Yana Emilova

Hello there :)

I’m Yana, an animation designer from Bulgaria. I’m currently based in sunny Edinburgh, Scotland. I have the right to work in the UK and EU.


Animation has been my guiding light for as long as I can remember. It has taught me new languages, inspired me to learn about the world around me, and showed me the connecting power of story.


As an artist, I’m passionate about creating story-driven characters that immerse us in unexpected worlds, be they realistic or fantastical.


My main inspirations come from the real world and I spend every free moment on observational and life drawing. When my hands need to rest, I’m worming my way through a book, attending workshops, writing scripts for my personal projects, or feeding birds.



Experience

Freelance illustrator and brand designer for small businesses, 2020-ongoing.


Maître d' for The Red Bus, Edinburgh, a luxury event company offering vintage vehicle hire, 2016-2025.

Previously Team Manager, 2020-2022, and Social Media Manager, 2019-2020.


Self-Defence and Hand-to-Hand Combat Instructor solo teaching groups of 30 students. Providing classes and curricula for children and adult groups. Beginner to advanced, 2021-2023.


Event Photographer, Blog Manager, Graphic Designer for RKM Edinburgh. Writing in-depth articles on mental health, self-defence, and everyday violence. Designing graphics and providing photography coverage of sport and educational events, 2021-2023.


Doctoral Researcher in Language, Violence, and Images (Corpus Linguistics, Critical Discourse Linguistics, and Multimodal Analysis), University of Stirling, 2021.


Consecutive Translator, freelance. Providing Bulgarian <-> English translation services for NHS Scotland, Police Scotland, and various legal staff, 2019-2021.


Further Education

Bi-Weekly Life Drawing Sessions with Draw Brighton, VeersDrawings, or Warrior Art Camp, 2023-ongoing.


Background Painting for Animation with Ryan Magno, Warrior Art Camp, 2025-ongoing.


Props for Animation with Jenny Cho, Warrior Art Camp, 2025.


Character Design with Esther Morales, Galería Roja & Warrior Art Camp, 2023, 2024, 2025.


Character Design with Alberto Expósito, Galería Roja, 2024 (Spanish), 2025.


Stylized Worldbuilding with Alex Diboine, Underpaint Academy, 2025.


Digital Composition with Diego Freyre, 2025.


Stylizing Environments on the Fly with Laura Bifano, Warrior Art Camp, 2024.


Storyboarding with Maca Gil, Galería Roja, 2024.


Realistic Digital Portrait Painting with Brant Yang, Warrior Art Camp, 2024.


Illustrating Children’s Books with Domenico Russo, Galería Roja, 2024.


Concept Art with Jeremy Fenske, Galería Roja, 2024.


Visual Development with Ruby Wang, Galería Roja, 2024.


Environment Sketching with Michelle Fang, Warrior Art Camp, 2024.


Concept Art/Illustration with Arthus Pilorget, Galería Roja, 2024.


Color & Light with Irene Trapero, Galería Roja, 2024.


Sketching Animals with Sorie Kim, Warrior Art Camp, 2024.


Sketching from Imagination with Sorie Kim, 2024.


Perspective with Marshall Vandruff, Proko, 2024.






Education

Master of Research (Humanities), University of Stirling, 2020, 1st Class Degree with thesis project commendation.


Bachelor of Arts, University of Stirling, 2019.


Licensed self-defence and hand-to-hand combat instructor with 3 years' experience teaching beginner to advanced level classes for adults, children, and teenagers.


English (fluent)

Spanish (advanced)

Dutch & French (basic)

Bulgarian (native)


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