When Brazilian illustrator Rafael Mantesso divorced with his ex-wife, she took all of the furniture with her, leaving behind an empty house with white walls. All he had was Jimmy Choo, his bull terrier. Mantesso started painting and illustrating again, which is when his cute dog lent him a paw by posing for some funny drawings.
Mantesso creates the illustrations and then gets Jimmy to pose for them with a simple “Stay” command. Read on for more from his interview with Bored Panda!
More info: Instagram (h/t: ufunk, anothermag)
“Although it’s really messy when I’m fulfilling my photo ideas with him, he obeys me,” Mantesso told Bored Panda.
“I had just divorced my ex-wife, who took all the furniture in the house and the house was completely empty and white. The only thing I had was Jimmy and an empty white house.”
“I had a pit bull when he was younger, and he died early. Then, I always dreamed of having one of these adorable dogs.”
“I think they are an amazing breed – behavior, personality, the love they demonstrate to their owner, and especially their aesthetics.”
“He is definitely my best friend and companion. I hate it when people turn away or cross the street for fear of him – people think bull terriers and pit bull dogs are murderers and bloodthirsty.”
“I love to paint and draw, but recently I went back to do that. For now, it is a hobby, draw, illustrate, and paint using objects in my daily life. I already have some requests for screens, photo manipulations, and I am starting to think about making it work. We will see.”
The touching image that started it all:
We’d like to thank Rafael for the comments about his cute photos. We wish him the best of luck with his work!
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Share on FacebookSo adorable! I love the "modesty blur" in the 3rd to last picture! LOL :-D
Me too! This is a brilliant project. All the best! ;)
Load More Replies...Beautiful!!! Thanks for making me smile today. I wish you both the best of luck ;)
i really liked all your pictures. they are fun and ingenious! keep it up!
I absolutely love this, and all the dog has to do is sit or just lay there. How adoraBULL is that?
Love Jimmy (ADORABLE!!) Your illustration style and ideas are awesome!! These need to be cards and calendars!! Good luck to you and Jimmy!!
Soooo great!! Love this! We have a French Bulldog who is the sweetest thing I've ever known.
Fabulous original ideas. Thank you for sharing and brightening my day! Good luck with your work
MERECE PROMOCIONARLO,LA VERDAD ME GUSTO,TIENE CREATIVIDAD,ESPERAMOS MAS DE ESTO GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR.
LOVELY!! how can you be so smart, inteligent, sensible and creative? (sorry, I own a bull terrier myself)...how I wish I could do that!!!
Absolutely love this. Jimmy looks just like my dearly departed bully, Patsy :-)
Beautiful........you're better of with your dog and your talent. Good luck and thanks for the smiles
I think how lucky he is that his ex left him , took all material old things and left him Jimmy Choo. Only success and love from here now.
I have a white bully named Boo who is the love of my life...they are the most animated crazy loving devoted breed of dog - love it!!
LOVE these works and the bond between you and Jimmy! The "Botticelli," Free Hugs, SuperDog, rain boots! You are lucky to have each other.
Sweet pictures, very creative and makes me laugh about how silly we should be.!
absolutely adore this. best representations of these goofy dogs ever.
I love it!!!!! Gave me a chuckle this morning. Good luck to both of you!
Incredible . you are so talented and choose is so cute . thanks for posting this . woof :D
Incredible . thanks for posting this . you are so talented and choose is so cute . woof:)
That was fantastic besides being adorable. I love Bull Terriers and Pit Bull dog. I am more afraid of crazy people than dogs.
These are just fantastic! My 8 year old son and I loved it!! Thanks very much for sharing!
I absolutely love all of these pictures!!! You dog is beautiful! Looks like you have a lot of fun with him.
Omg I love these photos some brought a we tear to my eyes ...I have snoop dog he is half bully half staffy ..softest hairy baby ever. Fab x
Notice the classic 'bullie slump' with legs splayed out to the side.
Una belleza total. Amo a los bull terriers, son adorables. Me encantó el trabajo, Rafael!!!!
It makes me smile :) Just great. Beautiful dog. Keep on going :) greetings from germany
Loved it. Look up BONZO on Empire Brewing fb . Video coming soon, of bully in a bag.
Love love love it! Thank you for sharing! I had to spread this along to some friends, I know they will enjoy this as much as I did! :-D
Very creative. I love the one "free hugs". We are told to be stable we need 14 hugs a day. I don't receive any.
I think : Rapfael!? you are gifted! Now! You must make the best with your life! Health, work, luck & balance! All the best!
I love your dog and your illustrations! And thank you for pointing out that pit bulls and bull terriers are not mean by nature!
Simplemente espectacular creatividad al maximo y ni hablar del modelo....es muy hermoso.Por favor siguenos deleitandonos con estos dibujos..
I have had Bullies around for the last 30 years - all rescue dogs. I applaud your efforts to un-demonize this loving family pet.
I have had Bullies for the last 30 years - all rescue dogs. I applaud your efforts to un-demonize these loving family dogs.
I love it!!! Pit bulls are great dogs and these illustrations are great!
What wonderful images to end my day with. Thank you for the smiles and best of luck!
why'd you sensor the dog penis, how obscene could it possibly have been
I am in love with these pictures and now want to do some fun pics with our pit bull. You and Jimmy are awesome!
I love the white on white also. It is a perfect for your amazing drawings with your best friend.
This man is so very talented. I hope he goes far, and one that left him will regret it. Dogs are great. They love us unconditionally.
LOVE, Love, love!!! Please don' stop drawing you and Jimmy made my day:) Thank you for doing something positive to the for the PB & BT Breed
What a beautiful dog! Such a sweet creature. Thanks for the laughs. :D
What a beautiful soul! I love your dog! Soooo sweet! And thanks for the laughs. :D
Bull Terriers have always been a favorite of mine! You made my afternoon. Best of luck to you.
All fabulous photos! I have a Bull Terrier too and she is just like Jimmy Choo - full of love. Iona (New Zealand)
We shared our lives with Betty our English bully for 12 years...looking at your images brought back some great memories x
I have a bull terrier named Tig who I adore! They are such a fun, goofy loyal breed!!!
Your illustrations are brilliant, congratulations fora that wonderful idea. By the way, your dog is so cute.
LOVE THESE! Not sure if I'm at the point of tears for the sad-backstory or the touching rapport with his buddy...?
Love the way you show the beautiful personality of a English bull terriors, great pictures!
So Creative! What a good dog - they always know how to help us get through difficult times....no matter what!
I know: the autor is from the USA. Censorship is present. What stupidity, my god.
Really great way to turn something negative (your divorce) into something positive to show the closeness you and your BFF have together. :)
Really awesome way to use a negative (your divorce) and turn it into something positive to share the closeness you have with your BFF. :)
Soooo adorable and creative :) I love the way he took this misfortune positively :) Can't stop smiling reading this. Best wishes!
Your ex-wife did you an unexpected favor when she left you with a blank canvas to start drawing on. I admire your courage to start.
Awesome work :) I also have a Bull Terrier (Roxy) and think that they are very loving dogs. Good luck with everything*
Truly loyal and man's best friend. You two are both artist and Muse. Bravo!!
BRAVO! We have a white male w 1 red ear - Baby Huey. Ive had BTs all my life. Your connection is obvious - LOVE :)
So lovely! I had a Bully that was my best friend. He helped me through a really abusive relationship and was my guardian angel. Loved him.
Amazing illustration and a very moving story between you and you buddy! Are you going to sell your sketches?
I have had Bullies since my teens . . . adorable, stuborn and desireable . . You got it all!! :-)
That's sweet and loving and beautiful and funny and heart melting and cheering and endearing and ...and...and...Thank you both ever so much
i want a bull terrier more than anything in the world! enjoy your little guy, Rafael!
I love these. It really comes across how much you love him and your work. Great job, keep it up. :)
i want a bull terrier more than anything in this world!! enjoy every single moment with your little guy, Rafael!
Love bull terriers! Don't think mine would've been so great to work with though! Beautiful images, touched my heart <3
I love these illustrations as well as the dog, of course. He is so talented and I think he should use his gift to raise $ for animal rescue
I love all the great pics!!!its been so.long i havent smile n feel happy like this!!tq so much for sharing n giving us these great art!
Absolutely awesome :-) had me smiling from the first picture to the last and I'm still smiling now!!!
Fantastic. Creative and shows the beautiful relationship of a man and his dog.
Rafael Mantesso is a talented illustrator and his sidekick Jimmy Choo is a great model :-)
<3 Grew up w/ bull terriers; so sweet & funny! Our Lizzie would 'hold hands' by putting a paw on ur foot & then leaning against ur leg. <3
A man after my own heart, you can't always make the world smile but if you can bring joy and laughter to a few with such simplicity...
Cool,and fun, but I hate the bowdlerisation of Venus. Like 'restroom' and 'passed', it smacks of fear of the world. It's prissy and weak.
Cool, but I really hate the bowdlerisation in the Venus. It's annoyingly prissy, like 'restroom' and 'passed'. Devalues the whole thing.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!! I have two Staffies. I'm with you on the idiots that give me stinky eye at the sight of the dogs! Onward!
Amazing art work with a very misunderstood breed. I love them. Keep up the good work.
Amazing work you've inspired me to shoot my staffy in this medium ! Very talented maybe you should shoot people's dogs in this fashion :)
I had two bull terriers and they are fantastic. Thanks for putting a smile on my face and remembering my dogs!
Great illustrations & model. Please maintain the creativity and sharing with your new fan base. Also hugs to Jimmy
I envy Your imagination ;) especially classical style :D Great idea ;)! Just love it ;)!
Love bullterriers, love art. I totally love what you´re doing! I hope you publish a book with all this pictures <3 :)
Very cute and very clever. Happy divorce.... you have the important stuff... house and dawg! ;-)
Keep it up, Rafael! These are so much fun, and I love Jimmy Choo! Four bull terriers have graced my life; they're the best breed, ever.
Aww this is brilliant! Jimmy is gorgeous <3 I'd never cross the street if he was coming towards me :)
Keep it up, Rafael! These are so much fun, and I love Jimmy Choo! Four bull terriers have graced my life; they're the best breed, ever!
I really hope the artist goes forward with making prints, t-shirts, etc. I would be first in line to buy one!
I LOVE IT !!! I have a Bull Terrier too, so I really really love your pictures !!
I love these, thank you Rafael for sharing your dog and your work.
She has no idea what she left behind! Well done on using your passion to get out of a dark space in your life!
Really loved them all, they are sweet and funny. Keep up the good work!
Really loved it. It's original, sweet and funny. Keep on the good work and best of luck!
Your ex wife surely lost an amazing man and dog. Love the drawings!
This is great and using my favourite breed of dog makes it even better. Don't ever give up! Greetings from Australia
I have a terrierist, he's just this way as well..........! Makes me happy Every Day! A born Clown and I KNOW he loves it~!
The dog is amazing and so is an owner that is so inspired by him!!the best of luck for both!!
Wow! I have to admit it. It totally made my day! You are just so creative and you just showed people how obedient bull terriers can be.
wish I had your talent and ideas when I had my dog. I loved her to death
Furniture vs. dog. Dog wins. You got the better part of that deal, Rafael.
So adorable! I love the "modesty blur" in the 3rd to last picture! LOL :-D
Me too! This is a brilliant project. All the best! ;)
Load More Replies...Beautiful!!! Thanks for making me smile today. I wish you both the best of luck ;)
i really liked all your pictures. they are fun and ingenious! keep it up!
I absolutely love this, and all the dog has to do is sit or just lay there. How adoraBULL is that?
Love Jimmy (ADORABLE!!) Your illustration style and ideas are awesome!! These need to be cards and calendars!! Good luck to you and Jimmy!!
Soooo great!! Love this! We have a French Bulldog who is the sweetest thing I've ever known.
Fabulous original ideas. Thank you for sharing and brightening my day! Good luck with your work
MERECE PROMOCIONARLO,LA VERDAD ME GUSTO,TIENE CREATIVIDAD,ESPERAMOS MAS DE ESTO GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR.
LOVELY!! how can you be so smart, inteligent, sensible and creative? (sorry, I own a bull terrier myself)...how I wish I could do that!!!
Absolutely love this. Jimmy looks just like my dearly departed bully, Patsy :-)
Beautiful........you're better of with your dog and your talent. Good luck and thanks for the smiles
I think how lucky he is that his ex left him , took all material old things and left him Jimmy Choo. Only success and love from here now.
I have a white bully named Boo who is the love of my life...they are the most animated crazy loving devoted breed of dog - love it!!
LOVE these works and the bond between you and Jimmy! The "Botticelli," Free Hugs, SuperDog, rain boots! You are lucky to have each other.
Sweet pictures, very creative and makes me laugh about how silly we should be.!
absolutely adore this. best representations of these goofy dogs ever.
I love it!!!!! Gave me a chuckle this morning. Good luck to both of you!
Incredible . you are so talented and choose is so cute . thanks for posting this . woof :D
Incredible . thanks for posting this . you are so talented and choose is so cute . woof:)
That was fantastic besides being adorable. I love Bull Terriers and Pit Bull dog. I am more afraid of crazy people than dogs.
These are just fantastic! My 8 year old son and I loved it!! Thanks very much for sharing!
I absolutely love all of these pictures!!! You dog is beautiful! Looks like you have a lot of fun with him.
Omg I love these photos some brought a we tear to my eyes ...I have snoop dog he is half bully half staffy ..softest hairy baby ever. Fab x
Notice the classic 'bullie slump' with legs splayed out to the side.
Una belleza total. Amo a los bull terriers, son adorables. Me encantó el trabajo, Rafael!!!!
It makes me smile :) Just great. Beautiful dog. Keep on going :) greetings from germany
Loved it. Look up BONZO on Empire Brewing fb . Video coming soon, of bully in a bag.
Love love love it! Thank you for sharing! I had to spread this along to some friends, I know they will enjoy this as much as I did! :-D
Very creative. I love the one "free hugs". We are told to be stable we need 14 hugs a day. I don't receive any.
I think : Rapfael!? you are gifted! Now! You must make the best with your life! Health, work, luck & balance! All the best!
I love your dog and your illustrations! And thank you for pointing out that pit bulls and bull terriers are not mean by nature!
Simplemente espectacular creatividad al maximo y ni hablar del modelo....es muy hermoso.Por favor siguenos deleitandonos con estos dibujos..
I have had Bullies around for the last 30 years - all rescue dogs. I applaud your efforts to un-demonize this loving family pet.
I have had Bullies for the last 30 years - all rescue dogs. I applaud your efforts to un-demonize these loving family dogs.
I love it!!! Pit bulls are great dogs and these illustrations are great!
What wonderful images to end my day with. Thank you for the smiles and best of luck!
why'd you sensor the dog penis, how obscene could it possibly have been
I am in love with these pictures and now want to do some fun pics with our pit bull. You and Jimmy are awesome!
I love the white on white also. It is a perfect for your amazing drawings with your best friend.
This man is so very talented. I hope he goes far, and one that left him will regret it. Dogs are great. They love us unconditionally.
LOVE, Love, love!!! Please don' stop drawing you and Jimmy made my day:) Thank you for doing something positive to the for the PB & BT Breed
What a beautiful dog! Such a sweet creature. Thanks for the laughs. :D
What a beautiful soul! I love your dog! Soooo sweet! And thanks for the laughs. :D
Bull Terriers have always been a favorite of mine! You made my afternoon. Best of luck to you.
All fabulous photos! I have a Bull Terrier too and she is just like Jimmy Choo - full of love. Iona (New Zealand)
We shared our lives with Betty our English bully for 12 years...looking at your images brought back some great memories x
I have a bull terrier named Tig who I adore! They are such a fun, goofy loyal breed!!!
Your illustrations are brilliant, congratulations fora that wonderful idea. By the way, your dog is so cute.
LOVE THESE! Not sure if I'm at the point of tears for the sad-backstory or the touching rapport with his buddy...?
Love the way you show the beautiful personality of a English bull terriors, great pictures!
So Creative! What a good dog - they always know how to help us get through difficult times....no matter what!
I know: the autor is from the USA. Censorship is present. What stupidity, my god.
Really great way to turn something negative (your divorce) into something positive to show the closeness you and your BFF have together. :)
Really awesome way to use a negative (your divorce) and turn it into something positive to share the closeness you have with your BFF. :)
Soooo adorable and creative :) I love the way he took this misfortune positively :) Can't stop smiling reading this. Best wishes!
Your ex-wife did you an unexpected favor when she left you with a blank canvas to start drawing on. I admire your courage to start.
Awesome work :) I also have a Bull Terrier (Roxy) and think that they are very loving dogs. Good luck with everything*
Truly loyal and man's best friend. You two are both artist and Muse. Bravo!!
BRAVO! We have a white male w 1 red ear - Baby Huey. Ive had BTs all my life. Your connection is obvious - LOVE :)
So lovely! I had a Bully that was my best friend. He helped me through a really abusive relationship and was my guardian angel. Loved him.
Amazing illustration and a very moving story between you and you buddy! Are you going to sell your sketches?
I have had Bullies since my teens . . . adorable, stuborn and desireable . . You got it all!! :-)
That's sweet and loving and beautiful and funny and heart melting and cheering and endearing and ...and...and...Thank you both ever so much
i want a bull terrier more than anything in the world! enjoy your little guy, Rafael!
I love these. It really comes across how much you love him and your work. Great job, keep it up. :)
i want a bull terrier more than anything in this world!! enjoy every single moment with your little guy, Rafael!
Love bull terriers! Don't think mine would've been so great to work with though! Beautiful images, touched my heart <3
I love these illustrations as well as the dog, of course. He is so talented and I think he should use his gift to raise $ for animal rescue
I love all the great pics!!!its been so.long i havent smile n feel happy like this!!tq so much for sharing n giving us these great art!
Absolutely awesome :-) had me smiling from the first picture to the last and I'm still smiling now!!!
Fantastic. Creative and shows the beautiful relationship of a man and his dog.
Rafael Mantesso is a talented illustrator and his sidekick Jimmy Choo is a great model :-)
<3 Grew up w/ bull terriers; so sweet & funny! Our Lizzie would 'hold hands' by putting a paw on ur foot & then leaning against ur leg. <3
A man after my own heart, you can't always make the world smile but if you can bring joy and laughter to a few with such simplicity...
Cool,and fun, but I hate the bowdlerisation of Venus. Like 'restroom' and 'passed', it smacks of fear of the world. It's prissy and weak.
Cool, but I really hate the bowdlerisation in the Venus. It's annoyingly prissy, like 'restroom' and 'passed'. Devalues the whole thing.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!! I have two Staffies. I'm with you on the idiots that give me stinky eye at the sight of the dogs! Onward!
Amazing art work with a very misunderstood breed. I love them. Keep up the good work.
Amazing work you've inspired me to shoot my staffy in this medium ! Very talented maybe you should shoot people's dogs in this fashion :)
I had two bull terriers and they are fantastic. Thanks for putting a smile on my face and remembering my dogs!
Great illustrations & model. Please maintain the creativity and sharing with your new fan base. Also hugs to Jimmy
I envy Your imagination ;) especially classical style :D Great idea ;)! Just love it ;)!
Love bullterriers, love art. I totally love what you´re doing! I hope you publish a book with all this pictures <3 :)
Very cute and very clever. Happy divorce.... you have the important stuff... house and dawg! ;-)
Keep it up, Rafael! These are so much fun, and I love Jimmy Choo! Four bull terriers have graced my life; they're the best breed, ever.
Aww this is brilliant! Jimmy is gorgeous <3 I'd never cross the street if he was coming towards me :)
Keep it up, Rafael! These are so much fun, and I love Jimmy Choo! Four bull terriers have graced my life; they're the best breed, ever!
I really hope the artist goes forward with making prints, t-shirts, etc. I would be first in line to buy one!
I LOVE IT !!! I have a Bull Terrier too, so I really really love your pictures !!
I love these, thank you Rafael for sharing your dog and your work.
She has no idea what she left behind! Well done on using your passion to get out of a dark space in your life!
Really loved them all, they are sweet and funny. Keep up the good work!
Really loved it. It's original, sweet and funny. Keep on the good work and best of luck!
Your ex wife surely lost an amazing man and dog. Love the drawings!
This is great and using my favourite breed of dog makes it even better. Don't ever give up! Greetings from Australia
I have a terrierist, he's just this way as well..........! Makes me happy Every Day! A born Clown and I KNOW he loves it~!
The dog is amazing and so is an owner that is so inspired by him!!the best of luck for both!!
Wow! I have to admit it. It totally made my day! You are just so creative and you just showed people how obedient bull terriers can be.
wish I had your talent and ideas when I had my dog. I loved her to death
Furniture vs. dog. Dog wins. You got the better part of that deal, Rafael.
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