Natalia Sanabria

All

Beauty

Black & White

Editorial

Fashion

Food & Drink

People

Photorealistic

Pop

Watercolor

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Breakfast platter with bread, eggs, salad, chocolate cake, and curry with rice.

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Watercolor food illustrations including waffles, tacos, pastries, and seafood

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Bottle of whiskey with ice bucket and glasses on a tray indoors

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Fashion and beauty illustrator from Costa Rica

With her extraordinary sensitivity to shading and expression she captures personality.

Working mainly in fashion, publishing and editorial, Natalia Sanabria is influenced by fashion designers like Meadham Kirchhoff, Tsumori Chisato and Prada. Equally, she’s inspired by artists like Gustav Klimt, Toulouse Lautrec, Degas and Egon Schiele because they could make women look powerful yet delicate at the same time – qualities that are clear in Natalia’s work as well. She studied Graphic Design and Painting at the University of Costa Rica.

Approach

Natalia bases her work in reality, but heightens its appeal with splashes of colour and collage. This she fits around the hand-drawn elements to build an appealing composition. She blends coloured graphite pencils with watercolours, and experiments with her technique to find new looks for her clients.

Styles

Delicate, youthful and feminine but with some attitude, Natalia's style brings personality to each illustration she creates. By using mixed media, she’s adept at varying the tone, creating strong characters with an extra dimension or quirkiness to lift the image.

Impressions

Interview

Website

Send Enquiry

Interview

What drew you to illustration/design?I've always loved fashion magazines, so that was my first approach to fashion, models and extravagant dresses. Then in art school I didn't know which direction to take, so I start taking inspiration from my magazines and drawing the models. Then I fell in love with every drawing I did and just wanted to learn more and polish my technique. Do you have any formal design training? I do, I went to the University of Costa Rica, and majored in graphic design and painting. Where are you originally from? I was born and still live here in San Jose, Costa Rica. Where do you live now & what drew you there?I live in Coronado, it's a little town with lots of nature and mountains nearby that I love to visit every time I have a chance. Where is your studio and can you describe it for me? It's my bedroom/studio, I have plenty of space to work on my illustrations and paintings. My studio is like a collage, I have many art supplies, watercolors, pencils, books, glitter in all colors, origami papers, but also I have my little treasures, like crystals, toys, souvenirs from my travels, I collect Barbies and there's a huge inspirational board on my wall filled with cards and drawings.Who or What is your biggest inspiration? My family, they support me a lot and always encourage me to do what I love. My grandmother sewed, together we made dresses for my Barbies and she also was a very crafty lady so I learned a lot from her. My Aunt used to draw me dolls when she came home after work and my Dad also has a passion for art and drew me horses and farm animals, so I guess I grew up looking up to them. Finally but not least my Mom is my best friend, my companion when I'm working, I always show her my new drawings, she has a very good eye for art. How do you get your ideas?Usually it's from photos I find on the internet, colors is what drives my attention. An interesting face, a mixture of different patterns. Fashion week and street style is where I get very inspired from. I love to see how people express themselves through clothes. Do you collect anything? I like Barbies, I love the old ones, recently I bought the Pizza Hut Skipper and now I want to buy the astronaut Barbie from 1985. I like toys in general and little porcelain figures or anything cute. What is the first record you bought?I was little and I was a huge Spice Girls fan, I wanted to be Geri Spice so my first record was Spice Girls, I still can sing every song in that cd. Tell us about a favourite project you've recently completed.It was a drawing of a model from the SS14 Ashish show, I was very pleased with the result, the girl looked very powerful.What would be your dream job/commission? To see my drawings on one of the magazines I buy, NYLON, Vogue, V magazine that would be a huge achievement. Who are your art heroes? I love painters like Gustav Klimt, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec. They influenced me by their particular styles and the theatricality of the women they portrayed. Who are your design heroes?More than design heroes I have fashion heroes. My favorites are Meadham Kirchhoff, Ashish, Manish Arora, Jeremy Scott, Romance was Born and Prada.Who are your musical heroes?I have a thing for Smashing Pumpkins, them as a group with the original members, there's a magic in every album, there's a song for every moment in my life. I also love the Knife, I got the chance to see them live and the show blew me away. And for the mellow times I like Beach House. What do you say to people who say illustration isn't really 'Art'? That's wrong, both art and illustration start with an idea. None is better than the other, there're illustrations that are superior than 'fine art' in my opinion. Most of the greatest painters of all times did illustrations as well, and they were even more interesting than their paintings, a good example is Egon Schiele, for me he was an incredible illustrator. Do you think anyone with Photoshop can be an illustrator these days? I guess so, you can do great things with digital art, but I prefer the old type of illustration, where you can grab a pencil and paper, the illustration has a part of you, it's more personal. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I recently went to London, I didn't know what to expect and it was love at first sight. Now I can see why the greatest artists come from London, they must be really inspired by the city. If you could travel back in time which period would you visit & why? The golden moments of the Moulin Rouge, to watch all the extravagant shows and meet all those painters that lived in that same period. I would love to see how Toulouse-Lautrec painted the dancers in movement, and hang out in his studio. Who would you like to have as your muse if your were painting their portrait? Chloe Norgaard, she's a model who always changes her hair color and looks beautiful with each of them, also I like her style. How do you picture the afterlife? With bright pastel colors, happy and peaceful.

Favourites

Cafe: Giacomin best pastry here in San José Art Equipment/Tool: Ecoline liquid watercolor and Staedtler pencils Food: I'm not a vegetarian but I love this veggie restaurant called Mantras. Drink: Guayaba drink Shop: Libreria Internacional bookstore Website: Tumblr you can find anything there Magazine: Dazed and Confused Holiday/Travel Destination: Anywhere in Europe

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Sketches of Christmas trees, candy, gnome, wreath, and gifts

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Designer adjusting clothing on female model in sketch style

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Black and white fashion illustration of two models in coats

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Woman in pink floral dress holding umbrella with tropical leaves background

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Couple in black coats holding hands beside a path and house by Natalia Sanabria

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Woman in purple dress holding a sword posing confidently.

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Illustration of three fashionably dressed women by Natalia Sanabria

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Bar interior with Christmas tree and two people seated by the counter by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustration of two couples in different relationship stages by Natalia Sanabria

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Four women in high-fashion outfits and dramatic poses illustration

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Desert landscape with twin suns and dome house by Natalia Sanabria

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Woman lying down with floating tart, éclair, oyster, and chicken

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Illustration of movie stars Margot Robbie and Emma Stone by Natalia Sanabria

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Cover of Star Wars Deluxe Paper Dolls book by Natalia Sanabria

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Fashion girls illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustration of Dorothy on The Wizard of Oz film set by Natalia Sanabria

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Full breakfast plate with fried eggs, sausages, bacon, and toast illustration

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Woman with pastel hair and doll faces, holding a toy with pink hair

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Fashion girl illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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line illustration women fashion handbag collection

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Infographic illustration of Eyebrows care

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Fashion models illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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Water color painting of Punk fashion girls

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Abstract illustration of Camera and Men's fashions

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Painting of a beautiful woman in blue frock

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Food and drink illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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Natalia Sanabria

Selected illustrations

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Illustration of a woman with long hair and starfish, soft colors

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Fashion illustration of two women, one with short hair and puffed sleeves, the other with long wavy

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Monochrome sketch of woman with stylized hair and geometric earrings

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Woman singing on crescent moon with yellow flowers surrounding her

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Illustration of people playing guitars with a Martin guitar headstock, by Natalia Sanabria

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Book cover with illustrated faces on bright orange background

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Stylish woman in blue dress with leopard print headband and gloves by Natalia Sanabria

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Snow-covered cottage with glowing windows and snowflakes falling, artwork by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustrations of women in stylish dresses and playful bubble designs

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Illustration of Lady Gaga in red outfit with 'Lady Gaga is life' text.

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Illustration of Luke Skywalker's costumes and accessories by Natalia Sanabria

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Artwork of dancing man and woman by Natalia Sanabria

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Futuristic woman singer with pink outfit and helmet by Natalia Sanabria

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Knickerbocker Glory recipe food illustration

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Mother and son embracing in snow with look of concern, Home Alone, Natalia Sanabria

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Woman in red dress posing with studio lights by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustration of The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz by Natalia Sanabria

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Doctor examining mole on patient's back with gloved hands

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Harry Potter paper dolls with costumes and props from the films

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Hollywood movie shooting scene pencil made art

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Cityscape illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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Hand drawing of stylish women with glasses

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Women's clothing pattern line and color illustration

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Editorial illustration on Winter makeup trends

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Athletics illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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Collage art of woman in different occupation

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Smiling woman with wine barrels and vineyard scenery

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Woman holding green grapes near vineyard landscape

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Botanical illustration of white flowers, berries, and butterfly by Natalia Sanabria

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Harry Potter paper doll with cloak, broom, and accessories

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Bottle of Macallan Whisky on a table between two leather chairs by fireplace by Natalia Sanabria

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Winter landscape with snowy ground and dome buildings by Natalia Sanabria

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Stylish young woman and man posing together by Natalia Sanabria

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Happy Pomeranian dog wearing colorful crown illustration by Natalia Sanabria

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Sketches of four different female faces with varied hairstyles in pencil drawing

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Carmela Soprano wearing a red dress made of flowers

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Macallan 15 and 18 Year Old whisky bottles with ingredients by Natalia Sanabria

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Watercolor painting of citrus fruits and a can drink by Natalia Sanabria

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Star Wars characters Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and R2-D2 by Natalia Sanabria

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Barbie wearing pink fur coat and yellow dress by Natalia Sanabria

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Christmas tree with wrapped gifts by snowy window by Natalia Sanabria

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Four women modeling vibrant pink and red fashion outfits

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Illustration of Taylor Swift performing in various outfits on stage

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Illustration of Rihanna in red outfit performing at Super Bowl by Natalia Sanabria

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watercolour of hamburger by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustration of Ariana Grande singing by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustration of three women from The Substance movie by Natalia Sanabria

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Watercolor botanical illustrations of flowers, herbs, and pears by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustrated book cover of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli by Natalia Sanabria

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Illustration of Alysa Liu figure skating at the Olympics by Natalia Sanabria

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Fashion illustration of Rihanna wearing a dramatic black gown at the Met Gala by Natalia Sanabria

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Paper doll clothes and accessories inspired by a fantasy wizard character

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Pencil drawing of a woman with beautiful earrings

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Pencil sketch of a female in fashionable costume

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Selected Clients

NYLON, Capricho Magazine, Loulou Grenelle, Sunglass Hut, MAC Cosmetics, St Regis New York, Stylist, Cosmopolitan, McCann Erickson London.