We occasionally get contacted by artists from around the world about interviewing them. When Kruella d’Enfer contacted us with a link to her portfolio…we didn’t know what to expect. What we found was an assortment of amazing and colorful images that had to be shared. We are honored to be able to interview Kruella d’Enfer and introduce her to you. Enjoy.

Tell us the story behind the name Kruella d’Enfer?

Simple. I like villains, mafia movies, bad guys, bad girls, so I chose Kruella, because of Cruella de Vil, from 101 Dalmatians…its an awesome name. Kruella d’Enfer its the french translation for Cruella de Vil…it sounds better in french!! ahah

What city do you call home?

Tondela, one of the smallest cities in the center of Portugal. I lived there my whole life. I have a farm with lots of dogs, horses, ducks…all that farm animals. I currently live near Lisbon, in a city called Caldas da Rainha, small town as well, but I like it a lot. I’ve lived here for about 3 years now…I have my studio, my boyfriend, friends…it’s my second home.

What came first, street art, fine art, or graphic design?

Fine art. In high school I learned how to paint with oil, acrylics, watercolors, engrave works, sculpture…but then I went to college for interior design…about a year ago I realized that I loved to draw and paint.

How did you originally get started doing street art?

My boyfriend, who is an awesome artist as well, introduced me to street art…he has a graffiti background and use to paint a lot…so he asked me to give it a try, write my name on the walls and I loved it. So since then, sometimes we paint with friends, but sometimes its just us two…its kinda romantic ahahah.

How does street art influence your design work and how does your design work influence your street art?

Both ways give me new ideas for my work, but in my graffiti projects, I use a lot more letters than I use in my paintings, and in my paintings I use a lot of characters and scenarios…I guess I’m more comfortable when using simple drawings on the wall, and complex drawings on the paper.

Graphic design vs painting?

Painting…nothing beats handmade.

What keeps you motivated and fuels your creativity?

Mostly the feedback from other people, but I also enjoy doing things for myself…sometimes I feel so proud about works I created recently that I wouldn’t have imagined creating a few years ago.

Can you walk us through your creative process?

Sometimes it’s very complex. Let me give you an example; Image that somebody asks me do the a piece that involves cats…first, I search all over the Internet or books, about every kind of cat, their history, their colors, their races, etc. Then I collect a few images, like an image reference depository in my computer. Then I use them to help bring ideas into my sketches and brainstorm about how they could look my final work…do some color testing…finally I start the work, but sometimes at last minute I have this brilliant idea to do something totally different that I had thought it would be…so I say to myself “lets start again.”

Posca paint pens or Sharpie markers?

I personally prefer Posca…they give that kind of acrylic touch to the works, I love it. I think I use them in most or maybe in all of my works!! Can’t live without Posca anymore!

Mac vs PC?

Noooooooooo, not this questionnnn…

What artists inspire you?

I have loads of inspirational artists. I’m just going to name it a few; Crispy Copper, Finsta, Theo Wellsworth, Elzo, Remed, Grems, tattoo artists, and so on…

What art exhibits do you have lined up for the rest 2011?

I was invited to participate in a collective exhibition in Brazil at the end of the year, but my boyfriend and I our curating an exhibition in Portugal until the beginning of the next year with lots of amazing artists…It will be huge.

Is there anything else about you that you would like the world to know?

Just visit my website, kruelladenfer.com and follow the latest news and adventures on my Facebook fan page.

Hope you enjoyed our exclusive interview with artist Kruella d’Enfer. Make sure to check her out at kruelladenfer.com.