Hellooo,

Today I want to share with you a special interview, I made recently to a member of our big family here in Ecua-Andino. Her name is Gabriela Moncayo and she studies at this moment Audiovisual and Multimedia Communication in the Casa Grande University, here in Guayaquil/Ecuador. She is the magnificent illustrator that has been made these drawings/animations that you probably saw in our Instagram/Facebook profile. It´s unique talent helps her to create wonderful animated stories!

At what age did you start drawing?

In fact I would say that at the age of 1, I remember I did a painting and filled with paint stains.

How do you decide for your carrier?

Even tough I wanted at the beginning to study animation, I do not research very well.  So I finally decided for this carrier and I learned to do many more things such as emotion graphics. Also I found that I like editing and post-production, so I could expand my mind beyond animation.

¿Do you have a favourite illustrator or someone as a reference for your own work?

I love Raindrop Memory, and also like Ilya Kuvshinov, although what he does not look like anything of my work, but I admire him a lot.  I also really like Yotam Perel, who is an Israeli animator and illustrator.

Do you think you have your own style or all your illustrations are mixture of style?

It’s a mix of everything I’ve seen and I love since childhood. Well , when I was a teenager and I started to get more involved with the Internet content.  I could see illustrators from around the world. While I was discovering my own style I took pieces of what I liked most of the others, because that’s what happens when you see someone you like, you tend to attract to them.

I know it’s a cliché question, but do you find inspiration when illustrating something or you just let the art run across you?

When I am making stories, like animations, I like to hear music. Always before I develop an  idea, I normally found a song that totally catches my attention. I am very visual, I imagine a story in my mind and sometimes I like to turn them into animations.

How do you see the development of illustration in Ecuador? Or is still to much to reach the vision that it has internationally?

Well, both. In Ecuador is still the storytelling in the animation not exploited, or I have seen that they are totally commercial things. There is only advertising and animation programs for children, but not beyond like in other countries.

How did the idea of collaborating with Ecua-Andino emerge?

Three months ago I was in Europe, because I went to an interuniversity exchange with my best friend. When we finished classes, we made an Eurotrip and I accompanied her to the hats shows in Germany. While others looked what they sold, I sat down and started to draw girls with Ecua-Andino Hats and then I show them to Alejandro, Alejandra and Claudia. They really liked.  I did the draw with a pencil and then painted in my cellphone, in fact it was very spontaneous, unprofessional or unelaborated. Then they contacted me and from there I started working with them.

If you want to know more about her work, take a look to her page: https://www.behance.net/gabbimoncayo

Leave me any comments you have,

Andrea