Interview with "Michelle de Reis"

Tell us about how you got to where you are now. How and when did you start exploring yourself creatively through visual arts?

I came into the world of drawing and illustration very early on. When I was really young, my family would instill in me the habit of having my own graphic diary, of creating my own illustrations. Around that same time, I began to develop a great passion for everything from watercolors to colored pencils, pens…

When I went on to High School, I chose to study Visual Arts. In University, I decided to study Fashion Design. Going into Fashion Design had a lot to do with the drawing part – I knew it was going to be something very manual, which is really what I’ve always been interested.

When I graduated, I had the opportunity of doing several internships. During one of those internships, I was at Vogue and GQ Portugal, where they started to understand the kind of work I did, and I was lucky enough to have my illustrations published

How would you describe your style? What do you like to draw the most?

I have always been inspired by nature. The illustrations I had published – for instance, in Vogue, I was asked for a still life. The kind of illustrations I make are based on objects, on real things. They don’t focus so much on the abstract, rather on representing what it really is. 

 What was your starting point and inspiration behind the work you developed for Monarte? What did your creative process look like?

My illustration was focused on the fauna, as it usually is – everything that concerns flowers and plants. Then, the flamingo, as it is a super elegant and sophisticated animal. 

When I made the many sketches and initial studies, I was almost trying to forget that this was for an article of clothing, for a kind of woman and for a segment. We have to let our illustration fly in all its details, and then start to deconstruct it to adapt it to the final product.

Elegant Flamingo

It’s no secret that the Flamingo is one flashy creature. Not only it has a beautiful pink color, but also has the most elegant and graceful posture. If there ever was an animal to empower a woman’s femininity, it’s the Flamingo.