hanavbara have a special knack for making people smile with their art.
With a vintage anime style tinted with pink and sparkles, the Spanish artist duo's stunning illustrations turn today's popstars and all-time favorite movies into pieces that could sit side by side with Sailor Moon, Akazukin Chacha, and Cardcaptor Sakura.
Surely you've seen their work all over social media. Their fan art has gone viral so much that they've even reached some of the subjects of their pieces, like TWICE, HyunA, Dua Lipa, and Squid Game actress Jung Ho-yeon.
Bandwagon caught up with the artist duo to talk about their backstory, the kind of music they listen to when they create, and what it was like working with LOONA and Stephanie Poetri.
BANDWAGON TV
What's the story behind hanavbara and what made you decide to team up as an artist duo?
Pau: We are twin sisters! So we’ve been together our whole life. When we were kids we invented these two characters whose names were Hana and Bara. Hana was inspired by the character Hana-chan from the magical girl anime Doremi, so the other one was given a flower name as well! We spent our childhood drawing and creating stories about them, before we even knew what an OC was!
Alex: We always saw this creative side of us as a hobby, we never even imagined we could turn it into a living. We started drawing again at 18 years old, when we got into Photoshop and graphic design. That opened the world of digital art for us, and we asked our mom to buy us a tablet as a birthday present. It was a very simple one (with no screen) and we had to share it so it was a process we did together! In 2016 we started posting our art online, and here we are!
View this post on Instagram
Tell us about your influences and how you borrow from their styles to create your own.
Alex: We grew up watching '90s anime: our very first one was Sailor Moon, and also Inuyasha, Ranma, Cardcaptor Sakura, Detective Conan, One Piece… We learned how to draw when we were kids copying (or trying to) those anime, and I think that is very reflected in our style, as you can probably tell!
Pau: Old anime uses a combination of plain simple shaded characters with a watercolor background, so that's what we go for. As for drawing style, our biggest inspirations are Sailor Moon and Clamp.
View this post on Instagram
What's your creative process like and how long does it take for you to come up with new pieces?
Pau: We get this question a lot! People ask: how can this be made by two people? And the thing is that we’ve been drawing and learning together for so long that I think no one could tell if something is made by Alex or me, because our style is basically the same. But we do have a creative process.
Alex: Usually one of us comes up with an idea and does the sketch. It really depends on who is the inspired one! I know it’s an unpopular opinion between artists, but I really enjoy working on the lineart. So I usually do that.
Pau: Apart from sketching, my favorite part is coloring. But that’s just what we enjoy most doing, we both can work on any part of the process. So if I’m too lazy to do some parts, I pass it to my sister, and she can do the same! Perks of being two! There are pieces in our Instagram that have only been made by me or by Alex, I’m curious if you can tell the difference! As for the time we spend on each piece, it can take from 3 hours to days depending on the complexity.
View this post on Instagram
What kind of environment do you work in?
Alex: We used to have a really messy desktop, but last year we invested some time and money into creating a good environment: a long and spacious table, and we hung up prints and illustrations from our favorite artists! And a big shelf with artbooks and comics, you never know when you need an inspiration rush.
View this post on Instagram
How do you deal with creative block?
Alex: I think the best way to deal with it is to not deal with it. I try not to get frustrated and do other hobbies, like reading, playing games, or listening to music, that will get me inspired to create.
Pau: If there is a piece you’re stuck with, I think it’s better to leave it a few days and when you get back to it you see all the mistakes!
light it up like dynamite 🧨✨ #BTS #BTS_Dynamite pic.twitter.com/MlZO8lXLcx
— 🌸 (@hanavbara) August 27, 2020
What music do you listen to while working?
Pau: We have a wide spectrum: our playlist goes from reggaeton, to K-Pop, to indie spanish music, to Taylor Swift! So it really depends on the mood. But K-Pop girl groups are always a go to!
Alex: My top artists on Spotify are Mitski, BTS, Taylor Swift, The 1975, and HAIM. This year I've gotten into OnlyOneOf, so I’m sure they will be a new entry in this year’s top 5.
View this post on Instagram
You've been sharing fanart of BTS, BLACKPINK, Dua Lipa, and Ariana Grande. How has their music inspired you to create these illustrations?
Pau: Our first viral fanart was 'Bad Boy' by Red Velvet. The aesthetic of the MV, their visuals, the outfits… we were shocked! I remember watching the video with my sister and being like, "Can you imagine if this was an anime?" And that’s how we started the series! I think the retro look from our anime style fits perfectly the vivity and colors of the K-Pop industry.
View this post on Instagram
What have been your top favorite projects so far?
Alex: We had the pleasure to work for our favorite girl group LOONA. Their company Blockberry Creative reached out to us to illustrate official artwork for concert tickets and merch. We were so touched that Orbits (LOONA fans) recognized our drawings when the tickets came out!
Also our online store, where we sell art prints, acrylic charms, enamel pins, and stickers is a project we absolutely love working on! Seeing people being happy wearing our keychains or framing our art is so wholesome.
We recently had the pleasure of working on the visuals for Stephanie Poetri‘s acoustic version of her latest EP, AM:PM! It was an amazing opportunity to illustrate such an incredible and dreamy project, with the video editing done by our talented friend @swerge!
How did you end up working with Stephanie Poetri on the acoustic version of her latest EP, AM:PM? What was the experience like?
Pau: Her team reached out to us because Stephanie likes our art! Which is crazy because we've been fans of her music since 'I Love You 3000' came out.
The concept of this EP is really creative: it goes from AM to PM, so they requested for illustrations of Stephanie in her room that captivated the change of the day. Stephanie and her team told us about her likings so we could integrate them into the shelves. They listened to our suggestions as well and I think we came up with an environment that really fits the EP and Stephanie's aesthetic! She loved the final result and was lovely during the process.
Are you open to commissions? How do you decide what kind of projects you take on?
Pau: We used to do personal commissions, but we sadly had to close them because we don’t have time for them anymore. We are only taking select commercial/business work! We take projects that fit our style/brand, and those in which we think we can contribute something new.
View this post on Instagram
Are there any fun projects you're working on that you can share with our readers?
Alex: The project we are more excited about and hasn’t happened yet is the story of our original characters. It really motivates us when we read comments of people telling us they would read an original story from us! It's in the early stages still, but hopefully, we’ll get to start sharing it soon!
butter by bts as anime ✨🥞💛 #BTS #BTS_Butter pic.twitter.com/EIxlchLI2Q
— 🌸 (@hanavbara) February 2, 2022
Check out more of hanavbara's work on Instagram and Twitter.
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
1