Isabella Cancino

Question 1: Can you describe your creative process from conception to completion? What sources of inspiration do you draw upon most frequently in your work?

I keep my creative process from conception to completion really simple. I usually start with one main idea; object, mood or character depiction, and I begin sketching & doodling on scratch pieces of paper until I see the theme coming together; into what I imagined.

After that initial process, the drawing itself becomes easy to assemble. Other times, I begin drawing freely on paper with a theme in mind, and it usually mirrors whatever emotions or thoughts I’ve got going on. All my sources of inspiration come from one of three things when I draw: either the book that I am reading at that moment, my daughters, or personal adversaries.

Question 2: How has your style and approach to art evolved over the years? Are there any particular moments or experiences that significantly influenced your artistic development?

My approach to the work that I do has stayed the same since I can remember. Although my style has changed through the years, it has always been rooted in the same themes & narratives, and that’s really important to me. 

My artistic development is always being influenced as I’m a stay-at-home mom who loves being in the trenches of motherhood. I take inspiration from the challenges of it. I think finding the beauty in the mundane things of everyday life and learning to filter those experiences through myself and through my medium for people to relate to are the experiences that influence me artistically.

Question 3: What messages or emotions do you aim to convey through your art? How do you hope your audience will interpret and connect with your work?

Although I don’t aim to convey any messages through my work, I do try to tell continuous stories through my drawings. I hope my audience is able to interpret the storytelling aspect when looking at my work and are able to see the character developments that I continue to make. I try to capture the attention of the inner child within my viewers, after all, children are the best and most honest audience.