Illustrator Ana Bagayan was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and moved to the United States when she was six. In Burbank, California, she frolicked among tall grasses and dancing bears until she entered Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where she earned a BFA. Ana’s work has been received internationally and has been featured in such publications as Rolling Stone, Spin, GQ and various others. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and their Yoranian puppy, Sushi.
07.14.09
Frolicking in Tall Grasses among Dancing Bears
If you have a degree in what field is it? I have a BFA in illustration from Art Center College of Design.
Have you always been able to draw or was it a skill you learned in college? Yes, I can remember drawing as far back as four- or five-years-old. My dad claims I got my skills from him and my mom claims that her side of the family passed down the artistic genes.
What was your first paid assignment? My first illustration assignment was a portrait of the Olsen twins for GQ magazine.
Which illustrator (or fine artist) do you most admire? Currently, I have been loving the work of both Chris Berens and Eric Fortune. Berens' work is dreamy and Eric Fortune is just flawless.
What would you be doing if you weren’t an illustrator? I would want to be a doll maker, baker, chemist or any job where I can combine things. Before art was my passion, as a child I would sneak into the bathroom cabinets and make magic concoctions using my mom's cleaning liquids and face creams.
From where do your best ideas originate? The best ideas are the ones that just pop into your head when you least expect it.
How do you overcome a creative block? In between paintings, I look at lots of art, photos, blogs or watch movies (I love movie stills). I love any kind of visual stimulation but I don’t feel like I have to constantly come up with good painting ideas because once I start working on a show, one idea always leads to the next.
In one word describe how you feel when beginning a new assignment? Ambitious.
Do you have a personal philosophy? My only goal is to make each new piece better than the last. When I start a painting, I already know what I want the finished piece to look like. If I can match the original with my mental image, I am successful. (Of course, I’m also okay with it being better than my mental image.)
Do you have creative pursuits other than illustration? I do a lot of personal paintings and exhibit in various galleries. My illustration work and gallery work are becoming different in style, color and subject. I almost feel like two different artists are doing the work!
What music are you listening to right now? Whatever my boyfriend is listening to; he has good taste. Otherwise, I like to work in silence. I can easily work a full day without playing music or watching any movies. I would love to have a studio in the desert and hear nothing but the wind while I work.
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? When I was in college, an instructor told me that, ultimately, I should trust my gut. That was one of the best pieces of advice anyone could have given me because now that I'm out of school, I don’t have a slew of teachers and classmates to ask for advice. One place I look to for criticism is the Internet; people post their anonymous opinions all over the place. Thanks to Google alerts, I can see what people are saying about my work. Of course, I have to pick and choose what I take to heart. About a year ago, I read a comment someone posted about how she didn't like the way I painted faces. I spent the next year relearning to draw and paint the face and fixing every flaw I could find in my older work. I like my current work best because of that one anonymous little comment.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? How important socializing is to the fine artist.