Oficina Loba is a screenprinting studio founded in 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, by illustrators Gonçalo Constanza and Gonçalo Duarte. The duo shared a passion for screenprinting, and decided to name their practice ‘Loba’ meaning ‘She Wolf’ in Portuguese as a reference to the creation of Rome, with the two brothers Romulus and Remus being fed by a she-wolf. “It can sound a bit pretentious but we both wanted to create something really special. Loba sounded like the perfect name.”
In November 2020, Gonçalo Duarte left the studio. Today, Gonçalo Constanza runs the studio as a one-man-band by taking care of all the creative directions, choosing artists to collaborate with, and taking charge of the day-to-day running of the studio.
Gonçalo first learnt to screenprint during his MA in Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts. “Being such a versatile technique with a wide range of different applications attracted me at first. So during my masters my favourite days of the week were the ones that I could spend printing,” describes the printmaker.
Loba specialises in screenprinting on both paper and textiles. Besides producing their own prints, Gonçalo also prints work for other artists on commissioned projects. “Our business model is quite different from other studios here in Portugal. You can find people printing just on paper or on textile, but not many doing both as in Loba. Besides that we do both individual and group workshops, now on stand-by for Covid reasons,” says Gonçalo.
Recently, he has been exploring printing patterns on flat pieces of fabric, and then building beautiful shirts and dresses. He explains; “It is definitely something that I’m excited to continue doing, even though it’s a really difficult process. That is another differential element of Loba which makes me really proud.”
The studio is also where Gonçalo showcases his illustrative work. His works are all drawn by hand before working on the colours and preparing the images for print on Photoshop. He takes a different creative approach for posters and t-shirts. For posters he works monotonously and in detail, and for t-shirts he simplifies his drawings. However, whatever he is designing, there is always a surrealistic element to it.
Gonçalo hopes to keep on promoting screenprinting as a unique printing technique, surprising his audience with unexpected prints and apparel. He concludes; “I want Loba to be the place for both big and smaller artists to find a platform to showcase their talent”.
@oficina.loba
www.oficinaloba.com
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