Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Tejeda Aguado.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! I’m a Peruvian-American illustrator currently studying illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I’m currently in my final semester, so I’ll be receiving my B.F.A. soon, which is very exciting! Art has been with me ever since I arrived in the United States. When I was in preschool, I barely knew English, and It was difficult for me to communicate with other kids. I spent most of my time in preschool drawing independently, and I really loved it! I remember looking at the picture books during reading time, not knowing what the words said, but always being intrigued with the illustrations that came along with it. Ever since, art has always kept me company, extending through my journey at Borough of Manhattan Community College, where I got my Associates in Studio Art, and finally here at FIT! During my time here, I have been fortunate enough to say that I was accepted to the Scholastic Mentorship Program and to the Society of Illustrators Student Competition in 2023, which I am immensely grateful for. I’m super excited to see what will happen next in the new year! With my illustrations, I strive to bring light to my heritage, creating fun and detailed environments that tell a story, and design quirky, unique characters!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Illustration has always been my interest, whether I was aware of it or not, and it wasn’t until I started community college that I started to consider it as a career path. Alongside this journey, I also started consuming more media, such as graphic novels, from Raina Telgemeier, Bryan Lee O’Malley, and Jillian Tamaki, as well as watching more animated movies, many of which were from Ghibli studios. Attending community college gave me space to really enjoy art without any pressure. I felt like I was in my own little world, taking it one step at a time. Looking back at it now, I think it was a pretty crucial stage in my life. Every time I think back on it, I always remember my drawing professor. He was a very caring professor who loved art and he was a huge factor in my motivation to pursue illustration and apply to FIT. Once I began FIT, I quickly noticed the difference between studio art and illustration. The illustration classes were challenging, but in a good way! It forced me to think outside the box and get creative. There were definitely times throughout the years where I struggled trying to make sure I was doing the best that I could, and wondering if my art was good enough. Over the years, I’ve learned to be more confident, and I’m still learning! I’ve also been lucky enough to have endless support from my parents, support from my friends, and support from my professors here at FIT!”
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I like drawing a variety of things, but the ones I feel are my strongest are my illustrations targeted towards children’s books and my portrait drawings. I love making illustrations that are filled with details and force viewers to look around and ask themselves why this is here, what kind of character is this, etc., and create their own side story aside from the story that is being told. I made an interactive pop-up book/zine called “Can You Help Me?” that follows a character named Camille who asks you, the reader, if you can help her find her three missing items. Each item is scattered in three different rooms; her bedroom, the laundry room, and her art studio, all of which are pop-up. In order to find them, you have to lift flaps open to see where the lost items are being hidden! I had carefully curated each room to fit the character and tell a story by adding as many details as possible. It was a lot of hard work, but I feel like I really delivered in making this project because I poured all of my love and passion on to it!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I feel like success can have two different routes. There is external success, where you win competitions, prizes, scholarships, and so on, and then there are internal successes, where you feel in your heart that you are proud of this project despite everything else. While I think both are important and are great contributors to feeling proud of oneself, I believe that internal success is extremely crucial, and the most important. If you know you gave your heart and soul to a project and you feel proud of yourself for it, then that is success to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: anatejedart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anatejedart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-tejeda-aguado-a24bb92b4/
- Twitter: twitter.com/anatejedart
