Lorena Alvarez was born and raised in Bogotá, and studied Graphic Design and Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She has illustrated for children books, independent publications, advertising and fashion magazines. Since 2008, she has been part of “La Procesión Puppet Club”, an experimental puppetry group of illustrators and visual artists.
To find out a little more about her work, we asked Lorena the following questions:
What inspires your work?
Each one of my pieces is an attempt to create a small, colorful and whimsical world. I was born in a place full of colorful flowers and birds, they are the main inspiration for my characters and illustrations. Nature as a protective and nurturing element is always present in my work. When I started writing my own stories I became interested in how we build our reality using our dreams, our beliefs and fears. At school we used to create stories to explain many things we didn’t understand then, combining the religious education we received with our own beliefs. I welcome new experiences, such as traveling, learning to play an instrument or being part of a puppet company, these experiences encourage and influence my work. I also find inspiration in animated films, comic books, fashion design and performing arts.
Tell us a bit about your process…
I usually start doodling and adding notes without any order, trying to “catch” all the ideas I think might work for the project I have in mind. then I do a neater version of those sketches, putting together a somewhat clear storyline, which I revisit many times until I’m happy with it. Although most of my work is digital I take the time to draw in my sketchbook before finishing on screen. I feel that my ideas come more easily when I have a pencil in my hand, I write notes all the time. Colouring is also a very important part of my process. I try many combinations until I found the one I like most. I love contrasting palettes and find unusual colour matches.