Bored Panda reached out to Alessia once again to explore her creative process and gain further insight into her artistic journey. While her animal portraits are undeniably adorable and seem flawless, Alessia admitted that creating them isn’t always easy. At times, she faces challenges in capturing their unique look and essence, which can make the process more time-consuming. "It mostly happens with poodles and Maltese dogs. It might be it’s because of their 'mustache' that gives me trouble to fully show a smile. Many times they look sad or too serious, and this is not the right Disney-style vibe. So I start looking into my own old commissions where I succeeded, or I open Google and I look into other Disney examples. In the end, I succeed and my clients are always happy."
Since 99% of Alessia's commissions are cats and dogs, they're not as challenging for her anymore. However, when it comes to the most challenging animals to Disneyfy, she mentioned that some clients request portraits of their pet rats, chinchillas, or birds. "That’s more challenging because I’m not really used to drawing them, but at the same time, I never say 'no' to a good challenge."
"I draw dogs and cats every day and I am very comfortable with them. But this is just a personal preference that doesn’t impact my 'professional side' of work. Any other pets are always more than welcome!"
Drawings with complicated backgrounds take Alessia more time to finish. "Many times it takes me an hour to fully complete a pet, and then two days for the background. But like I said, I love challenges!"
Alessia shared that her workspace is rather simple. "I work in a corner of my desk with my laptop and my iPad. In front of me, I only have a coffee machine, I’d say that’s my morning booster shot!"
