Friday 10 March 2017

5 Minutes with... Ana Gomez

In today's instalment of the '5 Minutes with..' series, we're catching up with Ana Gomez from her home in Madrid! From her favourite childhood (and current!) illustrators, to the inspiration behind her fantastic illustrations, lets get to know a little more about Ana...

Where do you live/work?

I live in the centre of Madrid. I work at home in a tiny, sunny room. My views are as though I'm in a village but actually I'm in the centre of the city. I love that.



What do you like about working there?  

There's so much culture here! I live in a very lively neighbourhood, where all the main museums and cultural centres are. I like to stay at home, so I have all I need. I can sing really loud without disturbing anyone...



What do you love most about being an illustrator? 

Imagining… characters, situations, scenarios.

How do you work – what are your techniques? 

Firstly, I do the sketches with pencil on paper, then I scan the sketches and I make the illustrations completely digital. I used to work with an Intuos tablet, but recently I have bought a digital screen. 

What is your favourite thing to draw and why? 

Animals (including fantasy ones!) and kids!!


If you had to choose, what would be your favourite character you have created?

A friendly Dragon I did for a book called “Campfire Tail” by Sterling publishing. I just 
adore it ! (A Campfire Tail will be published in May 2018 - keep an eye out for Dragon!) 

What or who are you most inspired by? 

I'm inspired by kids, humour, books (not necessarily with pictures), everyday life and movies amongst many other things.





Do you have a favourite illustrator? 

I have lots of them. There's so many good illustrators out there. I love the humour of Quentin Blake and Tony Ross.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not illustrating? 

Spend time with my kid, travel, read, paint ... 



How did you get into illustration? 


Through working hard and perseverance.

What are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators? 

Keep going, keep learning, keep enjoying!

What were your favourite books when you were younger? 

"The Witch's Handbook" by Malcom Bird:


“The Fantastic Adventures of the Untamable Little Man” by Hans Traxler


“I'm a fish” illustrated by J.R. Sánchez


What was the last book you read? What did you think? 

It was a comic called “Skibber Bee-Bye”. Is a unique story with a personal look and it's told in a very different way. The main character is so well constructed. Very inspiring!

What are your aspirations for the rest of 2017? 

I would like to create my own picture book. As an author and illustrator.

What’s your ultimate dream?

In the illustration field …to just keep enjoying.


We really hope you've enjoyed catching up with Ana and learning a little more about her life as a children's illustrator! To see more of Ana's work, you can visit her PP folio pages here, or visit Ana's website here!

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