Staff Spotlight | Getting to Know Lion in the Sun

Behind the Illustrations: Ella Romero

How would you describe yourself?

“Font Savant” and “Filing Cabinet” because of my (unnerving?) eidetic memory.

What do you do at Lion in the Sun, Park Slope?

I am the short half of the design/illustration team and have been at Lion in the Sun for 3 years. When I remember, I post things on www.farebella.com and as @romearrow on Instagram.

How did your college years influence your career?

I was an Art History major. I basically made it my business to look at pictures. I always wanted to get into graphic design in a more serious way, but developed that mostly through freelancing.

How did you get into stationery?

After college I cold-emailed a couple of stationers in NYC, with zero experience or planning, and I was hired as a sales intern at Ceci New York. A fellow intern there told me about an opening at Lion in the Sun, where I have since acquired and honed a ridiculous amount of design and sales experience and knowledge by simply being available to pinch-hit. The attitude towards “job description” at LITS is pretty fluid. You can say, “Hey…I may have an idea about this thing,” and the response will probably be, “SWEET. Here is our Staples account and some glitter paper, don’t forget to stop for lunch.”

We know you love YouTube videos. Which one is your favorite?

This question is the worst, because my answer is: ALL OF THEM. I am addicted to YouTube and have a new favorite every day, all for different reasons. Under great duress I choose “Thought of You” by Ryan Woodward, because it is stunning and combines three arts that I love: visual, music, and dance.

Which artist(s) inspires you now?

Again, so many. I’ll say Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, and Quentin Blake. I am a huge bookworm. I will forever be deeply attached to the illustrators of children’s books that I grew up reading. I love whimsy, ornament, and color, but also appreciate how magical and evocative a single, well-placed line can be. Art should tell whole stories at a glance.

What is your favorite job you’ve done so far, both personally and at LITS?

A lot of what I do personally nowadays is on a greeting card, prompted by an event (again, deadlines). I love to capitalize on any inside jokes or wry observations about said event, so I create something that will make the recipient laugh and then fidget impatiently until I get to see them open it — that reaction is my drug. For example, a friend was devastated when he had to get rid of his first car after years of adventures. I made this to cheer him up (soon after seeing a Sendak exhibit):

At LITS, I guess “When Hippo Met Wookie”. Anything that makes me laugh the entire time I am drawing is my favorite. I have called dibs on a Harry Potter wedding. It will happen.

What is your favorite quote?

“Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you did today was breathe.” I don’t know who said this, but s/he is pretty smart.