Artist in conversation: lipine
“I see emotions as a beautiful thing, and we feel them to evolve and learn. If there are no emotions, life has no joy”
Lipine is a Portuguese Graphic Designer and Illustrator based in the vibrant city of London. Her artistry can be encapsulated in three words - magical, dreamer, and childish. Lipine's creativity knows no bounds, and her work is a testament to her unique and enchanting vision.
Lipine's talent and passion for art have led her to work with diverse clients across the globe. This exposure has allowed her to interact with a myriad of creative minds, enriching her own perception of art and design. Among her most notable works is the award certificates produced for the prestigious event in the Nordics - the SDG Tech Awards 2021 Denmark.
Currently, Lipine is channeling her creative energies into an exciting new venture - a book that will soon be published in Portugal and Brazil. Lipine is the sole creator behind this project, having produced both the hand-drawn illustrations and the story.
In addition to her upcoming book, Lipine has also published a portfolio to celebrate her brand. This collection showcases some of her remarkable works as an artist, reflecting her unique style and vision. Every piece in her portfolio is a testament to Lipine's ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, to find magic in the mundane, and to see the world through the eyes of a dreamer.
Lipine continues to weave her magic, one design at a time, forever pushing the boundaries of art and imagination.
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique style?
I wouldn’t necessarily say I had this “boom” moment of wanting to become an artist. I was always very involved in drawing since an early age. I look back at my memories as a kid, during break times, I would collect brick rocks from the floor so I could draw on the tarmac school playground floor. My teachers would always ask me what was the drawing of the day, and I remember they used to like my silly drawings. However, I would say that cartoons have been an enormous passion of mine since ever, and they were the ones to motivate me to give life to my ideas. I think animation is such a treasure because most children’s dreams and hopes come from those cartoons, and to think one day I will be able to transmit the same feeling with my art and stories makes everything that I worked for worth it.
My art style came much later, per se. When I was a teenager, I had this moment that I thought to myself:
“Well I like to draw, I like to write stories but there is nothing unique about my characters. How can I become someone that people can easily identify?”.
Oh, I remember I suffered a lot at the time, because the more I tried, the less I was making something original. At some point, I thought:
“Oh, I cannot create anything new! Everything has been done!”.
So, I stopped. I took a moment. I told myself it would come with time. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is not to force anything, allow everything to come to its own pace. The truth is, my art style just came up like I have done it since I was born. I remember I was drawing my submission for college; it required a drawing with a fantasy theme. I sat, I told myself I was going to express all my feelings, everything I like, everything I am curious about and everything that I am. From then, the improvements came and voilá!
In terms of subject matter, what themes or motifs do you frequently explore in your work, and what draws you to these topics?
I usually have a rule. I only draw when I have some emotion to represent. Emotions are so important, and many people are disconnected from them nowadays. It is a shame because I think people are used to seeing emotions as a negative thing most of the time. However, I see emotions as a beautiful thing, and we feel them to evolve and learn. If there are no emotions, life has no joy. So, my main focus point in my illustrations is to transmit feelings so people can feel and realise they are not the only ones experiencing a particular situation or moment.
As per elements, I usually add what I like, most of the time is nature. I draw a lot of flowers, animals, fruits, and lots of colours.
How do you navigate the balance between self-destruction and re-creation as a way towards conscious Happiness?
Hmh… I don’t consider myself a self-destructive person at all. I am a happy person in general, and I always try to see the positive side of things even when they go wrong. However, yes, I do have negative thoughts as everyone does, it’s part of nature. They don’t happen often, but usually when they do, I stop to think so I can analyse my life and perhaps understand the cause of the problem. It is probably easier for me to identify it since I am always happy in general, so when those thoughts come, I know there is something going on with me. Usually, when I’m going through something tough, I always tell myself it is going to be temporary, and everything will be alright. It is very important to understand that family and friends play such a big role in these moments, and I certainly wouldn’t be this strong without them.
I am someone who reflects a lot about things, what I do, what I want, or even my current situation. I believe there is always something you can do better, for yourself and those around you and that creates conscious happiness.
Can you discuss a specific piece or project that challenged you as an artist, and how you overcome those challenges?
Oh, my that’s interesting. I would say the most challenging project I have ever had is my novel that it is going to be released next year. I say is the most challenging because I have been working on it for the past nine years and it is far away to be concluded.
I have grown so much with this experience, especially working alongside my book editors that provided me a consistent feedback of how to approach the reader through my writing. As well as, supporting me with guidance of how to add certain details in my writing to make it catchier. You see, writing is fun and it seems easy, but writing a novel, that’s a complete other level, that I feel I am finally reaching it. And the biggest challenge of all is that everything seems so clear in my mind, the story and the characters make so much sense but when I write it down there is always going to be few details that I am going to miss or my editor won’t get it because I simply did not explain it properly. Yes, that’s definitely the biggest challenge: making sure all the essential details are there and clear.
Overcoming that challenge is basically reading it until I feel that’s how I want to show my story to the world. I do that by checking it, make my editor read it again, and look again into what I have in my mind just to make sure everything is on paper. Until I don’t get the feeling of: “YES! THAT’S EXACTLY HOW I IMAGINED!”, I am not satisfied. After years, I am finally getting there and hopefully embrace this new chapter of mine with happiness.
How do you stay connected with other artists and keep up with new developments and trends in the art world?
I think that is something I have been working on over the years. I buy a lot of artbooks, I simply love them, I read about upcoming art events, games, cartoons but a few months ago I was lacking a lot of my social media aspect. Between going to art events to meet new artists and expand my network or expand my artist side through social media, I would definitely choose the first option. I guess I am more traditional in that sense, but I do recognise social media is such a powerful tool in the modern world that can open so many doors to anybody. So, to answer to that question I mostly stay connected through social media and by reading articles about upcoming projects which is always nice to know about.
How do you incorporate feedback from critics and audiences into your artistic practice, and how do you balance this feedback with your own artistic intuition?
Something I really appreciate about meeting new people is getting feedback, because with that we can grow so much. They don’t need to be specifically from the artistic field, it is important to take in consideration our audience as well. I believe that we should not have to follow feedback if we do not agree with, or if we feel that it doesn’t correspond to the image, we want to pass. However, we always should take that into consideration. I guess in some way, what I am trying to say would be neither agree nor disagree. I say that because there was times, I got feedback where I felt that the person couldn’t see the message I was trying to pass by giving me an opinion that would respond to a generalized concept that we can see in our everyday life.
How do you stay motivated and inspired despite any setbacks or creative blocks you may encounter?
I feel there is always a time that any artist is gonna feel blocked, any person will feel blocked at one point of their lives. The truth is, those blocks used to frustrate me so much because even though I wanted to work, I just had no motivation to continue the project I was doing at the time. The more I tried the less I wanted to look at it, so I learned how to step back.
It really is important to take time off whatever we are doing and learn how to relax. If we do not rest, there is no creativity, if there is no creativity, there is no motivation for anything. So, every time I have these blocks, I stop whatever I am doing, I take a time out, and only when I feel excited to work on it again, I will come back for a refresh continuation that will be way more efficient than if I had kept forcing myself into the project. Of course, this will not work for everyone. Usually for me, one month time out is enough, and I will get excited in working in the project like is the first time I am doing it. Also, this blocks rarely happen to me, maybe once every year. It is important to recognise not everyone will function like this and should respond to their own needs without feeling guilty by taking a time out.
How do you feel about exhibiting your artworks with The Holy Art Gallery?
It was for sure an unbelievable experience. Not only did the gallery do an amazing job, but it also believes in the potential of every artist, and I think that it is very important. There is nothing better than anyone appreciating your work. Besides, my friends and family went there to support me so, there is no better excuse to gather everyone and have a great time!
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
As I mentioned, I will publish my novel next year in Portugal and Brazil. My upcoming projects will be the marketing around my novel. There is an advert shooting on the way, an illustration video, and some exciting events to promote the series. After the first volume, I intend to keep working on the series as I have big plans.
Time, motivation, dedication, dreams and passion are my key elements to achieve any of my goals. To new artists, if you believe in yourself, just keep working towards your dream, and you will be able to achieve anything.