Alicia Aradilla: I’ve Built One Of The Largest Online Art Schools In The World (Artist, 421K Followers, Spain)

Alicia Aradilla Interview 

For me, watercolor is more than technique, it’s a way of capturing the soul of a place, not just its colors. Travel gives me stories, and painting lets me preserve them forever.

Q. You describe yourself as an 'Artist blending art, travel, and lifestyle'. How would you introduce yourself and your journey to our readers in your own words?

I’m an artist who has managed to bring together my two passions: illustration and travel. I travel the world capturing its beauty through watercolor, and I share it on my Instagram profile, where I also collaborate with tourism boards and companies worldwide. 

Over time, I’ve also built one of the largest online art schools in the world on Patreon, something I’m especially proud of, because I teach thousands of people how to create their own travel sketchbooks.

 

Q. From sketchbooks on the road to global recognition, how has travel shaped your artistic identity and storytelling?

I think I’ve found a way to mix art and storytelling through travel and lifestyle in a very authentic way. That’s what has helped me connect with people, by trying to be genuine on social media and showing my day-to-day life. The community has grown little by little, and honestly, that means more to me than the recognition, which only came much later.

 

Q. Your watercolours carry both spontaneity and precision. What is your creative process like when painting on the move?

Traveling and painting at the same time has allowed me to develop a unique style—more spontaneous, aiming to capture what I see in just a few brushstrokes. My process usually starts with finding a spot that catches my attention, either because of the light or the subject, and then I sit down for about 45 minutes to fill a page in my sketchbook. I always travel light: a small watercolor box, an A5 sketchbook, some brushes and a fountain pen.

 

Q. Forbes listed you among the Top 100 Best Content Creators in 2023. What did that recognition mean for you personally and professionally?

Any recognition is always appreciated on a personal level, but like I said earlier, what matters most to me is the amazing community that supports me every single day on social media. What I do value about these awards is that they give credit to professionals from different fields who have built successful careers, not to take in consideration just the number of followers they have.

 

Q. Many of your works capture not just places but also their soul. How do you decide what moment, detail, or feeling deserves to be immortalized on paper?

What catches my eye first is always the light of a place. But beyond that, I try to let the drawing absorb everything happening around me. Every time I sit down to paint, things unfold: I see the local rhythm, the movement, the smells, the climate. 

My goal is for all of that to somehow seep into my travel sketchbooks. That’s really the essence of my work.

 

Q. You offer online watercolor classes that reach audiences worldwide. How has teaching enriched your own practice as an artist?

I started my art school on Patreon five years ago, and today almost 2,000 students from all over the world follow my tutorials every month. To teach someone how to paint, the most important thing is generosity, never keeping tricks to yourself. 

That’s something many artists struggle with. But in my case, I’ve always felt a strong calling for teaching, and I’ve discovered that I can guide anyone to create their own travel sketchbooks. This part of my work brings me so much joy.

 

Q. The intersection of art, travel, and digital storytelling is unique. What challenges have you faced in balancing creativity with content creation?

The hardest thing is definitely time. I wish I had more of it when I travel, but sometimes I have so many projects, commissions, and tasks that make me move faster than I’d like. That’s my biggest challenge right now. I hope to slow down soon, and I believe that will help me take another step forward in my evolution as an artist.

 

Q. And for fun, if you could sit and paint alongside any historical artist or traveler, who would it be and why?

I’d love to sit next to Alexandra David-Néel, also known as Madame Tibet. I illustrated her story in my latest book, The Illustrated Journal of Great Voyages, and she inspired me a lot. Let me just say this: at the age of 100, just months before she died, she renewed her passport. That’s the kind of attitude I admire most. She must have been an incredibly interesting woman.

Bio:

Alicia Aradilla, travel illustrator (Spain, 1989), has been working professionally with watercolor since 2017, when she left her job as a graphic designer at an advertising company to travel the world and capture all its colors in her sketchbooks. In addition to fulfilling a dream, her travels allowed her to undertake a very ambitious project, resulting in 13 sketchbooks with over 700 illustrations from 19 different countries, which she shared daily on Instagram, where she has more than 400,000 followers. Since then, she has worked as a freelance illustrator, collaborating with companies, tourism agencies, and publishing groups. She has also created her own online watercolor school on Patreon, with more than 1,700 students following her lessons each month.

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Interviewed by - Divya Darshni