ABOUT ANDILIION
Andrea Ramirez (she/her) is a half-Latina digital illustrator whose art focuses on animals and giving them an ethereal feel. She began her journey as an artist when she was very young. She always had a hard time making friends as a child and was bullied a lot, so she would go into her own world, and since her mother was an exceptional artist, she picked it up naturally, which she’s grateful to her mom for.
She spent her days in school buried in her sketchbooks and drawing on everything she could get her hands on. To her, art was and still is very therapeutic, and although she didn't realize it when she was younger, developing this skill really got her through a lot in life and opened so many doors.
To create her art, she primarily uses digital mediums, which include her iPad Pro and Procreate. Digital art is her favorite because of its forgiving nature—it's easy to undo a mistake, and there are no wasted materials. She also loves the freedom it gives her since she can create art from wherever she wants.
When not working on her iPad, she loves creating gesture sketches with pen and paper and working with watercolor. She enjoys traditional mediums for creating art, but only on special occasions.
Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
Hands down, my biggest inspirations are the occult and high fantasy. I love all things magical and sparkly—astrology, tarot, anything witchy—and I'm immediately drawn to it. It was something I grew up being embarrassed about, but as I've gotten older, these things have become mainstream, and I can embrace them without shame. I am also a huge nerd and love playing video games—some of the ones I grew up playing have had a lasting impact, such as Shadow of the Colossus and Okami. The artistry of each game is so different, but they’re equally as impressive for what they were at the time.
Do you have a favorite piece of art you've created to date? What makes it special to you?
I have been really happy with all of my recent work, but the one that brings me the most joy is a piece I drew in my free time just for myself. It was referenced from my own cat; it was just a simple piece of him playing with a star. It was kind of like a little tribute to him but also a reminder that our pets are with us forever, even when they have passed away. My cat is still alive at the time of writing this, but he is getting up there in years. This piece was my favorite because it was a simple composition, but the message it held resonated with many. So many people saw this piece and were moved, some to tears, and it was something I never expected. My artwork doesn't generally hold any kind of meaning for me, but this one was emotional not only for me but for so many others.
ANDILIION x OWLCRATE
Andrea was one of the artists who worked on our social deduction card game Stryx, along with creaturegraphics, wictorian_art, zarimoth, dianadworak, celi_arts, and meowtricia_. She illustrated the cards for Fenrir and River Dragon with art direction by @heyatlascreative and @stubbornpagemage.
"So far, I have worked on the one project with OwlCrate, and it was a blast. Everyone I encountered on the team was amazing! I got to work on multiple pieces for this project, and each one turned out amazing—some of my best work, if I do say so myself. I can't wait for everyone to see it!"
What are some of your favorite books or authors?
I loved the Warrior Cat books I read in middle school. I was obsessed with these fantasy books about the secret lives of feral cats. Other than that, I really enjoyed The Hunger Games series.
