I am a digital artist working on all kinds of illustrations. My illustrations convey the beauty and love found in the little things in life. Whether it is a small exchange with someone, or a little flower on the side of the road, that feeling you get from these moments is what I want to convey in my art. My body of work is mainly character illustrations, fan art, and comics; but I also enjoy trying new things with my art. I am very experimental with color and other aspects of my work as I want to constantly improve my craft. I use digital mediums, specifically programs like Procreate or Photoshop, but I also occasionally include watercolor and other forms of paint. My work can be described as bright, bubbly, and stylized; with a clear inspiration from manga and anime styles. I also take a lot of inspiration from other forms of media, like music or movies, and sometimes it’s what gets me to work harder on what I do. As an artist, I hope to use my art to share my love for certain interests, and to show people how beautiful the little things can be if you stop to look.
Angelica Pena
Visual Artist/Illustrator
NARRATIVE BIO
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am an artist located in the DMV area, and, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from George Mason University. I chose this program to be able to pursue my passion for Illustration. I create art for the sake of creating it; I love the process and seeing what I can end up with. Sharing my work with others is another aspect of art that I enjoy since I draw fan art often, and seeing others enjoy my work makes me happy. With a combination of my original work and fan art, I have sold my work, in the form of prints or other merchandise, at Artist Alleys and small events. In the future, I plan to create and have my work featured in children’s books, graphic novels, magazines, and other forms of print. I am open to opportunities in illustration, storyboarding, and graphic design.
CV
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts: Art and Visual Technology — 2020 - 2025
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Related Courses
| Course | Professor | Grade |
| Figure Drawing | Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, MFA | A |
| Advanced Illustration: Picture book | Juana Medina | B |
| Drawing 4 | Zoë Charlton, MFA | A |
| Painting 2 | Robert Yi, MFA. BA, BFA | A |
| Printmaking: Comics | Christopher Kardambikis, BFA, MFA | B |
| Botanical Illustration | Carol Beach | A |
| Animation | Gail Scott White, MFA | A |
| Senior Project | Stephanie Benassi, MFA | A |
High School Diploma — May 2020
Potomac Falls High School, Sterling, VA
- AP 2-D Art and Design Exam — Score: 4 (Very Well Qualified)
Professional Experience
Freelance Illustrator — 2023-Present
- Presented/sold original projects at 5 exhibitions
- Created 20 different assets with different mediums (prints, clay keychains, epoxy/acrylic keychains, vinyl stickers)
- Contacted manufacturers to produce the acrylic keychains and vinyl stickers I designed
- Made clay keychains by hand, from cutting and sculpting to baking and assembling the keychains
- All printed media were drawn and designed by me on Procreate
Capstone Illustration Senior Thesis, George Mason University - 2024
- Created an art book with Illustrations digitally
- Book was printed and then put together by hand
- Presented work at the Senior Exhibition at George Mason University
Cashier, Joann's — 2019-2020
- Learned about different fabrics and their uses and became more familiar with the art and crafting community
Member of the National Art Society, Potomac Falls HS — 2018-2020
- Organized creative events at school and participated in creative projects outside of school.
Sales Associate, Michaels — 2018 - 2019
- Gained a better understanding of art materials, specifically on how they are marketed, their popularity, and their uses.
Other Work Experience
Front of House, Corner Cafe and Bar, 2024-2024
Front of House Staff, Paris Baguette, 2023-2024
Sales Associate. UNIQLO, 2022-2024
Associate/Barista, Cold Spoon Coffee, 2021-2022
Exhibitions
Senior Exhibition, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, May 2024
Mason Illustrators Artist Alley, April 2024
Autumn Craft Fair, October 2023
Anime USA, August 2023
Mason Illustrators Artist Alley, April 2023
Skills
Design Tools
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
- Canva
- EPSON printing
Digital Drawing Programs
- Procreate
- Clip Studio Paint
- Adobe Creative Suite
Hardware/Media
- Wacom Pen Tablet
- iPad
- Paint (Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor)
- Colored Pencils
Microsoft Office Suite ( Word, Excel, Outlook)
Awards
2019 — Scholastic Art Honorable Mention in Printmaking
