I received an email from Tony at The Chamber ALX asking if it was okay to share my email with a local business owner who asked for it. To be honest, I was flattered, thinking “She reads Stylebook and knows what we do? Cool.” 

Vanessa Colina is warm and friendly at hello. When we sit down to have a latte, I hear an accent and ask where she’s from. “Valencia, Venezuela…until 2013. When I came here, I spent a year in Boston and went to school to learn English…and then moved to D.C. for a job in 2014. I’ve been in Northern Virginia ever since. I have a big family, my parents are here, my mom is in Springfield, VA. She was visiting me and met someone, and fell in love and got married! The rest of my family is back home in Latin America.”

Many know Vanessa for her illustrations; she launched Old Town Illustrated during the pandemic. “When I moved here in 2021, I was just walking around Old Town and my mom’s husband pointed at the black plaques on homes. He said it meant they held at least 100 years of history. I’m very visual, so I immediately began picturing them (the homes) as illustrations.”

With nothing else to do during those isolating days, she started illustrating historic homes. “It was a creative outlet. I started a new social media account and began posting the images. I used keywords, and soon I had a following. People were DMing me, asking, ‘Can you do my house?’” When she’s illustrating, she starts on paper. “I take photos from every angle, even though I only illustrate the front. I choose things to highlight, like a texture I like, a piece of the house I really like, and I capture the roofs. The clients tell me all the stories and what they did to the house and what different things mean to them…it’s so fascinating.”

VANESSA COLINA

Photography: Renée C. Gage Photography

Styled by: The Hive

Hair: Gema at PR Partners Old Town

Shoot location: Captain’s Row, Old Town Alexandria

When things began to return to our new normal, Vanessa started thinking about making the illustrations a business. “It was also such a great way to make a connection with an area I had just moved into…disguised as an illustration project,” she says laughing. “It was my passion project and now it’s a full fledged project and wholesale business.”

In 2022, she had an exhibition at Principle Gallery, and has also collaborated with Manumission Tour Company, Hotel Heron and other local businesses such as Penny Post. “I really got to know Amy (of Penny Post) and she helped me get my products in her store…and I began to learn more of the dynamics of the wholesale business.” 

Vanessa says she started drawing before she started walking. “I used to paint houses with greenery when I was a little and would sell them to my family. I had a business at six years old…it was my mom who reminded me of this and sent a photo. My family still has the paintings on the wall. I’ve always been creative, oil painting, watercolor…and always drawing. I spent a year and a half thinking I was going to be an information engineer. All I did was draw in all of my classes, so I switched my major to graphic design. After I graduated in 2004, I started working with digital design and web sites. And then everything moved to mobile, and I began designing mobile apps. I have always mixed the two: design and new technology.”

Her other business is Twenty Percent Studio, a design and marketing boutique studio. When I raise my eyebrows like “Why not 99 Percent?”, she shares its origin. “The name comes from the habit of narrowing in on something we need to do in the next few steps. Twenty percent is going to give you 80 percent of the results. We focus on campaigns that raise brand and product awareness. We enhance a client’s digital assets – their web site, their social media and email marketing.” 

Vanessa belongs to cocollective, a community started by an illustrator in the DMV. “He started it with like 13 people. Some are illustrators and others specialize in ceramic and flower arrangement. What we all have in common is that we’re creative, small businesses. And first-generation Americans or immigrants. All of us are in different stages of our businesses. The group has really helped me with time-saving suggestions and local recommendations.”

Where does her entrepreneurial spirit come from? “I think I always wanted to have my own business. I had my own small business studio in Venezuela for four years and I learned so much from that; it helped me get up and running faster here. My aunt also took me under her wing. It’s such a disconnect when you start your business, especially when you’re used to having a paycheck, and suddenly it’s so irregular. On the other hand, I feel like I’m in control and can be as creative as I want. There’s always trade-offs, it comes down to your personality and risk tolerance.”

When she’s not designing or introducing herself to other small business owners, Vanessa loves to ride her bike in Northern Virginia. “I’m training to improve my endurance in climbs. I did the climb at Masonic Temple…and I could barely make it. Luckily someone driving by stopped and gave me some tips – he said to do it in intervals.” She also loves walking by the river and going for coffee with a friend. 

Vanessa is looking forward to Halloween, “The decorations are next level and I love watching the people walk down King in costume. Christmas is also so beautiful here, and Old Town Illustrated will have a holiday collection, with custom wrapping paper and personalized holiday cards. Stay tuned!” 

Check out Vanessa’s Street Style: 

ABOUT VANESSA

Neighborhood: Old Town South

Hometown: Valencia, Venezuela

What would surprise people about you? I own a design and marketing studio, Twenty Percent Studio. My career is in design, specifically in the tech industry, with a master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Very different from what people would imagine I do by looking at my artist page!

Favorite book: It’s a tie between Why Nations Fail and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. I love learning about incentives and human nature.

Guilty Pleasure:  Lately? Madame Coco’s salted pretzel chocolate bar!

Latest binge-watch: Veep! I picked up the series just in time for the election season and could not stop watching. Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedic timing is impeccable, not to mention how fun it is to know every reference to D.C.!

Bucket list travel destination: The Netherlands is on my list for the next international destination. As an avid cyclist, I’m interested in experiencing its bicycle infrastructure, one of the most known features of the country.

STYLE

Define your style in three words or less: Easy, comfortable, timeless. I’m always on the go and love walking everywhere I can.

The go-to piece in your wardrobe: My yoga pants! I wear them every other day to go to Radiance Yoga, my yoga studio since 2021 that has become my favorite place outside of my home.

Favorite trend: I don’t know if it’s a trend, but high-rise bottoms are my favorite!

Beauty product you can’t live without: A good Vitamin C face serum, it’s something I put on every day no matter what.

Boots, sneakers, or sandals? Sneakers. I’m always ready for a long walk. 

WELLNESS

Go-to way to de-stress: A gentle yoga class. I come out of class like I just got a massage.

Most fun way to stay active: Going for a long-distance bike ride on a sunny day! I love doing a loop around NoVa and making a pit stop in Georgetown for something sweet.

Wellness goal: Get into a strength training routine.

Want to try: Standup paddle boarding. I heard someone say that it can be a meditative and calming activity.

Proudest wellness achievement: Finding community in Old Town.

HOME

Favorite room in your home: My little space where I meditate, read, and stretch.

Antiques, modern, or a mix? Just like my illustrations, I like a mix of modern and classic. I just moved to a new place and find myself drawn to mid-century modern furniture and decor. I like clean lines, organic shapes, simplicity, and functionality.

Last item bought for your home: A really comfy chair for my reading nook.

Favorite way to entertain: I love to have people over for coffee and surprise them with Venezuelan appetizers.

Clutter-free or well-lived in?  Clutter-free! I’m always putting stuff away and feel that it calms me

Next planned purchase:  A bistro dining set. I just think it’s the cutest thing to place in a corner to have a bite!

ALEXANDRIA

What do you love about Alexandria Stylebook? I like that it always lets me know about what’s going on in Alexandria, not to mention great advice for different areas of my life like fitness, personal style, and home decor. I love that it’s all made up of small businesses!

Favorite spot in Alexandria: Anywhere by the river, but especially the launching wooden chairs by BARCA Pier & Wine Bar.

Your Go-to Shop: Penny Post! Every time I passed by the store after moving to the area, I would tell whoever I was with that they had the cutest products. I would mention that I’d love to have products to sell there someday. Just a couple of years later, they were the first retailer to order from my wholesale catalog!

Best food spot: I love the Umami Burger at Virtue Feed and Grain and brunch at Josephine. Shoutout to Emily from Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop for choosing District Biscuit Company in Del Ray for our coffee date, now my favorite breakfast spot!

Favorite local organization: Ayuda

Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to: Halloween! We are so close. I love seeing the decorations and people in costumes strolling up and down King Street.

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