Exclusive Interview with An Artist: Rafaela Mascaro from Studio Grand Pere

Posted on Apr 22, 2021

To celebrate the release of our new White Logo Collection puzzles, we're getting to know some of the talented artists who illustrated and designed the artworks!

This week, we spoke with Rafaela Mascaro from Studio Grand Pere, the illustrator behind our wonderful Three Women puzzle. We hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we did!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and Studio Grand-Père?

I am a designer from São Paulo, who is a Golden Retriever lover, likes to watch TV, eat chocolate and take good pictures with his cameras. When she's not creating her illustrations, you can find me watching Friends or creating culinary delights in the kitchen.

Grand-Père in French means grandfather, the name is a tribute to my grandfather Osvaldo, my mother's father. I always think of him when I create my illustrations. I started to draw very young, about 3 years old, and since then I have always drawn a lot, but I was very ashamed to show or expose what I created. Until in 2015 a friend of mine encouraged me to show my drawings, that's when I created the project.

What influences your artwork? What themes do you try to portray?

I describe my illustration as a freestyle, so once I see something that I really like, I start creating a new illustration or art. I don't care too much about shapes and perspectives. I don't want it to be perfect, I think the cool thing is that they are imperfect, and that's fine. I think one of the goals is to show the imperfections of life and how it makes us human.

I think what inspires me the most is hard work, the effort to achieve something. I feel that the more you work on good things, the more it comes back to you and the project. When someone says that something I created helped in some way, I earn my day. I have an even greater desire to create new things.

Can you talk us through your process for creating the gorgeous patterns that feature in your work?

I usually start with things that inspire me, not necessarily just art or illustrations, but colors, books, films. And from there I start to do sketches and tests of what I want to show in the new illustration or project that I'm doing.

Can you tell us about the Three Women design that features on our new 500pc puzzle? Is there a story behind it?

The Three Women illustration is about racial equality between women and how we can live in a world without racism and prejudice. I wanted to show that all women are beautiful and how gorgeous the union between all of us is.

If you could meet one artist/illustrator, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I think Henri Matisse, I love him! haha

What advice would you give to illustrators and graphic artists who are starting out?

Try to find something you like a lot and turn it into a project or your job. One day your project will be successful and you will be very proud. Keep going!