Careers in art rarely follow the plan, and Thales Simonato's began because his brother got bored with a computing course. One family swap introduced him to Photoshop and Illustrator, then 3D, and he's never really looked back. Since then, the Brazilian artist, now based in France, has worked across advertising, film, TV and games, while developing a colourful, stylised approach to character art that's impossible to mistake for anyone else's.
It's also a good reminder that the tools only get you so far. You can spend hours debating the best 3D modelling software or investing in one of the best drawing tablets, but Simonato's work comes back to the same thing every time: strong design, expressive characters and knowing exactly what you want to say before you start clicking buttons.
That doesn't mean he's ignoring the latest tech, far from it. He's fascinated by the explosion of hybrid 2D and 3D workflows, from comic-style linework to painterly textures and watercolour effects, and he's happily beta testing new tools if they help him create faster, not slower. In this interview, he talks about falling into a career by accident, why he no longer equates five-hour renders with great art, and the joy of stylised 3D.
Visit Thales Simonato's ArtStation portfolio.
Creative Bloq: Where did your artistic journey start?
Thales Simonato: It was lucky, really. My brother had signed up for a basic computing course covering Windows, typing, and Office. When it moved on to Photoshop and Illustrator, he lost interest. The school wouldn’t cancel, so my mom swapped him out for me. I finished the course, fell in love with the software, and went straight on to a one-year course focused on 3D. That accidental handover is the only reason I’m doing any of this.
CB: As a young artist, were there worlds, either in movies, comics, art, etc, that gave you a desire to create your own?
TS: When I was young, I was deeply inspired by Pixar and Disney, especially films like Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. Those worlds made me want to build my own, and I was always trying to capture that same look, studying characters and copying frames just to understand what made them feel alive. That obsession with warmth, expression, and a sense of life over pure realism is still the foundation of everything I do today.
CB: What plays in the background while you work – music, podcasts, movies, or something else?
TS: It depends on the mood. A lot of Brazilian music, Valorant gameplay videos, political videos, or a podcast on a specific subject. But when I really need to focus, I switch to white noise, either Noisily, which generates layered ambient soundscapes, or a meditation playlist on Spotify.
CB: Are there any challenges to working in 3D?
TS: For a long time, I thought more was more. I was proud of frames that took five hours to render, like the wait was proof of quality. The real challenge today is doing the opposite: making things simpler but more efficient. Less to render, less to debug, and the art leads the technical decisions instead of the other way around. Keeping up
with new tools is also a constant pressure, but honestly, I love that part.
CB: How has 3D/VFX changed for the better since you’ve been working in it?
TS: The biggest change for me is how much more controlled the 3D look has become. We can now break silhouettes, add expression lines, comic textures, and watercolour effects. The mix between 2D and 3D is a whole new universe, and it’s amazing to be working in it.
CB: Do you have an ongoing passion project?
TS: A few things at once. I’m working on a new character with a lot of clothing, and I’m planning to do all of it inside Fibric Toolset, a new weaving tool that I’m honoured to be beta testing.
CB: What’s your next step in art or life?
TS: On the art side, I’m focusing a lot more on fundamentals and design lately. On the life side, things are about to change in a big way, and family is becoming the priority.
The two run in parallel, but right now my priorities are at home.
