Carla Llanos is a Chilean illustrator based in the UK
“I create illustrations and abtract paintings digitally using iPad Pro and Procreate app. I am inspired by fashion, interior design, beautiful colours and interesting shapes. In my illustrations I like to portray women that give you a sense of independence, strength, calm and most importantly confidence in the knowledge that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.”
What does feminism/ being a feminist means to you?
To put it simply (and simple it is): human being = equal opportunity
What would be your message to young girls around the globe?
In order to find what you love in life requires work. Some people are born knowing what they are here to do from the beginning but love at first sight is rare, you have to spend some time and get to know “it” before you fall in love and you most likely will have to try many different things to see what feels right for you. It’s important to not give up or be afraid to fail in the process because they are all taking you in the right direction.
Also something I read not long ago which is so true is that 6 months of focus work can put you about 5 years ahead in life. So as long as you are holding yourself accountable for the time and work you are putting into your own self development you will be just fine.
And finally when you are feeling overwhelmed with the world’s injustices and powerless to make a difference remember that by becoming someone other women, girls and people in general can look up to, you are doing the world a great service.
What do you do to unwind from a stressful day?
If I’ve been painting digitally all day I would spend my free time getting my hands dirty with acrylic abstracts. My mind feels calmer when I’m making art so it’s kinda hard to know when to stop work but switching the medium helps set boundaries which is something I’m still learning. Other than that a film and a glass of red wine does the trick.
How did you start with digital illustration?
I opened my first Etsy shop in 2015 selling knitted blankets and garments, I then moved on to sewing soft furnishings and accessories. When I moved back to Chile (home country) in 2016 I couldn’t find any fabrics I liked for my creations so I started painting patterns on fabric, however I got very frustrated not being able to do more detailed designs so that’s when I bought my first iPad Pro where I would create digital designs to print on fabric. I started drawing illustrations just for fun one day and I haven’t stopped since.
Tell us about your upcoming projects
At the moment I am dedicating all my time into developing my prints shop and adding new fun and interesting products where I can use my illustrations. I am having a lot of fun with it because I love the freedom that it gives me to create anything I want.
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