Abstract and unexpected details in Raúl Soria’s editorial illustrations

Spain-born Raúl Soria’s illustrations manage to stretch the everyday into peculiar territory while still remaining communicative. Following a number of commissions for Spanish newspaper La Directa and German publication neues deutschland among others, it seems editorial projects are what Raúl gravitates towards most.

His illustrations work best when they depict people in larger landscapes as this character presence gives the work a bit more life. Raúl’s approach allows him to bring in more surreal elements to push his images further. We see a waiter walking upstairs out of a book and a little boy floating as high as his helium balloon, but because the setting feels vaguely familiar we more readily accept it.

Currently working in Berlin, Raúl create his illustrations mostly on computer, but his sketches provide the opportunity to experiment and play around with composition before sitting at a screen. Despite this mainly digital approach, the illustrator still introduces texture and tone to his works adding a depth that the vibrant colours would struggle to achieve alone.