An illustration of a blue vase decorated with white flowers and a small bird. The vase sits against a red background, framed by flowering branches and a white bird in flight.

Cracking editorial illustration from Berlin's Cristóbal Schmal

Words: James Cartwright
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Date: 15 February 2013; Work
Illustration

Chilean Berliner Cristóbal Schmal has got editorial illustration nailed. The South American native utilises impeccable composition and a reductive geometric style to create images that are immediately engaging, communicating their message with speed and precision. They also look magnificent. Cristóbal’s journey to professional illustration hasn’t been an easy one. Having trained as a graphic designer in his home town he spent five years in Spain working in commercial studios and as a waiter, pursuing illustration on the side. That incubation time seems to have worked well though as he’s sidestepped the awkward teething period many commercial illustrators experience while finding their feet, and cut straight to the good stuff. Look out for this man over the next couple of years, he’s going to be huge.