HAT ART

It´s time to adopt!

Nowadays there are plenty of celebrities and other famous people with an entire nature and animal awareness. They claim through their social networks the importance of not shopping but adopting a pet!   A significant number of them post almost every week a picture of the beloved member of the family. As an example we can find on the Instagram of the singer Miley Cyrus, the multiple images of her entire adopted pets or also the Australian Shepherd dog that the actress Amanda Segfried rescued:

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There are a lot of animal shelters all around the world, that takes care of abandoned or bad-treated dogs and cats. In Ecuador for example we have the “Rescate Animal”, “Arca”, “PAE” or “Fada” foundations, where many volunteers move heaven and earth to obtain collaborations and donations.

Last year in Ecuador we have an event that moved every one of us in multiple ways! The earthquake of the 16th April, leave not only many losses and damages , but also a lot of pets without protection.  The Rescate animal´s foundation started a campaign to give all this loving pets a new home!

Ecua-Andino released four years ago, an entire collection focused on them; the name was “Pet Art collection” and was dedicated to all this beloved members of the family who takes care of ourselves and give us their company 24/ 7 hours a day!  The company was aware of the importance of adopting, so they started last year an alliance with this foundation, where every person who adopts immediately received one hand painted hat. That stimulated many to not only gain a brand new hat, but also to keep this beautiful memory of connecting visually their pet with an accessory in their heads!

In this month the foundation made a special work day for any people who wanted to adopt . They received one iconic Ecuadorian hat!

The experience was really marvelous and it was pretty relaxing and calming to see a lot of dogs moving freely by the place.

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credits: Simpol ei

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HAT ART

A blue butterfly named «Luz»

The people who are really close to me know that I started to read influenced by my grandpa’s figure. He had a very big library where I could take any book! During my childhood and adolescence I also received a lot of books with a special signature “para la chinita lectora (for the Chinese reader)” When I graduated of the school I knew that all I wanted was to study something related with the words and fictional worlds.

Last year my father showed me the beautiful song “Mariposa Azul” of one youngest Ecuadorian singer and composer based in New York City named Luz Pinos. In her early years, Luz grew up exposed to a lot of South American pop and traditional music. Since the age of 3 she was singing and dancing to every song she ever heard. She followed her passion and graduated as a contemporary dancer in Guayaquil, Ecuador then decided to move to NYC and persue her carreer as a profesional singer. After finishing her degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music Luz found her own original sound and way of turning her personal stories into, compositions influenced by Ecuadorian and South American rhythms. ( taken from: http://luzpinos.com/)

When her grandpa passed away she decided to made this beautiful song about him, the moment I heard the song it I was immediately touched by her softly voice and the meaning behind every word of the lyric. Later we had a meeting with Luz and then started the collaboration between Ecua-Andino and she, the resolution was that for every special people she knows she will gave them a marvelous hat with a painted blue butterfly on it.

She presented her last single “Mozo” in Guayaquil and was a totally success, you can see here pictures of the event and a recompilation of her entire presentation. I attended her intimate concert and the connection between Luz and the audience was pretty magic! I´m sure she is a totally rising star!

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Luz and I posing for the picture

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HAT ART

Gabriela Moncayo, an emerging Ecuadorian illustrator

Hellooo,

Today I want to share with you a special interview, I made recently to a member of our big family here in Ecua-Andino. Her name is Gabriela Moncayo and she studies at this moment Audiovisual and Multimedia Communication in the Casa Grande University, here in Guayaquil/Ecuador. She is the magnificent illustrator that has been made these drawings/animations that you probably saw in our Instagram/Facebook profile. It´s unique talent helps her to create wonderful animated stories!

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At what age did you start drawing?

In fact I would say that at the age of 1, I remember I did a painting and filled with paint stains.

How do you decide for your carrier?

Even tough I wanted at the beginning to study animation, I do not research very well.  So I finally decided for this carrier and I learned to do many more things such as emotion graphics. Also I found that I like editing and post-production, so I could expand my mind beyond animation.

¿Do you have a favourite illustrator or someone as a reference for your own work?

I love Raindrop Memory, and also like Ilya Kuvshinov, although what he does not look like anything of my work, but I admire him a lot.  I also really like Yotam Perel, who is an Israeli animator and illustrator.

Do you think you have your own style or all your illustrations are mixture of style?

It’s a mix of everything I’ve seen and I love since childhood. Well , when I was a teenager and I started to get more involved with the Internet content.  I could see illustrators from around the world. While I was discovering my own style I took pieces of what I liked most of the others, because that’s what happens when you see someone you like, you tend to attract to them.

I know it’s a cliché question, but do you find inspiration when illustrating something or you just let the art run across you?

When I am making stories, like animations, I like to hear music. Always before I develop an  idea, I normally found a song that totally catches my attention. I am very visual, I imagine a story in my mind and sometimes I like to turn them into animations.

How do you see the development of illustration in Ecuador? Or is still to much to reach the vision that it has internationally?

Well, both. In Ecuador is still the storytelling in the animation not exploited, or I have seen that they are totally commercial things. There is only advertising and animation programs for children, but not beyond like in other countries.

How did the idea of collaborating with Ecua-Andino emerge?

Three months ago I was in Europe, because I went to an interuniversity exchange with my best friend. When we finished classes, we made an Eurotrip and I accompanied her to the hats shows in Germany. While others looked what they sold, I sat down and started to draw girls with Ecua-Andino Hats and then I show them to Alejandro, Alejandra and Claudia. They really liked.  I did the draw with a pencil and then painted in my cellphone, in fact it was very spontaneous, unprofessional or unelaborated. Then they contacted me and from there I started working with them.

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If you want to know more about her work, take a look to her page: https://www.behance.net/gabbimoncayo

Leave me any comments you have,

Andrea

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HAT ART

Panama Hat DIY

We can all recognize the classic outline  of a Panama Hat. In fact, it might be the only hat model with the natural/beige color and shape completely sticked on our mind…but what happens when we decide to take this singular hat and make an entire change with it?

In 2013, Ecua-Andino organized during a whole week few events that promoted artistic activities around our iconic hat, the event was named “Sombrero-Arte” and took place in our Central Arts Theatre. The main purpose of this gathering was to showcase our cultural heritage and artistic background.

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Here is a quote from Carole and Nigel, journalists from the legendary English Hat Magazine:

”The evening brought together a rare combination of talents, and the hats decorated and worn by the audience far exceeded the expectations of the judging panel. Eventually six finalist were chosen, and from these a winner! The programme of song, poetry and music, combined to make this a unique evening of friendship and cultural artistry, based on a heritage”

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There are so many possibilities for your inner expression, and you do not need to be the greatest painter on earth or the next Van Gogh. Everyone has a lot of or a little bit of creativity, so why don’t you try it out…use some art materials, choose a Panama Hat and start to decorate it?

 

Soon I will be posting a picture of my very own one!

 

 

Keep in touch!

Andrea Lecaro

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