Boca Isla | Estrella 🦄

“Out the Window” 🪟 • Do you remember all the times you looked out a window and imagined all sorts of things? The man that would jump over any kind of obstacles, the gigantic street lamp that resembled a giraffe… every artist has their own unique vision of the world, and I think that’s very beautiful 💜 • I am super glad to announce that I have been selected as the winner of this 21st edition’s Poster Contest from @animayofestival !! 🌟 I finished this piece back in December, and I remember it being such a blast to work on! Including all sorts of little creatures and character designs that I liked was super fun 🌷 Thank you infinitely to the @animayofestival committee for entrusting me with this project 🦄 It’s been lovely working with you, and I truly hope we can keep in touch 💫 (fun fact: I was a finalist in 2024, so receiving a fully-fledged victory is so amazing!!!! ☀️) • And to all of you who may or may not know me: ¡hola! Me llamo Estrella Vázquez, soy una pequeña Concept Artist de Cádiz =) If you see or use the poster in any way, I’d love it if you @‘d me!!! 🥹 • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior positions starting now! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) • #visdev #animayo2026 #conceptart #animayopostercontest #characterdesign

Now yes: MAIA’s official Award Post! 🌷 • “Amalthea’s Children” received at @maiamercadoanimacao the ToonBoom Award for Best Feature Film Pitch! ✨ I feel so incredibly lucky to have been given this recognisition, alongside other super beautiful projects that I had the chance of observing 💜 (special callout to @meri_yein_ because they gave our awards together and to @nunipuni21 for being the last awarded in the same category as us!!!!) • Being a lost, recent graduate has been something that’s been weighing on my shoulders for most of the time. But receiving so much considerate feedback, critiques and a bit of praise has me thinking: “maybe I am truly worthy!”, and well, MAIA being one of the first to give me a chance is truly honoring 🦄 • Fun fact about the song choice: “Quedaremos” by @javypablo is written to be played on a key Opal and Daedalus moment- if this project sees the light of day sometime, I really hope to include it! 🙏 Please look forward to the MAIA Vlog, it’s gonna take a while because I recorded a lot… but I’m having so much fun editing it!!! ((is someone tired of LHDA???? because i’m only posting about it and I feel so ANNOYING)) • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior positions starting in January and on! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) • #conceptart #conceptartist #characterdesign #bgdesign #mercadodeanimaçãoiberoamericano

Hi there! I'm Estrella (or Boca Isla) 🦀 º I'm an illustrator, concept artist and animator from San Fernando, Cádiz! A couple fun facts about me: - I ADORE unicorns! 🦄 I have the biggest plush collection of them ever, and if you contacted me for a unicorn-related project, the word "happy" wouldn't be enough to describe my state :) - I love, love, LOVE animation, but I adore illustration too! That's why I try to blend both techniques so none of them loses its protagonism. After Effects is such a cool way to do this! Want to get to know me better? Check out my web! ;) 🖥 Shoot me a message! I reply very fast! 💌 [email protected] º #animator #illustrator #whoami #diseñoytecnologiascreativas #disenoytecnologiascreativas #aftereffects #aftereffectsanimator #personalbrand #personalbranding @ayuntamientosanfernando @ayuntamientocadiz @bbaaupv

“Water dream” 🏝️ • Originally I wasn’t planning on posting this, but I haven’t been able to finish anything completely as of lately… 🥹 I bought myself a new Mac, and I set this 2-hour doodle as my new wallpaper. It actually does the job pretty well!! Since everything is pretty much water, all folders are floating around… This was just an excuse to draw myself with @samuelsattin and @gurihiru ‘s Unico, really! And use nice colors. And remind myself that summer is around the corner… • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior as starting now! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) • #visdev #visdevart #conceptart #sea #characterdesign

“El Chico de los Molinos” 🪈 • A strange thing has happened in this little seaside town: it’s always sunny and warm! It’s always such a nice weather… that plants are dying, crops are withering and people are fearing for their town’s wellbeing. However, a charming yet chaotic duo is ready to investigate this enigma: Eliot and Dylan, a pair so rare that they discover they are related to this place’s biggest mysteries. And they won’t be entirely alone: underwater creatures are following their steps very, very closely… 🧜‍♀️ • @s.t.olga , @claramccaff and I are developing this project pitched by Olga herself! This is a story that is very dear to her, and we will be bringing it alongside our own personal projects to @animayofestival !! Each of us will be showcasing our animation projects across the public, but we really wanted to highlight Olga’s beautiful story this day in honor of Mermay starting!! 🦋 @s.t.olga (Olga Sanchis): Director and screenwriter @claramccaff (Clara McCaffrey): Character Design Lead and Concept Artist @boca.isla (Estrella Vázquez): Colorkey Lead and Concept Artist (illustration done by yours truly!!) Please, come by and say hello to us! 👋 Clara will also be bringing her beautiful project “Pillow Fort”, and I (Estrella) shall be showing off “Amalthea’s Children”, as well! 💖 • #featurefilmpitch #mermay #conceptart #mermaidoc #animationproject

A simpler post for today 💫 • Slowly exploring Víctor and Starboy’s little universe! I love playing and expanding on their designs 🌷 I’ve been working on Animayo’s identity hard for this week, so I have left my other illust projects a little bit behind! Everything is coming out so so prettily, I’m so excited for you to see 🥹 I finished these poses a little while ago, but this morning I did the last silly Starboy doodles, toying with his look a bit… 🌟 • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior as starting now! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) • #visdev #starcharacter #conceptart #keyposes #characterdesign

Today we announce more than a poster: a way of seeing. Animayo 2026 now has its winning image. The selected piece is “Out the Window”, by Spanish artist Estrella Vázquez Cabeza (@boca.isla ). A simple yet powerful idea: looking out the window and turning the everyday into worlds, creatures and stories. Because that is where the journey from idea to image begins. 848 submissions, 68 countries, and hundreds of ways of understanding creation. As the artist says: “Sometimes, you have to look out the window to find inspiration and keep creating.” Thank you, thank you so much to every single participant for making it such a difficult decision; and congratulations to all the finalists! Art lives in each and every one of those works, in their quality, technical precision, and in the sensitivity with which each artist has transformed their creativity into image. Thank you for sharing such a high level of work, for the generosity behind every submission, and for continuing to contribute to and take part in this competition year after year. Congratulations, Estrella. _____ Hoy anunciamos algo más que un cartel: una mirada. @animayofestival 2026 ya tiene imagen ganadora. La pieza seleccionada es “Out the Window”, de la artista española Estrella Vázquez Cabeza. Una idea sencilla y poderosa: mirar por la ventana y convertir lo cotidiano en mundos, criaturas e historias. Porque ahí comienza el tránsito de la idea a la imagen. 848 propuestas, 68 países y cientos de formas de entender la creación. Como dice la artista: “A veces, hay que mirar por la ventana para encontrar inspiración y seguir creando”.” Gracias y mil gracias a cada uno de los participantes por ponerlo tan difícil; y enhorabuena a todos los finalistas! el arte está en cada una de esas propuestas, por la calidad, la precisión técnica y por la sensibilidad con la que cada artista ha convertido su creatividad en imagen. Gracias por compartir tanto nivel de trabajo, por la generosidad de cada propuesta y por seguir aportando y participando cada año en este concurso. Enhorabuena, Estrella. #Animayo2026

“Warm as the sun!” ☀️ • Do you know the feeling of sensing the sun come out inbetween the clouds of a chilly, cloudy day? ☁️ That was me in Dublin last week- every time a bit of sun came out, I would stay still like a pigeon 🌤️ When wandering around the city, I took so many pictures! I got my Unico: Awakening copy signed by Tomm Moore a couple of days before, which really got me in the mood of asking myself: “what if Unico were here? Or there? Or laying on top of that tree?” 🦄 I’ve got another Dublin-Unico illust laid out, and I really want to make more. Plus, it’s Unico’s 50th Anniversary this year! What better way to celebrate than to draw him in every domestic situation possible? 💫 • By the way, I have been working hard in A LITTLE THING that will be announced in (if I’m not mistaken) by the end of this month! Please look forward to that ;) (not Amalthea’s Children related, sadly…) • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior positions starting now! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) • #visdev #unicoawakening #conceptart #backgroundart #unicoosamutezuka

“Amalthea’s Children” presents… “The Strongest”! 👑 • After an incredibly hard fight against Lapis where Opal ends up being the loser, she decides something: she must become THE STRONGEST! 🌷 However, Spotty is not too convinced with the idea. Luckily for Opal, Spotty remembers the advice her grandma once gave her: “too much stress affects the dragon’s breath”! Oh, how right she was! Turns out stress CAN affect unicorns’ heads… 🦄 • Some silly boards I did to showcase an episode proposal of the series version of Amalthea’s Children back at @animationdinglefestival !! These were so much fun to make =) Stay tuned for a new announcement, by the way 🪻 • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior positions starting now! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) #conceptart #storyboards #storybeats #characterdesign #juniorartist

Lapis and Opal’s first encounter 💫 • Amidst the yells and screams from creatures doing sport, Opal finds herself drawn to the huge curtain that divides the piste in two, and how wonderful! There’s a fencing club in her city! 🤺 However, those chilling raspberry eyes caught Opal’s stare immediately, and they think otherwise. Hidden in her cage of pride, Lapis quickly strolls and takes over, saying: “how do YOU want to be a fencer, having no horn to fight with?” Little does Lapis know, she may be facing her biggest adversary of them all… and not only from a fencing standpoint 🌸 • I am so close to presenting “Amalthea’s Children” in @animationdinglefestival !! Which is why, I wanted to leave here a small gift: a couple of color tests I did for @maiamercadoanimacao a couple of months ago. TIME FLIES SO FAST!! I hate it 😵‍💫 • (I’m on the lookout for internships and Junior positions starting now! Please do write to me: [email protected] if you find my work interesting🪻) • #conceptart #conceptartist #visualdevelopment #colorkey #visdevart

The MAIA video is finally up! 🌸 • After a long month of editing and postproduction, The MAIA video is finished! ENGLISH CC WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON! I WILL BE WORKING ON THEM! 😵‍💫 THE TRANSLATED CC WORKS WELL IN THE MEANTIME!! What a joy it has been to finish it at last! I’ve been so pumped and wanted to finish it ASAP to show you guys how cool it came out! 🦄 I wanted to post the video today because I will be away starting tomorrow for a week. I’m gonna be spending the week visiting my dear friend @beatrizlisso !! • Thank you again @maiamercadoanimacao for the incredible chance. I hope you guys enjoy it! (@companiafantastica nunca hago esto pero SOLO ME HE PUESTO ROPA VUESTRA EN ESTE VÍDEO os amo porfi vedlo) GO TO MY LINKTR.EE AND/OR CHECK MY STORIES TO GET THE LINK!💜 • (I’m still on the lookout for Junior positions and internship possibilities! Please do write to me if you see I’m a good fit ;) [email protected] 🪻) #maia2026 #animationaward #juniorartist #animationfestival #conceptart

My project “Amalthea’s Children” has had its fourth selection thanks to Animation Dingle! ☘️ • Following the misadventures of Opal, a unicorn born without a horn, and her brother Daedalus, a pegasus with a missing wing; both siblings will partake in the yearly sports competition so as to overcome their own deepest fears. Opal wishes to become a fencer in a society where unicorns fence with their horns 🦄, and Daedalus is a talented athlete who has the task of learning how to fly 🪽 “Amalthea’s Children” is a project that investigates the representation of disability in animation, as well as showing how to live with them in a respectful, natural way. The project received its first award for Best (adapted) Feature Film Pitch in the ToonBoom category last month at @maiamercadoanimacao 🌸 However, it is also being developed as a series! • Super excited to see you all next month!! Damn, I have to finish editing last event’s vlog and now I shall be recording another one 😮‍💨 Thank you so incredibly much @jammediaanimation for the chance!! I will deliver the best pitch possible ;) • (I’m still on the lookout for Junior positions and internship possibilities! Please do write to me if you see I’m a good fit ;) [email protected] 🪻) #conceptart #juniorartist #animationdingle2026 #pitches #visualdevelopment