Memories from my childhood are a bit hazy for me, but I have a very vivid one of my mom scolding me when I was eight years old for drawing on my wall. I remember feeling very offended that she was being angry at me instead of noticing how well I had drawn that scene. This moment came to mind when I found Rafael Mantesso’s instagram. I know a ton of people whose instagrams consist mostly of pictures of their pet, but Mantesso has taken it to a new level. Living in an empty apartment full of blank white walls and only Jimmy Choo (his pet bull terrier, not the designer) for company, this doodle addict couldn’t control his itch to scribble all over them.
Wherever Jimmy decided to lay down for the afternoon, his owner would follow with black markers and draw amazing scenes around his dog. His doodles themselves are simplistic, but the ideas are clever and humorous in a genius way. So witty that Mantesso’s doodles caught the eye of Sandra Choi, creative director of the Jimmy Choo brand. Charmed by Jimmy Choo the bull terrier and his doodle adventures, she approached Mantesso directly for a collaboration! My inner eight year old is wishing I could have told my mom about this when she said drawing on walls will only get me in trouble.
If you love Rafael and Jimmy’s work, you can pre-order their upcoming book: A Dog Named Jimmy!
