Using pencils, watercolours and ink, Melbourne artist Chantal De Sousa creates playful, girlie illustrations that have featured on everything from makeup packaging to album art. Her latest mission: create a 3-D art installation for Sportsgirl’s superflagship store at Bourke Street.

Having fun with the idea of fashion and dress-ups, Chantal created amazing life-sized dolls for the store space, which you can check out at the store until November 9. We were lucky enough to catch up with Chantal and talk art, creativity and the  Sportsgirl installation.

Sportsgirl: Hi Chantal! We were super excited to have you create an installation for our Bourke St store!

Chantal De Sousa: Thank you! I couldn’t have done it without the mastermind behind the window, Gloss Creative. They had the idea and chose me to create the illustrations. It’s one of the highlights of my career.

SG: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

CDS: I’m a freelance illustrator based in Melbourne. I have created illustrations for a range of publications, cosmetic packaging, advertising campaigns and album covers (and now window installations!). I love to draw and feel very fortunate that I’m able to put all the things that inspire me into my work. It’s the best job.

SG: How did you get involved with Sportsgirl and the in-store installation?

CDS: I have worked with Gloss Creative on and off for around 5 years, usually creating visuals to present to their clients. They know that I like to draw in many different styles and I’m not afraid of anything new or challenging, so they chose me to illustrate their vision.

SG: Can you describe the idea behind “who still plays with dolls”? 

CDS: Well, I do still play with dolls in one way or another! I love the tactile quality of dolls whether they are 30cm or 180cm! I’m inspired by dolls from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s - the way they look and the merchandise associated to them. The phrase is also a play on the sheer size of the dolls in the installation. The whole point of them is to interact and touch them, which I have done!

SG: What is the inspiration behind the piece?

CDS: The illustrations were inspired by the look of the Bradley fashion dolls of the 1970s – big-eyed dolls usually wearing Victorian costumes. Now people are modifying them and adding quirkier clothes to them. We decided to give them a new twist by giving them up-to-date fashion and an edgier illustration style and putting them in a theme park environment.

SG: How were the dolls constructed?

CDS: Many people worked on creating these dolls. I created the illustrations, they were then enlarged to their actual size, printed on to canvas then sewn and stuffed with wadding. Basically like making a stuffed toy or pillow on a grander scale.

SG: You also do some absolutely gorgeous illustrations; I imagine the process is quite different for 3-D work! Is this a new medium for you?

CDS: This is the first time any of my work has been 3-D. I just needed to illustrate a front and back, so it wasn’t too difficult. I would love to do more work in 3-D. My usual artwork is in pencil, ink and watercolours, quite different to the windows, but it would be great to see that in 3-D at some point.

SG: What was the best thing about the whole process?

CDS: Seeing the final installation. I’ve never seen my illustrations at that size before in such a public space. The process of researching and creating the illustrations was quite fast and hectic, which is a great way to work sometimes! I also love seeing people interact with the installation and knowing I was a part of it.

SG: It’s a different experience to engage with art in a store as opposed to a gallery – what appealed to you about reaching that audience? 

CDS: I’ve never had my work in a gallery. I’m yet to experience that but I hope to do that soon! I think it’s a great idea to take art to the people. Bourke Street is such a public space and the window is hard to miss! It’s great to see people walk past and then stop to go in to have a look at them further. I hope there will be more engaging windows like this in Melbourne in the future. I instantly feel happier when I see a shop that has taken the effort to create a lovely window. You need to draw people in and more often than not you need more than a nice dress to do that.

SG: How would you describe your style?

CDS: I don’t feel I have a signature style as such. I love to work in many mediums, but I have a recurring theme of drawing young women and fashion. The work I usually create for clients are fashion based or people orientated. At the moment I love using a combination of pencil, inks and watercolours, and occasionally collage.

SG: How long did the installation take to complete?

CDS: It took me around two days to create the illustrations and then another week for Gloss to print, sew and hang up the graphics and dolls. An evening was spent hanging up the graphics and dolls.

SG: What advice would you give to young people who would like to move into the art world?

CDS: I’m still trying to figure this one out! I think it’s important to try and get your work in the public eye as much as you can. Send your work to magazines or designers or anyone you like or admire in the creative field because you never know when you’ll get that plum job. Sometimes you’re involved with jobs that aren’t financially rewarding but the people you meet through that can lead you to a job that may be!

SG: Where can people find more of your work?

CDS: You can see my work on http://www.illustrationroom.com.au/artists/chantel/chantelmore1.shtml and also on my new blog http://chanteldesousa.blogspot.com. I’m in the process of adding more work and hope to have links to a shop where people can buy prints and other merchandise in the future.

SG: Thanks so much for your time, and it's been a real pleasure having you involved with the installation!

CDS:  I feel so blessed to have worked on the Sportsgirl windows. It was something that I only dreamed of before and I’m amazed that it happened. Besides meeting Anna Karina at the film festival, my year can’t get much better!

Check out more of Chantal's gorgeous illustrations below or visit:
http://www.illustrationroom.com.au/artists/chantel/chantelmore1.shtml
http://chanteldesousa.blogspot.com