When did you first feel like, “This is it. This is the work I want to be known for”?

I never really looked for a signature style or felt the need to have one, even though the industry often expects it. When I first got the hang of vector drawing, I went all in on skeuomorphic UI and illustration, which unexpectedly put me in the spotlight. Later, I discovered digital raster painting and the new ways it allowed me to express myself, and I loved it. That’s when I began creating more realistic, scientific-style illustrations.I honestly can’t say I prefer one over the other. I enjoy designing a clean, cold interface packed with faders and knobs just as much as painting a wolf’s fur, strand by strand.

Are there any creative rules you swear by, or break just for fun?

I don’t really swear by many rules; I do what feels right. I care deeply about fundamentals, especially clarity and intention, but once those are in place, I’m more than happy to bend or break the rest if it serves the work. That’s especially true now that I’m exploring illustration more and am not as bound to interfaces and pixel-perfect design as I used to be.

Which part of the creative process is your favorite, and why?

Once the idea is clear on the canvas and everything is laid out where it should be, that’s when the fun really starts for me. It’s all about refining details, giving the piece its final shape, and making it pop. I could spend hours there. Honestly, if I could, I’d make four, five, or seventy-three different versions of the same illustration and drive myself completely crazy trying to decide which one works best, squinting at the screen the whole time and overanalyzing every difference.

Is there an Affinity trick you always end up sharing?

I often use Boolean operations to build and refine details like shadows, highlights, and bevels instead of relying on quick effects. It’s about choosing the right approach for each situation, but when done well, this method gives you more control and noticeably elevates the final result.

What’s something Affinity just gets right?

Luckily for us, Affinity gets many of the things right that other tools get wrong. Workflow, the way tools behave, and the overall lack of friction when working digitally all make a huge difference. The UI is thoughtfully designed too. Add to that the lightweight performance and, of course, the community. All of it makes Affinity feel genuinely built for creatives.

Isabel Aracama

Illustrator

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Graphic designer

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Educator

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Spain

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Pro Panel

Isabel Aracama is a designer and illustrator who describes herself as a “Swiss army knife” creative, with a multidisciplinary background spanning graphic design and UI/UX. With years of experience working across diverse visual disciplines, her practice has gradually expanded to place illustration at its core. Rather than committing to a single illustrative style, Isabel embraces experimentation, allowing each project to shape its own visual language. Driven by curiosity and a constant stream of ideas waiting to be explored, her work balances structured design thinking with expressive illustration, moving fluidly between systems, stories, and styles.

Start of section: Creative work

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Creative work

Illustration created for CONFIA to accompany a paper on digital scientific illustration→

Illustration

Scientific illustration developed as a teaching tool for realistic insect rendering→

Illustration

Illustration showcasing realistic zoological rendering techniques→

Illustration

Mixed-technique illustration blending scientific detail with deep-sea storytelling→

Illustration

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End of section: Creative work

"Affinity is better than the rest in so many ways that I can’t stop recommending it. I’ve been spreading the word for over 12 years, and it’s rare to hear anyone say they prefer another tool after experiencing its friendly learning curve, refreshing approach, and the results they can achieve in just a few hours during my workshops."

Q&A

I never really looked for a signature style or felt the need to have one, even though the industry often expects it. When I first got the hang of vector drawing, I went all in on skeuomorphic UI and illustration, which unexpectedly put me in the spotlight. Later, I discovered digital raster painting and the new ways it allowed me to express myself, and I loved it. That’s when I began creating more realistic, scientific-style illustrations.
I honestly can’t say I prefer one over the other. I enjoy designing a clean, cold interface packed with faders and knobs just as much as painting a wolf’s fur, strand by strand.
I don’t really swear by many rules; I do what feels right. I care deeply about fundamentals, especially clarity and intention, but once those are in place, I’m more than happy to bend or break the rest if it serves the work. That’s especially true now that I’m exploring illustration more and am not as bound to interfaces and pixel-perfect design as I used to be.
Once the idea is clear on the canvas and everything is laid out where it should be, that’s when the fun really starts for me. It’s all about refining details, giving the piece its final shape, and making it pop. I could spend hours there. Honestly, if I could, I’d make four, five, or seventy-three different versions of the same illustration and drive myself completely crazy trying to decide which one works best, squinting at the screen the whole time and overanalyzing every difference.
I often use Boolean operations to build and refine details like shadows, highlights, and bevels instead of relying on quick effects. It’s about choosing the right approach for each situation, but when done well, this method gives you more control and noticeably elevates the final result.
Luckily for us, Affinity gets many of the things right that other tools get wrong. Workflow, the way tools behave, and the overall lack of friction when working digitally all make a huge difference. The UI is thoughtfully designed too. Add to that the lightweight performance and, of course, the community. All of it makes Affinity⁠(opens in a new tab or window) feel genuinely built for creatives.

Digital illustration created in Affinity of a synthesizer interface with detailed controls, sliders, and keyboard