Hi there! I’m Val Armanelli, and this is a space where I share a bit of my creative process with you!
But first, I’d love to introduce myself properly and tell you a little more about who I am.
I’m a Cancer sun, Pisces rising, and Scorpio moon — I think. I was born at home, so no one really knows exactly what time I came into the world. My mom has told me four different times, and my birth certificate lists a fifth one that’s completely different.
So... I checked out all the possible birth charts, picked the one that felt the most like me, and just went with it.
Other than that, I graduated from UFMG with a degree in Visual Arts (with a focus in Drawing), and I have ADHD — though you probably already knew that part.
But did you know my real name is actually Vitória?
Yep. Today, secrets are being revealed.
The nickname “Val” started as a school joke. One of my best friends is named Paloma Alves Nunes, and she had shortened her name to label her school supplies — PAN. I thought it was cute and started calling her that. She didn’t love it, but me, in my 13-year-old genius moment, thought it was hilarious.
I tried to do the same with my name, but it didn’t come out quite as charming as PAN. Still, I didn’t give up. I played around with the letters, moved things here and there, until I landed on VAL (the original initials? You’ll never know). I liked it and started calling myself that.
Yes, I know — giving yourself a nickname is a little pathetic. But the following year, I switched schools and introduced myself as Val. I started signing all my drawings that way, and eventually... the nickname stuck.
Today, most people are shocked to learn that my name is actually Vitória — not Valkyrie, Valeria, Valdirene, or Walter (yes, really). But anyway, you get the idea.
Now that the shock of my not-so-obvious name has passed, let’s talk a bit about this blog.
Since this space is all about sharing my artistic process, it feels only fair to tell you how little Vitória became the Val you know today.
I took a long time to learn how to read and write — at least a year longer than most kids my age. Everyone around me was frustrated because I couldn’t even write my own name. But in return, I drew all the time.
After many failed attempts, my uncle — who knew I was obsessed with fairies, witches, and magical creatures — gave me a book called The Secret of the Fairies. He only told me the title and nothing about the story. I became obsessed. From that moment on, I decided I would learn to read just so I could finally uncover the secret of the fairies.
It was the first book I ever read by myself — and after that, I never stopped. I needed to learn to read so I could set the stories trapped inside books free.
And now you might be wondering why I’m telling you the story of how I learned to read.
The answer is simple:
It’s all about stories.
Since then, everything I’ve done has been driven by that same desire — to tell stories.
Every course, every professional step I’ve taken — it’s all about storytelling.
Whether through images, through words, or a mix of both — it’s always been about telling stories.
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