Meet Eva Carballeira R | Illustrator & tattoo artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eva Carballeira R and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eva, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It was a pretty organic process for me. I was born in A Coruña (Galicia), north-western Spain. Always been the kid with the painting skills in my school and the family. Then embarked on Bellas Artes at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid (without a clue about how to develop a realistic art career I could sustain and feel comfortable with, and all the anxiety in the world about it). I was already doing little commissions here and there back then.

In the 3rd year I had a wonderful teacher there, Luis Mayo in Sociology of the Arts class. It opened my eyes to the arbitrariness of the traditional art world/market, and I decided I wasn’t going to play that game, not at least for a living, there had to be other options. Then there was my year studying abroad in Paris, and so many exhibitions and culture about people like Toulouse Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha, artists I followed on Instagram, etc. I had always enjoyed staring for hours at the illustrated books and dreamed about designing CD covers and film posters. So I found a master’s degree back in Trazos school in Madrid, with Jaime de la Torre, another incredible teacher who helped me enhance my brushstroke and cleared my mind about pursuing Editorial and Advertising Illustration. And that’s a path you basically can only do by freelancing.

So it was difficult to wrap my mind around it, a heavy uncertainty that I had to learn to handle. I worked some other jobs by the end of the másters and internship, and I was a flight attendant for a while. That was another idea that always seduced me, traveling for a living while drawing in the layovers. But that lifestyle didn’t turn out to be good for me either, and that was the point where my parents suggested: why don’t you stop taking sideways and go all in freelancing?? You already have project offers every month, and we can help you anyway”.

It was very clear to me at that point that I had a really hard time following orders and obeying people whose values I deeply disagreed with. To the point of feeling really miserable by doing so. As Mark Manson says in his book, you must “choose your struggle”. So I choose every day the uncertainty (and also the freedom), of having to seek and land my jobs and clients as an artist, but it’s all so worth it at so many levels. That’s where the business started seriously, and now I also added tattooing to my skillset, which I’m so happy about since it adds some stability to my income, and blends incredibly well with the rest of my practice, allowing me to express my views and values with other people who may resonate with them. I am incredibly thankful every day that I got the necessary support to do what I do in the first place.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well, I think I kinda have already responded to part of that, haven’t I? About what sets me apart and am most proud about I am pretty sure that is my kind of “flowy brushstroke”, messy and expressive that people usually make comments about, I see they feel connected to it and the themes and issues I reflect with it. I am a highly sensitive person, and often find myself so overwhelmed by emotions about different stuff (usually events related to feminism, human rights, and sustainability), that the best outlet I find for it is to draw an image that conveys the message I’m angry, sad, or crying with joy about! I think that my intense personality translates through my linework and use of color and people seem to appreciate it:)

Professionally, I consider I still have the whole world to learn about and grow. It’s not been easy so far and I’m sure it’s not going to be, and young artists definitely need a ton of support to even get to the starting point, and that is a huge privilege in today’s world. But after that, I also noticed that the more you push and put yourself out there, the easier the opportunities start to come your way. I believe it has a lot to do with the energy you put into the Universe. It is also clear to me that artists have the power to shake minds and hearts, wake people up about issues that they may not resonate with just reading about them in the press, and that politicians definitely don’t want us to care about.

“Art is the highest form of hope” is another quote I love, and that’s what I aim to do with my career actually: help create a better world and drive some awareness to the important stuff through my practice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, for what I got to know Los Angeles, my favorite spot would probably be the Gryffith park and Observatory. To see the show inside about the origins of life and the Universe. Then probably the hike to the Hollywood sign. I thought that was going to be overrated but the way to get to it in the nature is really nice, and you really feel like the king or queen of the world when you get to the top and watch the huge city at your feet behind the iconic letters!

About food, I really enjoyed the In & out hamburgers. Also the Foo-Chow restaurant in Chinatown. The modern art museums in Downtown like the Broad, or the Getty in the hills, I enjoyed a lot too. And also the many places you can find comedy shows, like the Roguelike Tavern in Burbank where I could see the show of Iliza Shlesinger.

The drive to Malibu and Point Dume is also really nice. And also enjoyed a lot my stay in the area of Hermosa Beach, one of the most peaceful and quiet places in LA, still cinematic with the beach and the bar locations of Lalaland. The place where I felt the safest, while volunteering for two months in Surf City hostel.

Outside the city I would definitely go take a bath to the Hot springs, and a day or two in the National Parks (the Yosemite is what I visited so far).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely my family and friends. I would say both my mom and dad, Bene Rabuñal and Jaime Carballeira for supporting wholeheartedly and without hesitations my whole art education, and then giving me a place to stay in for free while my business was taking off. My friends and lovers with their words of encouragement, especially to the ones who providing me with tools and sending my way opportunities that helped me, restraining from comments like “get a real job” I guess.

Also books like “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron, “Show your work!” by Austin Kleon, and Youtube channels by illustrators I admire like Fran Meneses, were really really healing and enlightening for me, and helped me see the way I can do this, and how I want to do it.

Website: www.evacarballeirabunal.com

Instagram: @evesketches / @evetattooes