I’m Oana Popescu aka girlfringe, illustrator living and working in Bucharest.

My art lives somewhere between a teenage diary and a gothic fairytale. I’m passionate about creating digital illustrations, comics and narrative zines which explore girlhood through a dreamy, emotional lens, blending nostalgia, fantasy, femininity and the bittersweet glow of growing up. It’s where sweetness turns eerie, nostalgia turns spellbound and emotions spill in shades of red & pink, glittered edges, heart-shaped mirrors and bruised roses.

Visually, my works are characterized by storytelling, detailed compositions and fun patterns, drawing inspiration from a mix of 80s–2000s pop & whimsigoth aesthetics, old cartoons, comics & retro internet nostalgia, but also from soft gothic romance: I love to mix sweetness with melancholy, sentiment with rebellion. I can describe the characters in my art as unapologetically emotional, charismatic, melancholic, sometimes angsty, dramatic and rebellious <3

Alongside my illustrations, I’m also passionate about writing and creating mixtapes that capture the exact mood and atmosphere of each artwork, like soundtracks to the worlds I draw. I capture the entire mood on my blog ‘Girlfringe Diaries’, where I yap about my creative process, daily life & the entire universe of my art.

who is she??

interviews

Artiști care mă inspiră — Diandra Agapie