Rafaela Mascaro's Imperfect Beauty in Illustration and Design

Brazilian designer and illustrator Rafaela Mascaro, based in São Paulo and working under the alias Studio Grand Père, creates art that embraces imperfection, intimacy, and memory. Her work spans illustration, graphic design, and textiles, featuring free lines, female figures, floral motifs, and intuitive colors that prioritize emotion over symmetry. Mascaro's visual universe centers on the female form, intertwining bodies and faces with natural elements and abstract shapes to explore identity and nature. She has collaborated with brands and institutions, including UNICEF, for whom she created illustrations about the many girls within us. Her practice blurs the line between art and design, moving between digital and handmade processes to bring her poetic vision to everyday objects, patterns, and textures. Mascaro's illustrations are described as acts of silent resistance, inviting viewers to slow down, accept irregularity, and find beauty in vulnerability. Her alias Studio Grand Père is a tribute to her maternal grandfather Osvaldo, symbolizing roots and continuity.