About the Artist
Work
Vanessa Bettencourt is the author and illustrator of the following books:
Graphic Novels:
Polly and the Black Ink Book 1-5
Novels:
Coming soon:
Notfrombrazil - Last Summer Vacation Before Quarantine - Release August 2021
Never Give Up - Workbook - September 2021
Lost Valley Series - (TBA temporary title - Sylvanna)
Whisperers and Keepers - The Silver Stone Challenge
Notfrombrazil - 2022
Working on a Game
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Where can I buy your books?
All my books area available on Amazon. For signed and doodled copies contact me ahead of time.
vanessabettencourtart@gmail.com
Are you an illustrator or an author?
I'm both. Writing helps me create new characters and worlds, and drawing makes want to write new stories.
I started to to take both skills seriously at the age of thirteen.
Years later, I worked as a freelance professional illustrator for big publishers in my country (Portugal) while I taught English and art in public schools.
I illustrated covers for the Portuguese editions of famous books like Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Portuguese author Vera de Vilhena.
Now I've been working on new projects and games with my better half.
I love your artwork. Will you draw my characters, book cover, graphic novels or children's books?
It makes me very happy that you consider my work. For now you can collect my artwork with my artbooks, merch, prints, stickers, or commission me an original Artist Card (watercolor or ink) see examples here. I will announce when I'll reopen commissions.
Would you teach me how to draw my children's books?
Sure. I accept private students (online only). For more info contact vanessabettencourtart@gmail.com
What are your main influences?
Fantasy illustration, comic books and animation. These are just some of the books that played an important part in my life: Neverending Story, The Hobbit, Chronicles of Prydain, A Wizard of Eartsea, Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance Series... and many more. As for animation: Studio Ghibli and Saillor Moon.
Was Polly and the Black Ink your first book?
It was the first project that I decided to publish so I could understand how self-publishing worked. Polly and the Black Ink is a recent project though.
Although the process of publication using KDP doesn't quite translate from a graphic novel to a novel, it helped me to grasp the concept and understand better the different stages. After experimenting with 9 graphic novel books, I felt ready to push forward and publish my first middle-grade novel with more than 200 illustrations (Beyond the Cliff and Courage). I'm excided to share more soon.
Did you go to college?
Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa - Linguas e Literaturas Modernas Ingles/ Portugues ( Portuguese and English Literature)
Universiade Autonoma de Lisboa - Ciencias de Educacao (like a... Teacher's License)
Sociedade de Belas Artes - Pintura e Desenho (Painting and Live Drawing)
Faculdade de Belas Artes - Pintura e Escultura (Fine Arts and Scupture)
What about sports?
One day I was very sad so I decided to try Kendo in a dojo in Lisbon. When I realized, years later, I was representing Portugal in the Kendo European Championship in Bern. Sometimes things like that happen.
Fun Facts:
I wrote my first book when I was about ten years old. I chased people around the house, reading it out loud. They still quote passages from that project. "It's a sign! It's a sign!"
I never stopped writing. I wrote daily until I was 20s. Nowadays, I always keep a notebook with me.
While working as a teacher and a professional illustrator, I kept writing and finishing manuscripts, but never had the confidence to share them with the public.
I finally feel that I'm in that place.
At first, I wrote only in Portuguese; then I started to write only in English.
I have a few manuscripts finished that need to be edited and published. The polishing is about 80% of work to do.
All Past Events and publications:
2020 Quarantine - Working on 4 series while teaching zoom art classes all year long.
September - Art Teacher (After School Program Young Rembrandts - Several public schools is Chicago)
September 2019 - Titans Island - Sally's Quest - Graphic novel release
June 1 2019 - Book Signing - Challengers Comic book Chicago
January 2019 - Polly&Paws 4 a Better World campaign (4 Seasons - stickers fundraising for the Lincoln Zoo)
2019 - Dosmestika - Online Courses ( Cartoon and Children's Books)
2018- One year of Schoolism self-taught classes ( Andrew Hou, Bobby Chiu, Victoria Ying, Thomas Fluharty, Nathan Fowkes, Jason Seiler and watercolor )
December 11 2018 - Published Beyond the Cliff and Courage
July 15 2018 - Published Volume II NotfromBrazil
March 31 2018 - Awesome Con Artist Alley Washington DC
March 11 2018 - Beatley Library Alexandria - Book signing
December 4 2017 - Published Polly and the Black Ink volume 5
October 9 2017 - Del Ray Street Festival
September 23 2017 - Beatley Library Alexandria Fall Festival - Live Drawing
September 16 -17 2017 - Small Press Expo
September 9 2017 - Hooray for Books - Local Author Book Signing
June 2017 - Awesome Con Dc Artist Alley Washington DC
May 2017 - Hooray for Books - Workshop "How to draw a hero and a villain"
May 2017 - Hooray for Books - Local Author Book Signing
August 30 2017 - Published Polly and the Black Ink volume 1
August 28 2017 -Published Polly and the Black Ink volume 4
February 2017 - Katsucon Artist Alley Maryland
April 25, 2017 - Published Polly and the Black Ink volume 3
February 5 2017 - Published Polly and the Black Ink volume 2
September 10 2016- Published Polly and the Black Ink volume 1
July 2016 - Workshop "How to draw a comic strip" Duncan Branch Library in Alexandria
June 2016 - Awesome Con Artist Alley Washington DC
Past events in Portugal:
September 2015 Book Signing (as an illustrator) - Publisher Verbo - Author Vera de Vilhena
July 2014 Lisbon Book Fair (as an illustrator) - Publisher Verbo - Author Vera de Vilhena
December 2012 Festas de Almada - Musical - Stage designer
August 2012 -2013 - A turma - educational project and show for kids including children's book.
July 2009 -2011 Book Fair (as an illustrator) - Publisher Objectiva
2004- 2009 - Kendo
Teacher - 2002 to 2014 - Escola Poeta Joaquim Serra, Escola Louro Artur
2007- 2009 - Fine Arts - Painting & Sculpture - Faculdade Belas Artes de Lisboa
2004-2007 -Drawing & Painting - Sociedade de Belas Artes de Lisboa
1997 - 2003 - Portuguese and English Literature + Education - Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa
Contact me for an event at your location with Polly and the Black Ink a free drawing demonstration.
vanessabettencourtart@gmail.com
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