Lhaiza Morena

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Cartoon & Humour

Character Design

Children & Family

Editorial

Lettering

Two happy children lying on green grass with flowers around

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Person using laptop with multimedia icons by Lhaiza Morena

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Children in colorful Caribbean carnival costumes by Lhaiza Morena

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Children dancing joyfully at a street festival, illustration by Lhaiza Morena

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Vibrant carnival celebration with diverse joyful children by Lhaiza Morena

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Children happily reunite at school, illustrated by Lhaiza Morena

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She creates charming vibrant characters

A color pallette of emotions

Clients love both Lhaiza’s style and her responsiveness – she’s a deadline-conscious artist with plenty of experience in the creative industries. Her graphic style has developed out of her keen interest in cartoons and animation. Inspired by the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks, she studied Computer Graphics at the School of Art, Games and Animation in São Paulo, adding qualifications in setting and character design from Escola Revolution. Some of her influences include the Brazilian artists Maurício de Sousa and Fábio Coala, as well as the New York writer-illustrator Vashti Harrison.

Approach

Colour is a huge element in Lhaiza’s approach, and she uses her palette to carefully control the emotional tone of each illustration. Every artwork begins with in-depth research and reference-finding, and is created entirely digitally, from sketch to final image.

Style

Bold, graphic and colourful, Lhaiza’s imagery catches the eye, drawing the viewer in with its sense of positivity, and strong visual storytelling.

Languages

Portuguese, English (intermediate)

Impressions

Interview

Video

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator? When I was a child, I didn't see princesses or drawings with characters like me, a black child. So I wanted to give the kids some role-play, so they could read a book and relate to the character. This need for representation made me want to be an illustrator.Did you study illustration in college? No, but I took illustration courses at Escola Revolution, here in Brazil.Where did you grow up? I grew up in the north-east of Brazil, in the city of Salvador - Bahia. In a low-income community of black people.Do you have a childhood memory relating to drawing/art that you hold dear? Yes. I always liked to reproduce my favorite characters in my sketchbook and I really enjoyed drawing Monica's Gang, characters created by the Brazilian artist Maurício de Sousa. It was by reproducing these characters that I realized I liked to draw.Where do you live now and what drew you there? Today I live in south-eastern Brazil, in the city of Jundiaí - SP. I came here because my husband was promoted at the company he works for, but he is being very good to me too, because it is in this region that many events related to art and illustration take place.Do you have a studio pet?Yes, it's a cat and her name is Gamora, like the character in Guardians of the Galaxy. She is always close to me while I work, lying in a chair next to my desk.Who or What is your biggest inspiration? To create, I really like to observe the people around me, real people. As an artist, I am inspired by Vashti Harrison, Dapo Adeola and El Carna.How do you get your ideas? I always set aside a day or two to look for references before starting a new job. I look for references in other artists and also in image banks, I gather everything I found for inspiration and start to scribble my ideas.What do you listen to when you work? I usually say that I stopped in time with regard to music, because I like listening to music from the 80's to the 2000's. I know few things that are successful these days.What are your interests outside of illustration? As my main hobby became my job, I pursued another hobby. Now I'm learning to rollerblade and it's been wonderful. What would be your dream commission?I would love to one day create characters for an animation.What makes a good client brief? When the client is decisive and knows what he wants, it helps a lot for the project to flow well.If you were not an illustrator, what would you be? This is a difficult question, I can't imagine doing anything else. But before I became an illustrator, I was working as a graphic designer, so I would probably be working in that.What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? That I should take a risk and try to become an illustrator, follow my dream. I followed that advice and today I'm here.If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I really want to visit the countries of the African continent: South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola. And I also want to know the European continent.How would someone who knows you well describe you? As a shy, creative, punctual and committed person.What themes or content in the world inspires you?I like to know new cultures and customs of other people.What is your go-to comfort food?A typical food from where I was born that is of African origin and is called Acarajé. I would eat it every day!What movie can you watch over and over?I love the Little Mermaid so much! I watch it over and over again with pleasure and I know all the lines and songs.What was the last concert you went to?I went to the Backstreet Boys concert for the first time, which I've been in love with since childhood. It was a wonderful experience.What is your favourite book?I don't have a favorite book, but I love Agatha Christie and Harlan Coben's books.What do you do when you have creative block?I will do something to distract my mind: listen to music, watch a movie or series, roller skating or ride a bike.What is your favourite way to fill free time? Any hobbies?Hanging out with my husband, we like to do a lot together. We spend a lot of time together in our free time.Which languages can you speak?I speak Portuguese fluently, it is my native language and I am learning English.What is your favourite ice cream flavour?Chocolate. I love anything that has chocolate.