We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Sparacio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

It all started with a packet of dried leaves labeled “Mistletoe To See Ghosts” I brought back from The Witch House gift shop in Salem, Massachusetts in 2022. Shortly after, my friend Andrea Schmitz, who shares my first name, initials, birthday month, and penchant for the macabre, texted me a link with the words: “You gotta do this.” The link led to Season’s Screamings, a holiday horror festival seeking short film submissions. With the deadline only a few weeks away, the challenge was nearly impossible, yet thrilling. I glanced at the Mistletoe packet, “I know exactly what to do”.

My introduction to Andrea’s work came years earlier through her animation anthology, “Things Took a Turn,” (tookaturn.com) which reimagined fairy tales with a twist. Though my only experience was making gifs, I ventured into animation by envisioning it as a sequence of interconnected gifs, using tools like Photoshop and iMovie—much to the chagrin of seasoned animators. I submitted my debut short film, a playful take on the Brothers Grimm’s “The Goose Girl,” which featured two women who abandoned fighting over a lame prince to start a band. The film, though flawed, was vibrant and chaotic, lasting two minutes and taking several months to make. It premiered at a venue hosted by Andrea, the now-closed Videology bar in Brooklyn, where I had the chance to connect with fellow filmmakers and meet Andrea in person.

In October 2018, I started illustrating the character of Nosferatu after rewatching the 1922 silent film, “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.” Inspired, I illustrated the vampire, infusing my frustrations with NYC’s subway into an Instagram project called “Subway of Horror.” The series was a hit, blending humor with horror, and it also opened freelance illustration doors for me. When Andrea announced a second round of “Things Took a Turn” in 2019, with the theme “In the Beginning,” I seized the opportunity to delve into Nosferatu’s origin story, including the myth of Max Shrek being a real-life vampire.

I submitted my third short, “Haunted Hearts,” to the anthology in 2021. Created during the pandemic’s quarantine, it was a story about an artist who falls in love with an undead. It didn’t turn out as I had envisioned, but it was a profound learning experience. It taught me the importance of collaboration in bringing large-scale ideas to life. Acknowledging the need for support, I skipped the fourth anthology to work directly with Andrea on “Mistletoe”, a film we will submit to film fests this spring, inspired by that packet of leaves I brought home from Salem.

Through each step of my journey, from playful gifs to collaborative filmmaking, I’ve deepened my love for storytelling and discovered the invaluable strength of creative communities and the friendships that sharing passions makes.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Andrea Sparacio—a freelance illustrator and short-form animator based in Brooklyn, New York. I received my BFA in illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in NYC, but my professional path soon diverged into a multitude of disciplines: graphic design for web, television, and print, photo research, house tour contributor, book design, and more. Through it all I kept returning to my roots: illustration, where my passion resides.

My work has been featured in campaigns for TV shows like IFC’s Portlandia Season 8 and BBC’s Doctor Who Season 9, and I added a whimsical touch to several Food Network baking shows with on-air cake drawings. Other notable projects include illustrations for “The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse” (2011), authored by a Harvard medical professor. I have also collaborated on projects like “The Gender Cards” and “World-Changing Women Note Card set” with NARAL Pro-Choice America–featuring painted portraits of over 54 trailblazing women. My next journey includes entering the world of children’s book illustration to delve further into storytelling.

When I’m not bringing clients’ visions to life, I’m burning the midnight oil to craft my newsletter and develop animated shorts. Keep an eye out for the latest updates on “Nosferatu: A Lifetime of Horror,” as well as the eagerly anticipated release of “Mistletoe” later this year.

Have you ever had to pivot?

After graduating from FIT with a degree in Illustration, my proficiency was in oil painting, yet I lacked essential business skills. Recognizing the dawn of the digital era, I understood the imperative to adapt and broaden my skill set. Seeking immediate employment, I decided to shift gears towards graphic design—a discipline typically requiring four years of dedicated study.

I took an intensive crash course in the Adobe Creative Suite. While initially challenging, this leap of faith ultimately proved fruitful, paving the way for my first creative role as a graphic artist at News 12, a prominent local news channel. Here, I confronted diverse challenges, from crafting graphics for high-profile events like the Olympics to covering somber occasions such as 9/11.

This pivotal transition not only enabled me to catch up with the digital landscape but also gave me invaluable experience within a fast-paced industry. It highlighted the importance of adaptability and seizing opportunities, even when they called for stepping beyond my comfort zone.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

To me, art is everything–it is life itself. Amidst a turbulent time in the world, with its many reasons for distress and ceaseless distractions, even down to the constant construction just outside my window, I draw strength from nurturing a sense of wonder and introspection despite life’s noise. Through the art I share, I hope to offer a moment of solace, a touch of emotion, or–most importantly–a shared laugh. Hopefully, making art inspires others to embark on their own artistic journeys. See where it takes you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andreasparacio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artsparrow
• Other: https://www.sparrowhouse.art (Newsletter) https://vimeo.com/artsparrow (Vimeo)