New Discoveries.....Anna Terreros-Martin

 Welcome to the magical world of Anna Terreros-Martin...

Anna Terreros-Martin has the most beautiful approach to her illustration. A beautiful line drawing feel, with the whimsical and comforting feel of book you grew up with. The textures she uses to create landscapes and characters are amazing (check out her trees!)

Anna's clear passion for nature and wildlife spills into her work, it was actually her woolly mammoth drawing's which first drew me to her website, but i then fell in love with her puffin and penguin illustrations.

 So with all this in mind she became my next New Discoveries feature and we sent her a few questions to find out a little more about her work and inspirations!

Please tell us a little bit about how you found your way into illustration?

When in my first year of studying Graphic Design at Sheffield Hallam University, they created an Illustration course and I was given the opportunity to transfer onto that course in my second year. I decided that this was the right choice for me, and during my final year on the Illustration course, I found that I really enjoyed creating children's book illustrations, especially picture books. I was then encouraged to study Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art where I graduated in 2019 and I am now working on children's book illustration projects. 

Are there any artists who inspired you to pursue Illustration? And who inspires you now?

There are so many! Growing up I would read The Adventures of Tintin comic books by Hergè and I think this started my interest in creating my own characters, small comics and illustrated stories. However, it wasn't until later in life when I realised it was possible to have a career in illustration. Some illustrators that inspire me now are Shaun Tan, Matthew Forsythe, Isabelle Arsenault, Vashti Harrison, Maisie Paradise Shearring, Dapo Adeola and Christian Robinson, amongst so many others!

Can you tell us about how you create your work?

I enjoy creating my artwork using a variety of traditional materials such as watercolours, ink, soft pastels, graphite pencil, charcoal and coloured pencils. I will decide what materials I use depending on the project. I normally begin my process by doing character sketches or rough sketches in pencil on cheap paper or post it notes. Once I am happy with how things look, I will start experimenting with different materials to see what will look best for the project and create some colour samples. Then I will create the final artwork for the illustration. Finally, I scan the artwork in and edit anything that needs tidying a little. I really love the process and experience that using traditional materials gives and the happy mistakes that come with it. 

Which personal projects have been your favourite?

I really enjoyed the Roodee's Garden at Night picturebook project I did during my final year studying at Cambridge School of Art. I think it was a breakthrough moment for me in how I enjoy working and creating artwork. The whole process of developing Roodee as a character and the story was a lot of fun as I even played around with drawing out and about at night in the darkness as experimentation. When thinking of new stories or developing character ideas, I sometimes create soft toy versions of the character and that is another favourite part of the process. 

Which commercial project has been your favourite to work on?

Last year I created a hedgehog calendar and Christmas cards for Cambridge Hedgehogs Charity and I really enjoyed drawing all of the illustrations for that, I love hedgehogs myself and when living in Cambridge I would sometimes go and help to volunteer at the hedgehog hospital there. I am currently illustrating a couple of boardbooks and I have loved every moment of the process, they have been such a pleasure to work on over these past few months and I have learnt so much as well. 

What is your biggest goal professionally as an illustrator?

My goals are forever changing, however my main goal at the moment is to become a published author and illustrator. However, I think the ultimate goal is to be able to have a sustainable career as an illustrator while still enjoying what I do as well as also looking after my health, both physically and mentally. 

Can you tell us a little about your creative experiences during the pandemic?

During the first month it felt so difficult to concentrate and work on my projects. I think like most people, having all of the plans and trips I was looking forward to being cancelled was a big blow as well as worrying for the well being of my family and friends. However, once I returned to a routine and had a lot more spare time, I was able to submerge myself in client work and make time on the weekends to play around with a bit of stop motion animation and other personal projects.

It was also really heart warming to see how many people were also supporting me through purchasing artwork and prints through my Etsy shop. I think the projects that I have worked on during these past few months will always have a special place in my heart because I will know I managed to do them during a pandemic. 

Can you tell me a little more about A Mammoth Story?

A Mammoth Story was a dummy picture book created as a project for my final year at Sheffield Hallam University about a woolly mammoth in a museum revisiting the ice age. It was my first ever attempt at writing and illustrating a picture book and it is when I realised that I would love to pursue a career as a children's book illustrator. During the winter of 2019/ 2020, I decided to rework the story and illustrations with the new knowledge and experience I had gained studying at Cambridge School of Art.

I redeveloped both the story and illustrations and created a new dummy picture book called Mansi's Promise based on the original story but now featuring a little girl called Mansi who loves visiting her local museum to see the woolly mammoth. In the story, they both go on a journey to the past where Mansi learns and experiences what the ice age, mammoths home, was like. 

 Id love to know what you think of Anna's work, which was your favorite piece? 

If you liked this feature please take the time to share it on your social media and spread the amazing artwork of Anna Terreros-Martin!

Alice xxx