Ricardo Bessa is a 26 year old Portuguese freelance illustrator that’s currently working out of London, England. He obtained his Bachelor’s in Art and Multimedia at the University of Lisbon in Portugal and his Master’s at Kingston University in London. Though he claims these places did not necessarily influence his style, but did shape him more as a person and provided him opportunities to learn.
He’s been commissioned by several different kinds of magazines, such as Wired Magazine and Cricket Magazine, has worked on covers for books and comics, like Lumberjanes and The Sword & The Circle, has designed murals for the insides of buildings, and has collaborated with many different artists for collective zines that have been published and sold online and during special events like conventions.
He has attributed social media platforms for his success as an illustrator. With a somewhat large presence online, he has brought more clients his way as well as expanded his own skills and inspiration as an artist through community interactions through various websites. He was quoted as saying, “…it’s about how you truly get to find (and sometimes eventually meet) some wonderful people who make up your community, who keep you inspired and make you feel like you belong somewhere – when most of the time you would feel like you’re just drawing somewhere on your own.” Social media gave him inspiration to refine his skill as an illustrator and pursue his trade courageously.
His illustrations are whimsical and colorful and often have fantasy or science fiction themes–which is something that I am also heavily inspired by. His bold use of color, combined with the fantastical elements of his art, seems to define his style. Even his sketches are wonderful and the portraits have character. They seem like very real people–and probably are, considering he often finds inspiration in the things and people around him. Existing works made by others also inspires him in his own work and he often draws fan art of things that are particularly inspiring. Inspiration comes in many different forms for the artist and feeds his creativity. Mythology, nature, and comics also contribute to this.
He often starts a work with a simple sketch in pencil in one of his sketchbooks, scans the work, and finishes up by coloring and adding details using a tablet and Photoshop. Sometimes he makes GIFs or small animations of his work, which isn’t at all outlandish considering he was an animation major in college. He does think that to get a good piece, one needs to have a well drawn base sketch. Throwing it into Photoshop doesn’t make it a good drawing.
This is one of my absolute favorites from his work. It was a piece made for an online “Catalog of Merfolk” and his description behind the work has inspired me in many ways–even if he said he wasn’t entirely pleased with the finished product. The story behind the picture is: “What if mermaids live really long – and the longer they live, the bigger they grow? (I guess the bigger they grow, the harder it is for them to stick their torso and even their head out of the water. That’s why no one ever sees the big ones. And definitely never the huge ones.)”
NSFW BELOW…
(male bits)
