Today we’d like to introduce you to Ande.
Hi Ande, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started drawing at a young age, unaware that it was going to be a lifelong passion. Every year growing up I’d have at least two new art kits for Christmas. I was the “artsy”” one in the group, and that title came with me to middle and high school. Along with being asked to paint murals and decorate our senior steps, I was designing posters and t-shirts for clubs and events. During this time was when I got my first commission, which led to having my work featured at our local co-op and coffee shops around my town.
Around the time I moved to Raleigh in 2016, I started messing around with digital art, rather than my pens and markers, and fell in love with the ease and efficiency. Since then, I have mostly pivoted to design and illustration. I’ve done banners, ads and logos, and got to be the 2D artist for a small indie game. I’m hoping to either work on some indie games or make one myself, or both!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. My family was broken, and I felt alone a lot as a kid. But drawing helped me feel less alone; gave me something to work on, to enjoy. I was dangerously close to not graduating high school– in fact. they told me I wasn’t going to. I had three jobs at once at one point and would skip classes to work or catch up on sleep. Most of the time I was drawing during class anyway. When I did actually graduate, with the help of some empathetic teachers and an anonymous person who told the school administration what I was up against, I figured I wouldn’t go to college and just start working toward doing art full time.
While that didn’t happen, and still hasn’t, I developed a name for myself and started receiving commission requests. The first one I ever did was when I was 16. I couldn’t believe people wanted to pay me for my art! And since then, I have done dozens of commissions and participated in art and gaming events around the Raleigh area.
In February 2025, I lost my father to suicide and it turned my world upside down. I went months without even thinking about picking up my iPad, or sitting at my desk and working on a little game I was building at the time. Art was and is the only thing that has kept me going since then. He was a huge supporter of my art and always told me to never stop drawing. So I don’t plan on ever stopping.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I mostly do illustration. I used to use acrylic paint and gouache, then fell in love with Copic markers, and now I mainly use an iPad Pro for my work.
I’ve been told that my attention to detail is good and I’m good at curating a a mood through my work. One thing I enjoy about my own stuff that seems to stick out is the contrast and dramatic lighting I like to include in most of my pieces. It’s hardly a portrait done by me if there isn’t a Rembrandt triangle on every face.
I used to do nothing but draw plants– flowers, mostly. But once I found my stride in illustration I haven’t done much of that sort of art. However, I think my years of training with pens and doing such intricate details on my work has made my current style that much more distinct. The same types of curves and edges that were on petals are now found on faces, hands, pieces of furniture, food; anything. I’m proud of the love I still have for art, even after everything that’s happened. I’m proud of the work I’ve done for friends and family, for strangers and acquaintances, for commissions and jobs.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is a mix of empathy and honesty. I remember people telling me how they could feel my mood through my art, even when it was just a marker drawing of a petunia. I didn’t understand for the longest time how someone could sense how I was feeling through something like a plant, but as I’ve gotten older I understand the subtleties and signs that were loud to others but quiet to me. I think being honest with yourself is the best thing to do for your art. It has taken me a long time to be upfront with myself and accept that my work is cartoony, and I’ve become more honest about the possibilities that come with embracing your style, who you are. And of course empathy, because who are we if we don’t want to make stuff that people relate to?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artstation.com/andreadonar
- Instagram: @andedonar
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ande-donar-3a9998425/
