Chatting with the Illustrator Behind R+Co Stickers

When you’re a kid, stickers outwardly communicate your personality—you cover your textbooks and binders, your lockers and mirrors, maybe even your smartphone or car (when you’re lucky enough to get one) with a deluge of stickers telling a story about your interests and passions. R+Co continues that tradition for adults with sheets of stickers that coincide with product launches, the latest being TEACUP Peacholine + Kombucha Detox Rinse. The illustrator behind the whimsical stickers: Anna Santaguida—a.k.a. Bananna Bones. Her collaboration with R+Co for the past two years has netted fun, edgy stickers that hairstylists can stick on their workstations or travel cases—just like they did years ago. “It’s been amazing; I’ve illustrated some of my favorite work with R+Co!” Santaguida says. Here, she chats about how art is in her genes, the story behind her R+Co TEACUP illustration and how much she now loves a good hair detox.

When did you start illustrating?

Anna Santaguida: I’ve been illustrating for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my mom would buy us markers, crayons and rolls of blank paper and tell us to draw over watching TV. (Thanks, Ma!) But I really began illustrating when I went to art school.

Did you always know you wanted to get into illustrating?

Anna Santaguida: I think art is in my blood: I’m one of five kids and four of us have careers in the arts! My mom is also an amazing painter and she really inspired me most of my life to be an artist. When I was in high school, my plan was to do hair. I worked in salons for years but I always felt that pull in the other direction to pursue my dream of being an illustrator. I attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City for illustration and completely fell in love. It was exactly where I needed to be.

When working with R+Co, do you feel like you just know what they're going to want the moment you get the creative brief?

Anna Santaguida: The great thing about working with R+Co is they allow me to be super creative and free with what I draw. Typically, it comes pretty naturally for me and I have a hunch on the type of imagery the team likes.

How did you come up with the TEACUP stickers?

Anna Santaguida: When I got the prompt sent over, I was actually in Baltimore with my best friend on a thrift haul for her vintage shop. We went to an antique mall and—bam! I found a room full of teacups. What are the chances? So I snapped tons of pictures for reference and got some really great ideas going. There was also an awesome mood board sent over from the R+Co team, so I was set to sketch!

Why did you choose a peach?

Anna Santaguida: I mean, who doesn’t like a juicy peach? Ha! When designing the sticker sheets, I want to make sure that the stickers tell the story of the product. Since the rinse is “Peacholine” I knew I had to get a peach sticker in there!

The girl in the teacup: How long did it take you to come up with perfect hairstyle?

Anna Santaguida: That’s also one of my favorites! When I was sketching, I knew I wanted to go for something bold and blunt for the hairstyle. The stickers are whimsical and feminine, and I wanted to create a hairstyle that felt like a juxtaposition to that. I also really wish I could rock a blunt bob with bangs, so I’m living vicariously through my drawings!

TEACUP is a weekly detox rinse. Have you ever used a product like this before?

Anna Santaguida: I actually have not—and I’ve really needed one. So I was super excited to try it.

Are you a big hair product junkie? (TEACUP helps to clean away product build-up …)

Anna Santaguida: Huge hair product junkie! I truly have no self-control when it comes to hair products.

What do you love about TEACUP?

Anna Santaguida: I love that it’s super easy to us. Just pop it on your scalp in the shower, give yourself a little massage, rinse and you’re done!

How did your hair feel after using it?

Anna Santaguida: It felt so good and squeaky-clean! My hair felt softer, my scalp felt super clean and my hair smelled great.

Will you be a hair detox devotee going forward?

Anna Santaguida: I never knew I needed this in my life, but now that I tried it: YES!

Check out Anna's illustrations here.