits such a sense of joy simply creating in his work, no matter what the subject matter. Anyway, amongst our usual epic and highly entertaining conversations, we asked him a round of the standard q's and here's what we got.
How and when did you know you were going to be an illustrator?
Well, I still don't know if I'm gonna be an illustrator. But I started drawing "professionally" when one of my highschool teachers saw some scratches I had done on my notebook and then he asked me to illustrate his poetry book, called Açougue. That was when i realised I could do something and not just these little scratches; that I could create something that to reflect and expose myself to other people. Yet I don't think I'm gonna ever only be an illustrator cause I'm always eager about starting something new in some different ways... on photography or vídeo...Or something that I don't even know of yet.
What have been are your biggest influences?
When I was a kid I used to have this esoteric curiosity, so I think it got me going to places I would picture real life from a fantasy point of view. I love how with the dumbest things, a touch of the grotesque and a bit of magic can elevate it from normality/real life. So it's like my starting point: doing something about aspects of real life - or how they look in my head.
Who would love to work for or collaborate with?
I love fashion and music. I would really like to collaborate with Dazed and Confused (are you reading? I am asking!), Róisín Murphy and Gossip. And of course, a lot of Brazilian people, like Copacabana Club and Stop Play Moon. I think they are all very different but have these elements that are somewhat nonsense, fun and boundary pushing, so I LOVE to collaborate with people like that.
What did you dream about last night?
I can't remember! Really, I can't remeber for sure what happened while I was dreaming but usually it is pretty simple and about recreating everyday situations. But I can remember last night...I have these symbols that are often in my dreams, such as hair or teeth. I love the symbolic weight that dreams have, so they're also very common when I'm thinking about putting down ideas.
Favourite medium?
Allison Dubois. Haha, no. I am very divided about illustration and photography. Cause I'm so impatient when it comes to doing something. I want it to be done as soon as I can feel it's done, that's the image. So illustration works for me better now, cause photography needs this after production, and it takes longer to turn it into that something I am happy with.
Check Herbie's studio www.estudioalba.com and then go follow Herbie on his flickr
