Rising Stars: Meet Analicia Benavides

Today we’d like to introduce you to Analicia Benavides.

Hi Analicia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
If I want to be cheesy and go way back, I could say I started my journey in elementary – when I first held a paintbrush to a canvas. Honestly, that’s when I knew I wanted to be an artist.

In high school, I got my start making art for my friends at first; doing cover art and logo designs for punk bands. I was always drawing and painting my own whimsical creations during this time also.

Going to Otis College of Art and Design was a game changer for me though. If you can survive there, you’re ready for the art world because it is literally like art and design Boot Camp! Lots of breakdowns and breakthroughs were had, from learning how to stand 6 hours of drawing with weekly deadlines to driving 4 hours every day just to get to my college. But in the end, it was all worth it to see the progression I made over the years. I am proud to say I graduated in 2017 with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Arts-Illustration.

Fast forward to 2020, the year of the global shutdown, and what seemed to be everybody’s hell became my blessing in disguise.

At this point, I had been commissioning paintings and logo designs every so often, but the shutdown gave me the time to finalize my own logo, do my own designs, and round out my website and merch shop to create that presence that I needed. Before I knew it, I had more work than I could take on.

Paintings, t-shirt designs, Caricatures, logo designs- all of these things I had been creating led me to getting my foot in the door as a graphic designer for the advertising company I work at now in Los Angeles. I couldn’t be happier with all the things I have been learning within just a year of being there. This is just my beginning I feel, and I can’t wait to see where I’ll be at in five years.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It honestly has not been the smoothest road, but I think every artist has to struggle in some way, this fuels their work for the future and humbles them for success.

One big thing I struggle with is the distance I have had to commit to in order to go to college and now to go to my job.

I believe in the bigger picture though, so to me, I’ll do what I need to do to get where I need to be.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an illustrator and graphic designer, I am known for my pop-surrealistic acrylic paintings and character designs of creepy characters. I am also known for doing logo designs for music artists like L!ght L!nes and Jackie Jake.

I am proud of my paintings, my character Alex the Cat, and the graphic designs that I’ve made for my job this past year. Most of all though, I’m proud of myself for never giving up on my dreams of being an artist and designer.

What sets me apart from others is that I have a creepy yet silly sense of humor in my work that you just can’t help but love. It’s a blend of cute characters in a nightmarish land of forced perspective, happy faces and bloody guts. If you can imagine Happy Tree Friends mixed with Tim Burton, you get what my brand Rabbit Hole Dreams is about.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Some people don’t know that I also can sing and play the guitar!

Pricing:

• $80 Logo Design
• $120 Caricature
• $200 Painting (12×12)
• $400 Painting (18×24)
• $600 Painting (24 x 36)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rabbitholedreams.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/rabbitholedreams
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rabbitholedreams
• Other: https://society6.com/rabbitholedreams