Meet Ana Tejeda

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ana Tejeda. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ana, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

Ever since I can remember, my parents have always been hard workers. They were always reliable and responsible, whether it be at work or at home. They set a great example for my brother and I, and those traits were passed down to us. I’ve carried those characteristics ever since I was a young child and continue to do so now. Once I began attending art school, I made friends who shared the same work ethic and shared the same passion for illustration. We asked questions, we stayed up late to work, we stayed determined. That doesn’t mean I always handed my homework assignment on time or always submitted an artwork I was 100% satisfied with! I had my fair share of tardiness and doubt, but I always made the effort to do my best. Surrounding myself with friends and family with the same morals encourages me to keep on going. Alongside them, the love I have for illustration fuels my work ethic and motivates me to keep creating!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m an illustrator! I mostly work digitally on my iPad using Procreate. I lean more towards stylized narrative illustrations targeted towards children, but I also love drawing realistically. My favorite combination at the moment are drawing my characters digitally and painting the backgrounds traditionally. The most exciting part of illustrating is the moment where you feel inspired to create something immediately. Whether you saw something that sparked that inspiration or if it came out of the blue. Sketching it out, figuring out placement, angle, and revising it to become a stronger illustration has got to be my favorite part. Then comes figuring out color composition! It’s like being rewarded a plate of dessert right after another. As of recently I’ve been working on murals! My illustrator friend and I have collaborated in creating three mural walls that are part of a children’s themed exhibition called “It’s a Kids World: Play, Imagine, Create”. The walls are cut into the shape of an arc and placed accordingly to resonate a tunnel book. Each wall is 10 feet tall and 12 feet wide, so it definitely took some time to finish painting! The exhibition is located in the Pomerantz building at the Fashion Institute of Technology, up until September 3rd, 2024. Stop by and check it out!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three skills I learned that were the most impactful in my journey are having a good grip in drawing the human anatomy, painting traditionally, and taking my own reference photos. For folks who are early in their illustration journey, I would recommend strengthening your skills in these areas. Knowing how to accurately draw a portrait or a human figure helped me figure out how to break them down and create stylized characters that seem convincing to others. I didn’t draw out a map on how to literally break it down. It comes with time and at some point your instincts just kick in and you’re able to create your own stylized character that feels pleasing to the eye. Painting traditionally is an extremely valuable tool. I feel like if you start off drawing using only digital programs, you’d be limiting your knowledge in color, color composition, and texture. Physically mixing colors teaches you so much about color theory, whether you realize it or not. Color matching is an extremely useful tool. Using different painting mediums on paper or canvases can help you realize that having texture in your work is okay! Using a combination of wet and dry brush techniques creates diversity in texture and can help us realize that there’s a life outside the airbrush tool on Procreate or Photoshop! Lastly, taking my own reference photos has saved me so much time. I would spend many frustrating hours on Pinterest trying to find a specific pose for an illustration project. Back then I was a bit more shy and I felt awkward taking silly pictures of myself for an assignment. But at some point you get tired of being shy, and you take the picture and get the job done! Take several photos, collage them into a composition you’re happy with, along with other helpful reference photos, and your life will be so much easier. Take painting or figure drawing classes, watch youtube tutorials, and have fun!

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’d love to collaborate! If there are folks out there looking to illustrate a children’s picture book, an editorial piece, work on a mural together, or just interested in having a chat, I’d be more than happy to get in contact! My email is [email protected]. I love using fun bright colors in my illustrations, I adore attention to detail and enjoy both digital and traditional medium!

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