As a visual development artist at Pixar Animation Studios, Ana Ramírez González worked on the iconic film ‘Coco.’ Not only did she work on the film, but illustrated the companion picture cook entitled ‘Coco: Miguel and the Grand Harmony.’

The designer shared on her twitter account shared her latest work, “I had just come back from a month in the Mediterranean when I found out we were making #PixarLuca ! I was excited to share my sketches in hopes of getting on the show, but ended up going to another equally amazing show that I can‘t wait to share! Here r some of those old sketches.”

©Ana Ramírez González

Born and raised in Guanajuato, Mexico her art reflects her upbringing, although when interviewed by the Smithsonian Latino Center, that wasn’t necessarily apparent to her until it was pointed out by Pixar. She mentions that when it was pointed out it looked Mexican she said, “I wasn’t trying to make it look that way but I think just from hometown and stuff has a lot of patterns, really interesting design and I think I just kind of carry that everywhere I go. Now I’m more aware of it and after ‘Coco’ especially I feel like I learned more about my culture and I learned why I do what I do or why I like the things that I like. I think it’s inevitable and it’s natural to draw from what you know and your experience. I try to bring it with me everywhere I go and think about it. I love Mexican art. There’s a lot I haven’t seen and I’m always inspired by it.”

In 2018, Ana made a Google doodle to honor Katy Jurado, a Mexican actress that revolutionized cinema during the golden era and was also the first Mexican woman to be nominated for an Academy Award!

©Ana Ramírez González

Ana studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts. She has published picture books for Disney, HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray and Scholastic. She also was the illustrator of Maybe Tomorrow?and is currently working on picture books from Candlewick, S&S/Atheneum, and Bloomsbury.