Marta Antelo / How illustration changed my life

As a child, I always loved to draw, just like all kids. Art was by far my favorite subject; I also really enjoyed doing crafts and playing the guitar. Working with my hands was by far what interested me the most.
On the other hand, my parents’ house was always filled with books; they bought me lots of stories, and while I read them, I loved getting lost in the details of the illustrations. The same thing happened at school with my textbooks—the margins of my notebooks were filled with drawings. To study, I’d make little pictograms that helped me memorize things.

At 14, I knew for sure that I wanted to study Fine Arts, so I enrolled in an art-focused high school program. That’s where I discovered my limitations; academic drawing was impossible for me to learn—perspective and chiaroscuro have never been my strong suit. So I began to take an interest in ancient art—Etruscan, Egyptian, medieval—which I strongly identified with, as well as more modern artists like Miró, Chagall, Paul Klee, Matisse, and Paul Rand, who didn’t use perspective.
My weakness would become my signature style.

While studying Fine Arts, I began working in editorial and advertising illustration, for magazines, newspapers, and in collaboration with design studios and advertising agencies. This was thanks to APIV (Valencia Illustrators Association); the very day I became a member, I received a commission, and I haven’t stopped since.

A couple of years after graduating, I joined Anna Goodson in 2007, where I began working with clients such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, and Yoga Journal, among others. In addition to my work for these publications, I have published books through the agency, including *Forest Club* (Quarto Group), Mindful Moves (Storey Publishing), and the most recent Everything Under the Sun (Penguin Books), as well as—though to a lesser extent—advertising projects such as illustrated panels for Worden Fabrics, a dream come true.

In 2011, my daughter Chloe was born, and with her came my love for children’s literature. She’s now an avid reader, and we used to go to the library every week. Although I had already illustrated a few children’s books, that’s when my interest really took off.

Today, children’s themes continue to be a recurring element in my work, along with the environment, lifestyle, or anything that conveys a kind message. I like to use primary and complementary colors; in my palette, I almost always use red and green.