Ana of Ana Gallego Illustrations
Have you always been a maker? If not how did you get here?
I trained and worked as an industrial and materials engineer, but after 13 in the industry, and coinciding with the pandemic, all of a sudden, I realised that I wasn't enjoying my job.
During the quarantines, I had time to reflect on what I enjoyed, and became a lot more aware and appreciative of my local community and the daily long walks made me observe everything that was around me.
After months of practice and huge support from my community, I took the huge leap to leave my engineering job and fully pour my heart into showcasing all the beautiful locations around each neighbourhood that are so important to the community.
I picked up some brushes and watercolour paints and never looked back.
Is making your full time job?
I feel very privileged to be able to say that I am a full-time artist. It's been challenging to transition to go from being fully employed to being a freelancer, especially in terms of finances and having a routine and good work boundaries.
What does a typical day look like for you? My day starts with a daily run to the local post office to post orders from customers, which is the perfect excuse to go for a morning walk before I sit for hours at my desk.
After coffee, I look at my task list, answer emails and start painting as soon as I am done.
If I have managed to complete a painting on the day, the rest of the day, I dedicate to digitise it and create photo assets to upload to my website and social media and make them available for sale.
Finding new locations and travelling to them to get to know them is been very fun and gets me to corners of London that I had never explored before.
What sets you apart from other makers in your category? I am currently focusing on realism. I believe my use of watercolour is pretty unique and quite saturated compared to traditional techniques. In the last year, I have been obsessed with hard shadows, as I believe they make my painting even more 3D. But I also focus a lot on detail: I want to showcase the locations as a snapshot in time, so dangling cables, chipped paint and slightly weathered features really make them look and show their history and character.
Favourite product: It is hard to choose a particular location, but customers have the best stories about pubs. In particular, Bradley's Spanish bar (off of Oxford Street) brings great memories to a lot of different generations of London locals and their many fun nights spent there. Iconic!
What have you got from being a part of the Crafty Fox community? The community is the best!
After attending several Crafty Fox markets, I have now made a lot of friends who are also makers. Being able to 'talk shop' and discuss issues, worries, or ideas with other creatives who really 'get it' is the absolute best.
And it is just great to bump into familiar faces at events, makes it even more fun.
