Eleeza: The Art of Eliza Ivanova

STORY LINES The animator-turned-illustrator discusses her career path and methods in this handsome hardback that showcases her distinctive drawing style

Eliza Ivanova’s art often writhes with life. This is partly because she spent 10 years working at Pixar as a character animator. It’s also a result of the artist embracing the “doodly characteristics” of her work.

In this beautifully designed hardback the Bulgarian illustrator discusses her artistic development, which started at age 12 learning classical drawing skills, before further art education in Bulgaria led to Calarts in the US and through Pixar’s gates.

The majority of the book covers Eliza’s creative process, which she says was born out of a need to draw quickly with expressive marks while avoiding excessive cross-hatching. Sections explore her tools, workflow, visual language and more. Next are five tutorials in which the artist reveals her traditional and digital processes, followed by guidance on life-drawing and a collection of Procreate insights.

Eliza’s writing style is candid and informative. She often draws on past experiences to explain a technique, which helps ground her advice. And when her words are surrounded by such fantastic art, it makes the learning journey all the more inspirational.

RATING ★★★★

Eliza creates a line drawing using either a pencil or digital tools, before colouring it in Procreate.

Once Eliza became a parent, she reveals her mantra became, “I’m never going to have free time again, so I’m going to make free time.”