Swendly Benilia
FORCE Drawing Instructor & Character Designer

​I was born in Willemstad, Curaçao on December 17th 1985. For as long as I can remember I've been creating characters in my mind. At first I wanted to become a comic book artist, but after discovering that there was someone drawing the environments and characters from all the cool video games I was playing, I decided to pursue a career in concept art.

In 2004 I moved to the Netherlands in order to study Industrial Design at The Hague University. After two years I realized it was not quite what I was looking for, so I switched to Game Design & Development at the Utrecht School of Art and Technology from which I graduated in 2011 with a BA degree and a specialization in concept art for video games.
Since drawing people and inventing characters is one of my greatest passions in life, I chose to further specialize in designing and illustrating characters.

"In my journey as an artist, I've learned that there are three major keys for success in any endeavor: wisdom, knowledge and understanding."

So besides drawing and designing I make sure to keep learning and expanding my knowledge on a daily basis, especially by reading good books. (I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve always hated reading, but I learned to like it once I tested it and saw the big difference it made in both my art and my life in general. Nowadays I read an average of two books a month on design or any other subject I want to learn about. To help give you a little motivation, just imagine the impact it would have on your life if you expand your knowledge with 24 books a year! Like they say, leaders are readers.)

As if that wasn’t enough, I also have a passion for teaching. My mentor, Michael Mattesi, has given me the honor to help him teach his FORCE Drawing method. His teachings brought my drawing and design skills to levels I didn't even dream of achieving in such a short time, and it's a great pleasure to help other artists level up their skills!

"My purpose in life is to be a person of value and make a significant contribution to the world by refining and serving my creative gift and inspire others to do the same."

"Clarity is power!"