Carmela Caldart x Stylist Magazine

Carmela Caldart is no stranger to depicting badass femme forms. So, when Stylist Magazine wanted to illustrate a piece about the rise of the antiheroine, Carmela crafted her characters with some real ‘don’t f**k with me’ energy.

With three briefs to tackle, the TDF artist executed each in her distinctive style, showcasing powerful characters that purposefully dominate the compositions. “My characters tend to have direct eye contact with the viewer and are often serious – if they smile, it’s usually more of a smirk,” Carmela tells us. “They also take up a lot of space in the composition, which adds to the feeling of presence and strength that I want to communicate.”

From dagger-weilding womxn to looks that could kill, Carmela’s artworks tap into the multi-faceted antiheroines and complex storylines we all love to see (TDF included). “My favourite TV shows are the ones that feature messy, intriguing, vengeful female leads,” she says, “so it was exciting to create illustrations that encompass that theme.”

Carmela’s work brings a new dimension to our growing demand for watching (and living vicariously through) these uncompromising women. “I enjoy illustrating people who don’t cater to what is expected of them – they can exist with their unflinching gazes and their powerful postures, without having to fit a mould or make themselves small,” she tells TDF. “I think illustration is a wonderful way to communicate that confidence and power, so I love that this is a recurring theme in my commissions.”