Lana has been freelance illustrating since 2017.

Alana Shea Wilson is an illustrator & character designer from San Diego, California. With a background in foster care volunteering, her body of work is dedicated to creating positive, diverse representation in animated media & literature.

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“Because everyone deserves to see a little bit of themselves in the stories they hold dear.”

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Artist Statement

Creating art and helping others are the two activities that bring me the most joy in life. Growing up, my mother and father were foster parents, which gave me the unique experience of being a big sister to many children less fortunate than myself. Thanks to this incredible upbringing, I have always had a special appreciation for diversity, togetherness, and helping others. Following the abrupt passing of my father when I was a teenager, I turned to both art and foster care volunteering to find solace. By doing this, I realized the power creativity has to heal both artist and viewer—and simultaneously realized the great depth of my passion for art. 

It’s my fundamental belief—both personally and artistically—that teaching marginalized, impressionable minds that they belong doesn’t just benefit individual lives, but also beautifies the entire world. For this reason, the most critical aspect of my character design process comes down to showing the humanity and diversity of my characters; whether I’m illustrating for children’s literature or conceptualizing for an animated film, my goal is to consistently develop characters that promote inclusivity of race, gender, ability, and sexuality. I want to make representation of diverse stories commonplace—because everyone deserves to see a bit of themselves reflected in the stories they hold dear.

Biography

Alana Shea Wilson is an illustrator and character designer from sunny San Diego, California. Graduating summa cum laude, she earned her BA in Graphic Design + Illustration from Point Loma Nazarene University in the spring of 2022. Lana has been working in freelance for eight years, designing illustrations and character designs for various clients, including HarperCollins, Thomas Nelson, Cengage Learning, and Think Ink. She has also previously been published in the international anthology, Creating Art (2016, 2018), as well as had her work displayed in Keller Gallery’s 2020 showcase, Connections, and her 2022 solo senior gallery show, Nightlight.

Most recently, Lana was the Layout Designer and Lead Illustrator of Driftwood, as well as the illustrator of the children’s books A Message Across Time by Barbara Klett and Left Behind! by Sarah Fallon (2025 release).

She is represented by Astound Illustration Agency Global.

 FAQs

  • I use Procreate on my 13” iPad Pro (2022) with a paper texture screen cover and my Apple Pencil as my main setup. Additionally, for professional projects, I use the Adobe Suite (Photoshop & InDesign) on my 16” MacBook Pro (2019).

  • My go-to brushes are the 6B pencil and Baskerville for line art & color filling/shadows/highlights, and Carbon Stick for airbrushed rendering (blush, color gradients, etc). I adjust stabilization as-needed!

  • I have an Etsy! This is currently the only place where I sell stickers and prints of my work. (Swiftie art is currently out of stock!)

  • Absolutely! My commissions are open [2025]. I’m happy to illustrate character portraits (single or groups, humans, pets/animals, etc.), landscapes, specific settings, decorative borders, hand-drawn typography, etc. I will also create commissioned fan art and logos. Reach out and we can discuss rates & timelines! :)

    I will not illustrate anything NSFW or depicting violence, gore, or horror.

  • I majored in Graphic Design with a chosen focus in Illustration, and I minored in Criminal Justice.

    Lots of people have asked me why I studied Criminal Justice when I was an Art/Design major. The answer is that activism is a huge part of my life and mission as an artist, and as such, I care a lot about the impact of diversity/representation in media, as well as social justice, civil rights, and equality in general. There was actually a huge overlap between my coursework in my major and minor, and I loved tailoring both artworks and case studies alike to lean into that.

    Now, I love working on projects that amplify minority voices/stories, champion LGBTQ+ storylines, encourage body positivity, and celebrate neurodiversity & people with disabilities.

  • I’m on Instagram and Pinterest—both are @artoflanashea. Let’s be friends!