My story: Formettes and Me.

Inspired by the beauty of the city and grateful for its welcoming spirit, I made it the main subject of my paintings, featuring views of Lisbon framed by painted borders imitating azulejos. Painting these repetitive motifs soon led me to create a small shape cut from a piece of hard plastic packaging to help me trace them quickly and consistently.

Thus, the first Formette was born! I discovered that it could be used infinitely to create almost limitless combinations of patterns from a single shape. I tested the Formette with both children and adults in experimental workshops and observed how it significantly enhanced their concentration and satisfaction. The success of these workshops encouraged me to develop the Formette into a kit form.

Alongside these experiments, I continued technical research to find the best material and refine every detail of production. The first Formettes were made of plexiglass at my neighborhood's Fablab, but the laser cutting burned them, and they were too thick to trace angles effectively.

It was in France that the new version was made in thin transparent plastic with markers, produced in a run of fifty units. During my now regular workshops, I sold them to participants who wanted to purchase them, realizing that the presentation—in a clear plastic pouch with a pencil and instructions—did not enhance my product nor align with my ethical and ecological values.

I also wanted to package the Formette itself, which needed to be made of plastic, in a cardboard box and add a sketchbook with a few examples, instructions, and a pencil. Thanks to an article about my work in Le Lisboète magazine, I met a sourcing company that helped manufacture my kits in China! The minimum production was 500 kits, and funding became an issue.

The solution was a crowdfunding campaign in April 2019 on Kiss Kiss Bank Bank, which had many positive outcomes. The new Lisbon Collection XL kit was released in October 2020. The kit is now made entirely in Portugal using recycled and recyclable materials.