Hi Daniel, and thank you for taking some time to answer our questions.

Please tell us a bit about yourself. How, when and why did you become interested in the arts?

Well, I guess the very beginning was when I was around five or six. I liked drawing a lot, like most kids, and my mom encouraged me a lot with it. I grew up drawing Ninja Turtles, Transformers and many other comics/cartoon characters that were around in Germany in the 80s. Then later, back in Brazil, I got into north american comics, and started drawing Wolverine, Batman and all the rest. I was sure I wanted to draw comics for a living, so I started taking things seriously and looking into anatomy books, technique lessons, famous painters' works, etc. Just before I got into university, I found my way into cinema and animation. I was involved in a couple of live action short-films, and started studying 3d by myself. After entering university and coming to really know what graphic design was about, I loved it, but by then I already wanted to work with 3d, so I mixed both as much as could in the exercises and projects. Also in university was when I got in contact with photography; I had three semesters of it and been doing it since. In the end of my four year program, I knew a bit more about all the fields I'd gotten in, so I went ahead to work with 3d, but when I get an idea I want to explore, or a professional opportunity I want to take, I can rely on design, photography or other things.

Do you work fulltime in the arts or is it developed on your spare time?

Both, actually. I've finished university, worked for about six months as a 3d generalist at a motion design studio called Santa and came to Canada to attend Vancouver Film School. Now I’m back at Santa, working full time as a Lead 3D artist. My job here is great, I have a lot of liberty as to how the 3D should be done, I got to design the current pipeline, I deal with freelancers that work with us and still get to be involved with production work per say. The best part, though, is that since the studio is small, I can participate a lot in the creative part of projects, with story development, storyboarding, etc. days are full here :). In my own time, I’m focusing on directing, cinematography and modeling with personal projects. I’m open to freelance work that interests me though.

What is your favorite piece and why this one in specific?

My short film, La Vie. Sure there are lots of thing I want to fix in it, but it's gotta be my favorite. For almost six month I did nothing but think about and work on this project, at VFS. It was a great experience, I've learned a lot, experimented a lot. I've found out areas I really like to work in, and got to test several concepts and ideas during a long pre production phase. I tested my limits and my ability to plan ahead and deliver something in time.

Where do you find your inspiration tends to comes from?

Hmmm, lots of places. The thing is, I get really inspired sometimes with the feeling something gives me, a musical composition, a film, a photo, a person, anything, so I think about it for some time, trying to understand why it has hit me. Then I think about how I can use that to express something I myself want to expose. For this I try to trace conceptual connections between the "new idea" and things I like for a long time, like classic stories, music, books, games, films, paintings, etc. This way I make sure my new idea is set on very basic and universal things, but also allows me to experiment.

Are there any artists in your field whose work you admire?

Sure, lots of them. To list a few related to film, games and photo, I'd say Krishnamurti Costa, Magdalena Dadela, Pascal Blanche, Damien Abdul, Fausto de Martini, Steven Stahlberg, Jonathan Waiter, Phil Holland, Mark Scholey. Anyway, I could go on and on, but these are the ones from the top of my head; I'm sure I'm missing main ones.

How much time do you generally spend creating each of your works?

That depends on what it is. I like to always have a workflow planned out from the start, that usually begins with collecting and analyzing references. If it's a 3D model, for instance, I'd say about two weeks at least. Photo shoots usually take more planning and gathering material and people, but the shoot would be one or two days plus a couple more for post work. All this, of course, if I don't have a deadline. If I have to, it can take even a day to have a project done.

What do you consider your dream job to be?

Hmm, I like this one. My dream job would be working in the pre production stage of projects I really like, art directing or something, developing the look and feel of it. Helping to make the characters and places become alive, plan every little detail, the camera angles, the colors, the placement of minimal elements to make the composition work.

Do you have any advice for other budding artists in your field?

I guess, don't get mad at input and critique and don't take it personally. Also, don't hold too tight to ideas, be open to experimentation and changes. The creative process is an organic one, and even if you are really good, I guess some trial and error can't hurt.

Well, thank you for your time and keep on posting. I'm sure we'll see some new, great images soon.

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