Carles Dalmau is a Spanish comic artist whose illustrations are a perfect combination of cute and spooky. By drawing every day and working very hard on his characters, he’s created a series of cartoons that are addictive, and easy to admire. Colorful and incredibly detailed, these works take us for a fun adventure to Carles’ fantasy world.
We recently caught up with him, so continue reading and explore the artist behind his astonishing work.
How did you become an artist?
I was studying cinema at the university, and in the third grade, I realized I didn’t enjoy it, so I started to draw, and I haven’t stopped since!
Where do you live, and what does your studio look like?
I live in a small apartment in Girona (Spain) that I also use as a studio. I have a very basic setup, with two screens, a tablet, and a desktop computer!
You draw a lot of different spaces. Where do you find your inspiration?
I really don’t know. I have watched a lot of movies, video games, and comics when I was little, so I think I unconsciously made a mental mix of all of that! But when I’m out of ideas, I try to look at Pinterest.
Who are the characters you create?
I created a ton of characters who share the same universe! This way, it’s easier for me to think of new ideas for my drawings because everything is interconnected. This December, I’ll be publishing an art book in which I will talk about everything related to my universe and its characters!
Do you have a character that you identify with? Which one is it?
I think every character has something from me in them. But the character I feel the most identified with is Maya, the protagonist of “Soma” , the comic I’m doing right now that will be published in 2023.
Do your artworks have a story behind them? Which one is your favorite?
Every one of them! It’s difficult for me to choose one but a lot of my artworks start as the base for creating bigger stories! Lucid Lucy, a short webtoon I did a few years ago that came in second place in the webtoon short story contest of 2020, was created thanks to a random drawing I did some weeks before. I normally think about the story while I’m working on the drawing. I’m very chaotic in this regard.
If you could pick one fantasy place to live in, which one would it be?
I think it would be The Shire from Lord of the rings. Even if I overwork a lot I’d love to be able to chill in some quiet place for the rest of my life.
What do you do in your free time? What are your other hobbies?
I really don’t have free time hahah, I normally work every day of the week. But if I have some time I like to eat breakfast in bakeries and play videogames!
What are your plans for the future?
I’d love to keep creating comics, making art for videogames, and I wish I could adapt some of my ideas into the animation medium too! But I try to focus on my week-to-week work rather than future plans, I always get super distracted if I do that. I realized things will come naturally with time, so I try to be patient and not get worried about this.
Do you have any tips for beginner artists?
Just be patient, draw a lot, try to learn the basics, and don’t worry if you don’t like your drawings at the beginning. With each drawing you will be getting a little better, and one day you’ll start liking what you do. It’s like grinding on an RPG while trying to get that cool shiny armor you only can wear in lvl 100.
Instagram: @carles_dalmau
