SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Much like her favorite NFL team, Rita Carvalho didn’t expect quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to remain on the San Francisco 49ers this deep into the offseason. But for Carvalho, Garoppolo’s extended stay by the Bay has turned a social media tribute into a labor of love.
Love for Garoppolo. Love for the Niners. Love for her boyfriend. Above all, love of art. All of that, combined with some inspiration from the Major League Baseball lockout and the world of pop culture, led Carvalho — a 25-year old artist living in Porto, Portugal — to begin drawing Garoppolo every day until the Niners trade him.
When she made that decision Feb. 3, Carvalho, like most, believed it might mean a month or two of drawings. A right shoulder surgery for Garoppolo, an entire free-agent period, NFL draft and offseason program later and Carvalho is so used to drawing Garoppolo that she can now do it from muscle memory.
Saturday marked Carvalho’s 150th day, though it’s still unclear when the end will arrive.
“I thought he was going to get traded sooner,” Carvalho said, laughing. “I started working on something for the end but then I stopped because I had to continue to make the every day drawing.”
Drawing Jimmy G every day until he gets traded. Day 1-4: pic.twitter.com/LSu9fU0uf1
— Rita Oak (@ritaoak_art) March 17, 2022
While Garoppolo’s status and Trey Lance’s ascension to starting quarterback after being selected in the first round of the 2021 draft have been constant discussion points this offseason, Carvalho’s drawings have offered a fun respite from the speculation. The digital drawings, which Carvalho does on her iPad with an Apple Pencil and a program called “Procreate,” depict Garoppolo in an array of pop culture settings and often feature guest appearances from teammates, coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
The feedback on those drawings has been so positive Carvalho and her boyfriend, Filipe Sousa, created a shop that allows customers to purchase…
Source : espn
