Who was FRED?!

Did you know that the Créu Cats actually had a human friend, back in the 2000s? That's right. His name was Fred. Here's the actual description from the vintage Créu Official Site:

"FRED, short for Frederico, is a 12 year old boy with light blue hair who loves animals. On his free time, Fred volunteers at a cat shelter.

He is the foster parent of the Créu Cats, with Créu being his permanent and loyal best Cat friend. When Fred grows up, he wants to work as a game programmer."

So yes. Fred was awesome. And he was able to talk to the Cats too! Like, who wouldn't want a friend like Fred??

However, as the purpose and focus shifted to Créu Cats' existing to decorate the Web with their cuteness, Fred didn't quite fit the narrative anymore. I mean, he was cute, but he wasn't a cat. He would kinda mess up the whole "Créu Cats" chemistry. It reminds me of when I'd watch old gen My Little Pony and freaked out a little when a human showed up... It just felt kinda weird and out of place. Even though Fred had the absolute best intentions, the Cats just didn't quite need him anymore.

Anyway. To break the ice, here's some EXCLUSIVE images of Fred, circa 2000, when PriVer was still a teen. Remember, there were NO YouTube tutorials or Instagram art tips back then, only magazines!

So there you have it. Say, would you like to see Fred make a comeback too?? Would he be all grown up now, or still a kid? What would he say?!

Fred. Friend. Forever. Gone but not forgotten.

PS: There have been reports of MORE secret Créu characters from back in the day. Anyone from the old days remember who they were? They may or may not make a comeback at some point... ;)

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Frequently Asked Questions

I have been receiving a lot of questions since the launch of An Apology to my Fans. So I thought it’d be fun to do a FAQ series!!

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(top question!)

Q: Will you be making more videos? When will they be released?

A: Yes! I have entire line of ideas I’d like to bring to life! Some videos will be simpler and shorter, while others will be more of a production. I have a full-time job which demands a lot of creativity, in addition to figuring out this new pipeline and creating other Créu things, so it’s a bit difficult to predict exactly how long it will be between each new video. I think after one or two more uploads we will have a better answer! But they will be happening 😀

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Q: Are you a team of people?

A: While I’m honored some people perceive myself as an entire team of artists, all of PriVer is actually maintained by one person, just me! So this is why things currently take a little long... That said, I do have help from amazing friends! For example, the incredible musician Theo Nogueira - who will be coming back to compose more soundtracks for Créu Cat videos! - and the folks over at ToonBoom!

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Q: Why did you stay away for so long?

A: I made the Apology for Fans in the hopes that it could better answer this question. And while the message is clear, people have asked for more details. As you can imagine, it's a looong story. Basically, I’ve decided to focus solely on my professional career after graduating University, and also had to deal with other personal life events, some unfortunately quite depressing. Thankfully, many fans could understand and relate!

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Q: Are you Brazilian or American? Why do you only speak English now?

A: Born and raised in Brazil, been in the USA since 2007 - in fact, I'm now a Permanent Resident!

As far as language, I find I'm able to respond to a broader audience in English. My entire life is also now in the US, while my heart will always be in Brazil 💛💚

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Q: Why did you have Créu come back as a Site, and not an app? By the way, you should add some games!!

A: The Créu Official Site was always meant to be a Site, like an old school "Template Shop" where fans can find cute things to decorate their computer and blogs.

Creating an app is actually incredibly time-consuming! I had to learn everything myself to create the Créu Cat Stickers App (thankfully the iPhone version was much easier!). So if making one simple app as a single person is tough, just imagine an entire game!

Remember, I want to create only high quality content, so it will be worth waiting for good Créu games and apps in the future (I certainly dream about it!)

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Q: What programs do you use?

A: My everyday choices are ToonBoom Harmony Premium, Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Procreate!

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Q: Is Créu Cats for kids? Or adults?

A: It's for everyone! 😄 I don't make cartoons with any age group in mind. I just love making them and hope others will enjoy, be inspired and have fun. That's our philosophy at Pixar too.

All my work will always be PG, with a hint of quirky and weird :)

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Q: Did your cats inspire you to create Créu?

A: My cats (and all cats) inspire me everyday!! 😺 That said, growing up we did have a black cat actually named Petita (which can be a friendly nickname for "little black").

Here's a picture of Petita circa 1997!

The OG Petita

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Q: So what inspires you to make art?

A: It's tough to pinpoint the specifics, I just LOVE drawing, animating, creating! I have been developing characters, stories and even products ever since I was a little girl.

I do have my biggest inspirations, such as Disney movies (favorite Disney movie is the original The Lion King, and Pixar is Monsters Inc!), not to mention just life in general :)

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Q: How do you animate? How do you make your animation so smooth?

A: "How" someone animates can be a broad question! It involves a process of planning a scene, with thumbnails and/or acting; then we move to a "blocking" pass, filling the "breakdowns" and "inbetweens" (drawings between the poses). The scene is basically considered "final" when the director says so. This process is similar for any animation medium and any studio.

As far as making it "smooth", it's a combination of attention to Spacing and Timing, together with polishing the details. For the Créu videos, which uses Puppet animation, a lot of the "inbetweens" are automatic, but it's required to "massage" them in order to improve the motion.

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Q: When did you start animating? How did you start?

A: I started playing with animation when I was about 14. I created my own light table (for 2D animation) from scratch with a lamp and piece of glass! Then I started venturing into the computer with Windows Movie Maker 😆

It wasn't until I was 16 years old when I took my first real animation classes - and so my career had begun!

I will add some of my old characters here and on www.instagram.com/privertamatti so stay tuned ;)

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Q: How did you get into Pixar? How is it like to work there?

A: Yes, it's amazing!! I'm extremely grateful to be a part of the Pixar Animation team. But yes, it wasn't easy. I spent days and nights heavily focusing on my animation student portfolio (in Animation we call it "demo reel"). Before I graduated I actually attended the Disney Summer Internship, which of course was wonderful! Upon graduation, I applied for the Pixar Animation Internship and have stayed there ever since :) PS: My first movie was Monsters University!

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Q: I want to pursue animation! What's your advice? Can I show you my reel?

A: Yes, I'm always glad to offer advice! Usually it is better to send a reel or portfolio so I can see. It may just take me a while to respond, as I have a pretty busy schedule. But my go-to source for starting in Animation is Richard William's Survival Kit - THE BEST! I also can't recommend enough drawing from life, drawing animals, anatomy, clothed figures, sculpting, studying other arts, etc.

Expanding your horizons will always make you a better artist! ❤

YOU ARE THE BEST

I have been absolutely amazed by the love and support from all of you, the fans! Seriously, I am completely speechless. I have always wanted to come back to this Internet world, but... The truth is, I had no idea how you would receive me. I was scared. Nervous!

And now? What I have found is love, understanding, compassion, inspiration, funny comments, great conversation... I have even received letters full of emotion and drawings welcoming us back. And most importantly, you have forgiven me!! ^_^

I have rediscovered how truly amazing fans you all are. I am sincerely grateful for all of you! Your amazing support is more than anything I could ever hope for!

So thank you! To all of you who have been fans since the beginning, have patiently been waiting for the return of Créu, and all our new fans!

HONORARY MENTIONS

So! Whenever I receive a FanArt, my heart jumps with joy. It truly brightens up my day! I admire each of them. There’s also been a few uploads which may not exactly look FanArt, but they caught myeye

Check it ourt! Characters in the “PriVer” style!

This welcome back drawing particularly made me giggle :)

Just one little thing! Always make sure to review our Terms of Service when designing FanArt, ok? :)

WAIT… CRÉU IS ON SOCIAL MEDIA?!

I know, I know. But I can’t believeeeeeee we’ve been away from you guys for so long! Yes, we are still catching up with this ever changing world of the Internet - and only now discovering this wonderful community of artists, animation fans and cat lovers. Not to mention it’s just fun for Pri to share all the other artsy things she does.

Make sure to follow to see more of us! ^_^

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/privertamatti/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/creucat/