Graphic Imagination

Brazilian concept artist, illustrator and game art designer Adelson Tavares creates incredible graphic works inspired by his love of fantasy art and old horror movies. We asked Adel about his creative influences and how he got started.

Have you always been interested in art? Or was it something you came back to?

I think everything started, like for most artists, at childhood. I was that kind of boy who was always trying to draw the ideas that came into my mind after watching my favourite cartoons. I was born during the 80s and I'd dig into pretty much every TV show and cartoon I could get in Brazil between the 80s and 90s.



Back then I had no idea what 'art' was, we were just kids trying to create whatever fantasy from our imagination. I started to understand its concept only when I started to see that what I wanted to do was more than a hobby.

You create game art, but are you also an avid gamer? If so, what do you like to play?

I would only consider myself a 'proper' gamer back in my youth. I think the term didn't even exist back then, haha. I'm a huge fan of JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Games) and I spent hours and hours playing several titles. The PlayStation One era was 'the one' for me.




It's funny but as time passes, and you work more and more with games and other kinds of technology, you end up by having less and less time to play. I rarely spend time playing now, but when I do I re-play my favorite JRPG games and more 'modern' titles like Mass Effect and The Witcher, surely my favourites. Xenogears is my favorite title ever.

How do you get your inspiration? What gives you the creative spark?

I'm a huge fan of fantasy and horror. Even now I'm still more attached to old movies than the new ones. I watched and re-watched movies like Krull, The Legend and Willow or horror movies like Hellraiser, Pumpkinhead and other trash stuff several times and still do it. For sure this kind of stuff inspires me every time I create something. I can't forget to mention Japanese anime and cartoons like TMNT, Guardians of Universe and my beloved JRPGs.




But I confess that now what mostly influences me is...life! Every day I learn something in the most unusual situations that I can transform into art.

Are you influenced by other artists?

My hometown didn't have the culture of art when I started, so we had few opportunities to get in touch with artists and even know artists' names (like "that guy who draws Iron Maiden's cover arts"). I really started to understand the concept of 'artist' when I got into anime and started to learn about my favourite manga artists. That influenced me a lot and names like Nobuhiro Watsuki and Kentaro Miura have a huge place in my story.




As I started migrating from manga to something more personal I've got in touch with marvelous artists like Dan dos Santos, Adam Hughes, Frank Cho and Todd Lockwood. From all these guys I learnt that there's a path to each artist and there's no point on rushing and comparing things. It's all about enjoying the experience.

Where do you create your art? What does a regular day look like for you?

I work for some companies on a daily basis as Art and Creative Director, also on freelance jobs mostly for the advertising game market through my studio Onimetal Art. Parallel to that I work in my own stuff, so my normal day is spent fully at the studio, from day to night, multi-tasking everything I can.




I have a personal studio in my house, so I'm used to working remotely. There I create both digital and traditional art (I love working with charcoals) and my wife kinda got used with the mess I do, haha.

Besides that, I'm also trying to spend spare time with my family or doing anything unrelated to drawing, so I keep my head fresh.

Do you create NFTs? If so, how and where?

I've been working with NFT for about 4 months through a friend's advice. Right now I'm focusing on selling most of my stuff on Kalamint. There are some smaller projects on other chains and marketplaces, but since I've started there it's felt like home.

Since NFT for me is something more personal than professional, I can dedicate time to building my space slowly in only one place. Also, I keep my stuff centered on my personal website.

How do you promote your art and get new buyers?

It's really an every day engagement. I think that in addition to creating it's important to be part of the community. I had a lot of help when I started and I try to give it back to those who are starting (since I'm starting too!).

I try to get in touch with people every day; knowing and sharing their creations, engaging in creative discussions and, of course, marketing a lot, haha!

Recently I've joined the NFT4Art crew and we're working together on supporting ourselves and trying to help build a strong art community. I do have some great people that support my work by not only buying my artwork but also giving nice advice, a warm "good morning" and sometimes a great cup of coffee!

Do you have any advice for younger artists?

Don't daydream, don't try to see the end of the road. Focus on the journey! Each day in art is a big adventure, each little detail on the path has its own story to tell and we should listen to it!


Thank you Adel for sharing your story with us. You can follow Adelson Tavares (onimetal) on Instagram and Twitter, plus you can buy his NFT artworks on Kalamint.