From the beginning the criterion was to choose figures from the history of the world for their timeless relevance rather than for their popularity or any other factor that may distinguish them. The figures in this collection have produced a wide and lasting influence on mankind and the world. Various lists can be found on the Internet, which also nominate historical figures, in a general or sectarian mode (figures from the areas of science, art, etc.) according to the same criterion. Particular emphasis should be given to the list produced by the American astrophysicist Michael H. Hart, author of several publications of a historical universal nature. In his popular book The 100 – A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, Hart embraced the controversial task of classifying in order those he considered to be the 100 most influential people in the history of the world.

Even though it may be difficult to objectively assess their value, these were the lists used as a reference for this collection. Amongst the errors, the injustices and inconsistencies which occur, one can safely say that many of the figures that marked our universal history have been identified.

Once the figures were selected, the Internet proved once again to be useful in the search for their images. In accordance with the time in which they lived, one can find photographs, paintings, sculptures and drawings that represented them, some of which happen to be recreations that have little to do with the image of the real person. In most cases, the images have sufficient quality to be good references for caricature, but there are others in which this does not happen. If any discrepancy in quality between the different drawings can be attributed to the author’s inspiration, then this factor also has to bear considerable weight here.

In most cases, one is able to find a diversity of images of the same person that allows us to clearly recognise their physiognomy and identify both their most prominent and most common expressions.

The drawing begins a long stretch away from what will be its final version. A number of successive drafts are produced for each figure, which evolve slowly, until one is considered good enough to serve as the foundation for the final picture.

In the first sketches, of the various images which were previously researched, only one will eventually be chosen, which will act as a more direct reference, while others may continue to cooperate in the drawing.

It is not always easy to tell when a sketch of a particular figure should be the final one. There are times when it is obvious but other times there seems to be something missing which one cannot quite pinpoint, yet this uncertainty does not always lead to a new draft.

Each sketch takes about an hour to complete and is done with a 3B graphite pencil on a normal A4 sheet. At this stage, the composition or finishing touches are not considered important; all attention is focused on the study of form and expression.

The sketches are organized in cycles. At the beginning of the collection, 84 pictures were selected and the first cycle consisted in drawing all of them. The second cycle was to draw them all again, and the same in the third, fourth, fifth... Meanwhile, the first final sketches began to emerge, and the number of drawings within the cycle began to decline. By the 11th cycle, the number had decreased significantly, which resulted in the integration of a new group of 12 figures. And since then, the process has stabilized, in which you have cycles with a maximum of 60 figures and a new group of 12 sketches every three cycles. At the time this text was written, more than 1,600 sketches have already been produced and the 25th cycle has just been completed. The 26th cycle will have 12 new figures, making a total of 156 pictures in this collection.

Once the drawing phase of the figure has been finalized, it will now be treated in accordance with the final object it is to be integrated into. With the help of the computer, it is scaled to size and its composition is made in the square that will become its final base.

Following this, it is as if there were a new phase of sketches in which the figure that is placed in the square serves as the foundation for the study of the dark shading that will become its background. As in the previous phase, as many shadings as needed are drawn onto this base until a satisfactory result is obtained.

The importance of this shading is twofold: on the one hand it serves to frame the picture more harmoniously in the square, on the other hand, through its varying densities it produces a simultaneous contrast with the opposing areas of light in the picture, which in turn contributes to a clearer reading of its forms.

Once the sketch, composition and background shading are finished, the drawing is printed in its original size. At this point, everything is ready for the start of the next stage.

The final drawing is done on a 50x50cm square sheet of paper. The final draft, scaled to size and composed with the square shape format and background shading, is copied on to another sheet through a translucent cover. Next, the initial lines and shadings are thickened in accordance with the tones of the image of the figure which served as a foundation for the sketches, but in much greater detail. It is a lengthy process, which can exceed 20 hours.

Canson C-a-Grain paper, which is slightly grainy, and Staedtler 6B graphite pencils are used in this process. This combination allows a reasonable flexibility of graphite on paper, with the aid of blending stumps and small towelling cloths. And just as in the sketches, Rotring rubbers cut into small cubes are an effective way not only to erase any errors, but also to open up bright areas in the dark shadings, as if they were white on oil painted canvas.

This is the only stage of this process that has to be done externally, seeing as a large scanner with the quality required for this work is an overly expensive investment. Every so often, the finished drawings are taken to be scanned on a Colortrac GX42 at the Faculty of Architecture of Lisbon, which produces an image of exceptional quality.

The time between the results of the scan and of the final image to be used in the reproductions can be a lengthy one, given that there are always several aspects of the image that need to be corrected. Added to this, decisions concerning the final touches need to be made, which must not compromise the authenticity of the drawings and their manual process.

The drawing sheets are exposed to light for a prolonged time during this period, mainly because there are many pictures being made at the same time, and become yellowed, which then needs to be corrected. The effect the scanner light has on them also needs to be corrected seeing as the natural reflections of the graphite and even pencil marks in these areas become more visible in the denser shadings. This light tends to brighten these darker areas too much, and the natural contrast has to be restored.

In order to use the picture in the reproductions, a slight change of tone is made, which is of a slightly reddish colour. This is chosen to give the picture distinct tone and is also based on the tonality of the paper.

Alongside all the work related to the pictures is the written section, which also begins with research on the Internet. A study of several biographies is made for each figure to assure greater accuracy of facts and of the general assessments made about them. After reading the texts and gaining a sound idea of the essential biography of the figure, a text is prepared which will then accompany the reproductions. The general structure common to all these texts is simple: not to exceed 2000 characters, and to include an opening paragraph which precedes the actual biography, and attempts to explain the importance of the individual in history.

Quotes are also researched for each figure, in which 10 are selected for the prints. This task is not always possible, for not all the figures have had phrases registered. The ephemerides associated with each figure in this collection are also researched. However, there are not intended for the prints, but for the opening page of the site.

All different types of web pages are consulted when researching. Among these are sites on biographies, quotes and ephemerides, cult organizations associated with these figures and thematic sites with historical and biographical sections. The importance of Wikipedia needs to be mentioned here, for it is without doubt the best possible source for all these multiple tasks.

When mounting the various elements of the page, the drawing and its composition in the square are its starting point, and a considerable area is left blank around the shading of the picture for the text to be inserted. These elements are placed discreetly around the picture on a second reading level, so as to avoid overshadowing the picture, which has precedence. These elements include the biography, quotes, the collection logo, technical details and an inner outline of the square, which leaves a space in which to place a frame. A small sticker with the serial number of the product is added to each reproduction.

The final drawing and the final page are also adapted for different means. You can see these diverse versions on the website and in the advertisements on the Google network, in the quarterly newsletter and other medium. Biographies are also abridged for the site, which also includes other texts related to each figure as well as the presentations and polls.

Once all the texts about each figure are written, a «packet» is collected and sent to the co-workers who translate them from the original Portuguese texts into the other languages that are used in the prints and will be used on the site. When all the original documents are assembled, one simply replaces the texts in Portuguese, with minor ajustments, to obtain the translated versions of the prints.

Once all the work involving the production of a figure is completed, it has to be made available to the public. Thus, the pictures are presented on the homepage of the website, with their respective contents, and new ads are produced to promote them on Google. The quarterly newsletter will also feature all the latest figures in the collection.

It is difficult to build up a stock of printed reproductions, given that each picture can have many different products, depending on which of the two sizes and languages are used. Since this stock will necessarily be small, it is likely that the printing is only done once an order is placed. Printing is done on a Canon iPF 8300, with Lucia inks, a high precision large format printer with a range of 12 colours, and using Canson-Infinity Rag Photographique 210 and 310g paper. Once cut and labelled, the reproduction is ready for packaging.

You can read more about the features of these materials and mailing packs in the products section.

The designs are wrapped with a sheet of kraft paper and placed in a plastic sleeve and then into a cardboard tube. Together with these go the adhesives, information about the product. Depending on the circumstances, the bill, a card with a message from the purchaser and some gift or promotional information may also be added. Once labelled, the tube will be sent to the client by mail.

The importance of the internet in this work needs to be highlighted, for without it, much of the research done would have been impossible. Indeed, this collection would not exist without the Internet, for it is through the Internet that it is divulged and marketed around the world.

Software must also be mentioned. The most important program in this process is the indispensable Adobe Photoshop, where the pictures are processed and printed. Its close relative InDesign is used to mount the written elements of the final page. In many of the intermediate processes of preparing the drawings, the versatility of CorelDraw has also proved to be mandatory. And Microsoft Office Word and Excel have been equally important throughout every text part.

• What is Figures of Humanity
• The history of humanity
• The drawings
• About the author
• See how it's done