Not many illustrators can gloat about having been invited by legendary Japanese videogame company Capcom to illustrate the new version of the classic fighting game ‘Street Fighter’ or having designed the Harry Potterbook covers for Spanish-speaking countries.
These are just a few of the accomplishments by 42-year-old Portimão illustrator Tiago da Silva, a man whose work boasts more recognition abroad than in his own country.
With several accolades already under his belt, he is now in the process of launching an international crowdfunding campaign to help him pursue his latest goal of publishing his own comic book, entitled ‘Legend of Adora’.
While he started drawing at a young age, it was only after some years in university that Tiago truly started following his passion.
“I studied Communication Design for three years until I realised that it wasn’t really what I wanted. I had always drawn since I was a child and when I started to learn about new technologies, I realised that I could do more things. At the time, the internet wasn’t as advanced as it is now,” he told Barlaventonewspaper.
“I started sending letters with my CV to the US and to Marvel, which is what I wanted. That’s how it started,” he said, adding that he would always receive nice and productive replies.
“Even when they wouldn’t offer me a job, they’d still give me advice. That’s what gave me motivation to continue.”
With many years of experience behind him, he decided that after winning a competition and a “nice” monetary prize, the time had come to finally move forward with a project he had been working on for years – a fantasy comic book aimed at youngsters and adults.
“The story starts with two children who are on a field trip to a museum, where they find a magical object that transports them to a fantasy world named Adora. They become a part of that universe, and their adventure takes off from there,” Tiago explained.
The idea came to him while he was working on one of his drawings.
“I started imagining a story and slowly writing it as I had other professional commitments that I had to focus on. This year, I decided to finish it. The hard part now is publishing it.”
In order to help make his dream come true, Tiago is hosting a crowdfunding launch event at ETIC School in Faro on November 5, at 6pm, with the help of local design company Besta.
The comic book is written in English in order to appeal to a larger audience.
“This book is very personal to me and I plan to continue with this project as I imagine a whole series of books. If I find a good sponsor, I will commit to this (dream) full-time. I have already created many characters. The first book is just an introduction to a massive world.”
More information about the book can be found online at https://www.legendofadora.com/campaign
Original article written by Bruno Filipe Pires for Barlavento newspaper.
