Parakid

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Children

Fantasy

Nature

Colorful illustrations of babies and toddlers doing daily activities by Parakid

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Young boy holding spear beside dragon near stream in forest by Parakid

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Child playing with stuffed animals including bear, tiger, lamb, and penguin by Parakid

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Illustration by Parakid of person playing guitar under spotted mushroom

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Two people browsing books at a street bookstand by Parakid

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Parakid schafft stille Bildwelten voller Andeutungen, die zart, rau und träumerisch zugleich sind

Ein zeichnerischer Stil mit rauer Linienführung, pastellfarbener Aquarelloptik und poetischer Nostalgie zwischen Storybook-Charme und leiser Tiefe.

Parakid is the creative handle for Natalia Fernandez, who is based in Los Angeles and who trained as a 2D animator at the Otis College of Art and Design. Wanting to devote more time to her watercolours, exhibitions and projects like her web comic, Natalia became a freelance illustrator. Clients love the instant connection they feel with her work, and sometimes even cite a sense of déjà vu. This could be because nostalgia is baked into the Parakid process. “I draw to show the beauty in daily life activities that most don’t think too much about, scenes that might bring a sense of nostalgia when remembering or looking back,” she says. Influences include early anime such as Yu Yu Hakusho, the band Gorillaz, Carl Larsson and Sibylle von Olfers.

Approach

Natalia creates her line work using a waterproof brush pen, keeping the look dry, crunchy and rough, then paints with watercolour. Her palette is soft, with a tendency to light and bright pastel hues. She also works digitally, but again aims for a textured, real-world look.

Key software

Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, Clip Studio Paint.

Style

There’s something calm, subtle and almost secretive to the feel of Parakid’s storybook illustrations. The characters are adventurous, yet often glance away from the viewer, so it seems they’re truly experiencing an imaginary world full of hidden meaning.