Talking Illustration & Sapphic Representation with Anastacia MacDonald
- Imogen Leonard
- Apr 29
- 7 min read
Anastacia, better known as Anna, is a 24-year-old illustrator from Govan, currently based in Glasgow, whose work is rooted in a lifelong instinct to create. From an early age, art wasn’t just an interest for Anna; it was the direction she always knew she’d follow. We dive into the inspiration behind her illustrations and their sapphic influence.
What first drew you to illustration? When did you realise it was more than just an interest or hobby?
I have always been an artsy kid and knew I wanted to spend my whole life doing art. When I was encouraged to consider going to university at school, art school was the only further education I dreamed about. I was initially stuck between Fine Art and Communication Design, but I realised that illustration (which I could specialise in at Com Des) aligned with more of my passions in storytelling, character designing, and cartoon drawing. Specialising in illustration at university made it feel more like a profession than a hobby. Working on briefs involved research and structure; it was much more disciplined than drawing ‘just for fun’.
Do you remember the first illustration you completed that made you think, ‘yes, i’ve found my style or niche’?
I think my style is constantly changing but my children’s picture book project ‘Blair’s Hair’, which I made during my degree, was very significant to me in finding my style preferences. I encouraged myself to draw in a way that felt natural, rather than restricting and forcing myself to achieve a very specific style.
Talking Illustration and Sapphic Representation with Anastacia MacDonald
How did your time studying Communication Design shape your creative processes and journey?
I hated the first two years of the programme, it was all about trying to understand Communication Design as a whole, which involved a lot of experimenting outside of my comfort bubble. Graphic design, photography, moving-image, sometimes I made 3D models/sculptures? I never knew what I was doing and I never felt settled until I got to specialise in illustration in third year. A big impact it had on my creative process was learning to be more open about myself. I felt very vulnerable and alone when I first started university so I was never relaxed enough to do work that represented me (It was also the height of covid lockdown so that didn’t help). When I started third year, I started to come out of my shell a little more. I let go of the social pressure I was putting on myself, I started making work which mattered to me. The briefs for illustration often encouraged us to look at social issues, so I turned to my experience with my sexuality as a Lesbian quite often, by diving into the significance of Sapphic representation.
Over time I developed an interest in exploring Gender and Queer theory. I had to write essays related to design history. At the time it felt like a module for proving I was ‘academic’ on a course I got to make pictures. For my degree I wrote about the representation of lesbian sexuality in cinema, and when I look back on it now I realise that I learned so much during my research that has really shaped the politics which motivate my work. I discovered that the most fruitful form of inspiration for me came from feminist and queer theorists, writers and filmmakers, alongside illustrators.
You mentioned you often start your illustrations off in a more traditional method of sketching before moving to digital, what do you like most about blending the two?
Drawing traditionally means I can hold the exact medium I want, and I love the feeling of drawing on paper. I feel like I have more control, but I can also make a mess which is harder to do digitally. I love line work with imperfections and fluidity. Colour for me is a harder part of the process, moving to digital makes it feel safer. I can choose the exact palette I want, I can experiment with colours, textures, and overlays without worrying about ruining the whole picture and having to redo the whole thing. It is very convenient that way.
You said you ‘Love to draw love’ as a Lesbian how does this influence the tenderness and intimacy shown in your work?
My own experience with love inspires me and I think that authenticity is important when it comes to representation. While growing up, a lot of Lesbians in mainstream media only had voyeuristic value, intended to appeal to a heteronormative gaze. Coming to terms with my own identity was difficult as a teen because of the misconceptions that were projected around Lesbianism. I make the work I wish I could see. I aim to show that Sapphic intimacy and attraction is just as tender and sacred as any other form of love. Even when I do make work that’s more sexual, it’s constructed with a sapphic audience in mind, rather than being catered to a male fantasy.
Sapphic representation is a key theme in your illustrations, what do you feel is still missing in the way queer love is depicted in art and the media?
Maybe I just immerse myself with a lot of amazing artists, but I think there are a lot of queer artists doing a great job at representing us. I think queer artists should continue depicting their own stories and messages which matter most to them. However, I do still think that sapphic representation is lacking in mainstream film and TV because they are too scared to give us butches!
Your style entwines fantasy with grounded queer love stories, how do you balance the mythological themes with intimate sapphic representation?
I usually work from references of real people for poses and expressions. I use my imagination to paint the fantasy part and design the characters. The majority of my client base is queer, so I draw a lot of couples for commissions and communication is important when it comes to depicting a picture of people. I think with the amount of sapphic couples I’ve drawn over the years has also helped influence the “real” aspect of the illustrations I create. There is a little bit of everyone I’ve seen in the romance I depict.
You mentioned you tend to illustrate mermaids and fairies, do they hold a deeper meaning in your storytelling or are they more simply muses?
Drawing mermaids and fairies initially catered to a childish part of me and I am inspired by their strong relation to nature. It matters to me to depict women in a natural kind of state, by showing body hair, relaxed figures, ‘imperfections’ and nude forms. Fantasy is a way for me to depict women that aren’t generally celebrated. There are a lot of ways that mythology relates to queerness for me as well, the ambiguity surrounding them and not fitting into a box, appearing human but not being human enough? In the same way that queerness doesn’t conform to society's expectations for gender and sexuality.
How have you found balancing your freelance work with your part-time retail job? How do you find the motivation to keep creating?
Having a job to sustain me means I also have the time to rest without worrying about money when I’m not feeling creative. I also only work at my employed job in the mornings so it means I have the rest of the day to create and do life things! Knowing I have that safety net helps with my creative flow. I do have blips where I don’t feel like creating at all and I should just give up all together! But then I remember the only person putting that pressure on myself, is me. If I didn’t draw for myself I wouldn’t have any passion for living and I don’t want to regret not trying to get somewhere in the creative field.
Is there a particular routine/something you do that helps you decompress from your day job, so you can get into a creative headspace?
Eating and taking a nap right after work usually helps me, I wake up feeling like it’s a brand new start. It’s also important for me to do fun things to take my mind off work, whether that’s spending time with friends, my love, my kitties, going to the gym, or playing Sims!
What’s been your favourite commission to date or most challenging?
I got to illustrate the poster and merchandise for the Scottish Queer International Film Festival! It was really exciting for me to work on something that I hold values and identity with. I think it was also my most challenging because I knew it was going to be public so I put very high expectations on myself and I am my worst critic! But I know that I put all of my love into it and I had so much fun creating the characters, I was so grateful for getting the chance to work with SQIFF.
As your long-term goal is to become fully self-employed, what excitements and fears do you think of most?
The thing I look most forward to is being able to dedicate my life to my own passion. I think the biggest fear in general is uncertainty of the future, especially with the political climate getting progressively worse. I worry that one day I’ll have to give up on art for a full time job. I just want to be comfortable in the future, to have my own house for my family (My partner and our cats) but I worry about how far away
that is.
Quick Fire round
What song or album would be the perfect soundtrack to go with your work?
“Witches” by Alice Phoebe Lou
If you could collaborate with any artist, musician etc., Who would be your dream match to work with?
I can’t think of one person in particular, but I would love to work with a sapphic musician or band! I love the idea of designing an album cover or merch!
What is your favourite season and why? Do you have a favourite activity or show associated with that season?
Autumn is my favourite! The perfect temperature, Halloween season, I also hold a lot of sweet memories with my love from this time. We both love horror so my favourite activity is going to the cinema together at that time of the year.
Check out Anna's beautiful work:
A big thank you to Anna for agreeing to do this feature with Stamp, loved writing on this topic!
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