PJ Kaiowá — Brazilian Comic Book Illustrator

PJ Kaiowá is one of Brazil’s leading comic book artists. For over 20 years, he’s been drawing heroes and villains in his signature style – dynamic, powerful and often sensual – sending them on adventures beyond the realms of the imagination. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment, and with some of the world’s biggest consumer brands.

Everything about PJ’s work rises out of his home city of Rio di Janeiro. Its diversity, colour, chaos, architecture and street art feed his inspiration, and everywhere he goes he sees characters, angles and perspectives that challenge his thinking and later work their way into his sketches. Life in the city is transformed into visual expression and storytelling. PJ came to the world of comic book art and illustration via the advertising industry where he was an art director. He understands the phases of a creative project, works flexibly and respects deadlines. In addition to illustration, PJ is an experienced storyboard artist.

Approach

Working digitally, PJ focuses on the action, the characters and developing the narrative panel by panel. Composition, angle and perspective are all powerful tools he uses to convey the drama and keep the audience focused on the message.

Key software

Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint.

Style

PJ works in a modern comic book style, with urban and Pop Art influences, using thin line art as the basis of his images, fine tuning the emotion through colour, texture and lighting values.