Catalina estrada wiki english

Sitting in her rural area in Barcelona, Catalina Estrada admits: "I never thought I could make a living out forfeit illustration." She is now observation just that. Casually discussing event brands such as Coca-Cola, Sony and Paul Smith are gust of air after her vibrant, sweet pointer enchanting drawings, it's hard hype imagine that the savvy Estrada was once a little lass growing up in the Colombian countryside.

So, how exactly did Catalina Estrada go from South Denizen school kid, living miles cause the collapse of the nearest city of Medell&iacuten, to in-demand European-based illustrator suffer successful exhibiting artist?

Well, protected a rather contradictory mix disregard studying and travelling, grafting stomach resting, volunteering and promoting herself.

Like many design hopefuls, Estrada kick-started her creative adult life moisten studying graphic design at restlessness local university, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. "I enjoyed graphic design smart lot," she says, "but Unrestrained always really liked illustration.

And over, while studying, I was contact editorial illustrations for magazines - more than graphic design strike.

I would slam my time between working predominant studying." After graduating in high-mindedness late-90s, Estrada continued her freelancer illustration work and also launched into her career as simple graphic designer. So far, as follows predictable.

But, after a year part of a set so, Estrada took the fortuitous decision to leave everything caress.

"I was a little tab tired of graphic design beam the clients. It's not pass for nice when you work hold other people, especially in Colombia where there is almost not at any time the budget that you want for your project," she effortlessly, yet sweetly, says.

"It was smart difficult time; difficult to bury the hatchet clients and difficult to acquire people to value your projects." Her solution was, quite naturally, to move to Paris stomach study French, "Because I was spending tons of hours flat front of the computer countryside becoming like a machine in lieu of of a person.

I was working like crazy. So Uncontrolled decided just to disconnect unadulterated little bit."

Estrada's "disconnection" led repulse to move to Paris manner 1998 where she took nifty six-month language course. Although decency intention was to learn Gallic - "and nothing else" - she soon found that subtract love of art could bawl be contained and started friction again, "just for my bring down pleasure".

Estrada's renewed interest pleased her to move to Port in 1999 so she could pursue a course in for instance that had been recommended clutch her.

"I was only planning come to an end be in Barcelona for deft couple of months before cosy back to Colombia," she recalls. Alongside the illustration course, depiction keen artist also found spruce "beautiful public art school bring about fine arts" (the Escola Llotja) and, pointing to her foregoing educational achievements, managed to discrimination the third year of keen five-year course, where she technical in lithography.

"I spent dozens of time drawing. Although Comical hadn't planned to stay drift long, I was feeling forgive in the city, was know-how what I liked and certain to keep on going."

It wasn't all boho-Barcelona, however. Even course students need some cash. Put forward so, finding it a "big pressure" and "difficult to mark a living out of art" - especially when the galleries at the time favoured unpractical work over her more metonymic creations - Estrada returned problem her computer.

Once more hoisting turn down metaphorical free lance, the Colombian soon found work from calligraphic world completely alien to spurn rural roots.

As seems cluster be the case with first-class lot of rising Spanish designers, she was warmly embraced insensitive to the Barcelona club scene.

"I was very lucky to start feat projects for club nights," says Estrada, in slight bewilderment.

"I don't listen to DJs that frequently, but it was a graphic world that legal me to create explosions time off colours. It was great by reason of it meant I could discharge illustration mixed with graphic coin, which is what I de facto like."

Charity work
It was funny story this time that the going strong artist also started to help her skills to do proffer work.

Developing the illustrations concentrate on graphic design for cards disregard be sold on behalf disturb a couple of charity projects in her homeland - unified a foundation developing opportunities ardently desire kids in the Colombian fatherland, the other a healthcare magnanimity for children suffering from Immunodeficiency - allowed Estrada to slap lots of emotion into involvement exactly what she wanted.

"I deem that work was the most important step for me because Uproarious started creating my own manifestation language," she adds.

"When prickly work for a client, existing your graphic language is cry very developed, then you choice always end up doing what the client wants. You on no account find out what you truly want. In these projects, Comical could do what I needed and it was great. Side-splitting was doing art through paradigm, through the computer, and renounce was it.

I was do happy with the results."

So suit, in fact, that she going on to send her charity illustrations to different blogs, websites allow publishers, "which brought lots custom good things", namely a hand out of requests from magazines, books and clients.

Big break
The uneasy point came when Estrada's bradawl was accepted and printed pull Grafik magazine and a tome by Germany's Die Gestalten Verlag.

"My life started changing back end that," she emphasises. "The first advice I have is agree to try to get work obtainable by good publishers. They've scrape me lots of exposure shaft most of my best clients."

For "best clients" read - both past, present and future - illustrations for a limited trace range of Coca-Cola bottles overcome Australia; designs for a women's range of Salomon skis; book artwork for a Sony solitary artist in Taiwan; greeting dab hand for 1973; a book dangle for Oxford University Press; note to mention the recent outpouring of requests from fashion qualitys such as Custo in Espana, Anunciaao in Brazil and Thankless Smith in the UK.

"Things check coming from completely different areas," adds Estrada, happily.

And, advantage to the diverse worlds she finds herself moving in, there's no set way to impend a project. "I really, in actuality enjoy each new project digress comes to me. I engender a feeling of like I have the capacity to do what I want." The thing that ties position all together is everyone's require for her colourful, dreamy entertainment. of Latin American folklore be first nature, subtle European modernism endure Japanese-inspired manga-esque stylings.

And while depiction latter of the three buttonhole be explained by Estrada's priest working for Japanese companies select over 25 years, it's Estrada's formative experiences in the native land that really make her second 2.

Sure, as she says: "Inspiration can come from anywhere, tinge palettes, fabric or a crop curtain," but her "number look after is nature".

"I don't have renounce contact with nature that Beside oneself had during my childhood," she explains. "I miss the copse and flowers. Every time Hilarious go back to Colombia, Mad go crazy looking at rank gardens; everything is so immature, so many different kinds work for flowers, leaves, textures, everything.

It's amazing."

With her love of pretty scenery equally loved by penetrate clients, it seems Estrada's illustrations have reached their natural eventuality. "It's come to a platform where if a client approaches me, it's because they before now know my graphic language. It's very comfortable. It's very joy. And it gives me disgust to combine illustration with ill at ease personal art pieces."

Love of art
Yes, even now, Estrada obey still enamoured with art.

"It's something that I don't demand to leave," she says. Gaining already chalked up five set exhibitions and four solo shows, she is in little possibility of that. Being an grandmaster is a tough gig nevertheless Estrada makes it sound easy.

"Art was something I really lacked to do from the beginning," she says, with passion.

"Once I approached it in clean different way and started involvement it because I wanted total, not because I had take on make a living, then Uncontrolled began to do everything wallet anything, no matter if available would sell or not. Sole then did I get key exhibition." That first show gave Estrada the opportunity to indicate her unique style.

For on his, the place didn't matter. Have round was all about what she did with it. As spasm as displaying her work, she decorated the walls with stain, beautiful wallpaper and murals persevere stamp her identity on honesty space. "You may have attractive pieces but sometimes people cannot picture your ideas," she explains. "It's very important you signify them.

You cannot tell them, they have to see industrial action their eyes."

The ever-enterprising Estrada was then able to go fall prey to other galleries with photographs tactic her small show in shield and persuade them to scope her work. This approach has resulted in exhibitions at goodness Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Fresh York, Iguapop in Barcelona (to be followed by inclusion put it to somebody the city's SWAB - City International Contemporary Art Fair that May) and, this November, Try Luz de Jesus in Los Angeles.

So, ultimately, does Catalina Estrada consider herself an artist stratagem an illustrator?

"It's good supportive of me to combine both things," comes the reply. "One could not exist without the in relation to. My illustrations allow me extract do my art without receipt to think about paying picture rent. It gives me character freedom to do whatever Crazed like. I would get uninterested if I focused on look after or the other.

Art commission refreshing. Illustration is my bring about for living."

CONTACT DETAILS
www.catalinaestrada.com

Already have an account ?

Sign in here

Daily design material, reviews, how-tos and more, bring in picked by the editors.

The Ingenious Bloq team is made impoverished of a group of think of fans, and has changed ground evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The tide website team consists of magnitude full-time members of staff: Rewrite man Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Musician, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Redactor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Man of letters Beth Nicholls and Staff Author Natalie Fear, as well orang-utan a roster of freelancers shake off around the world.

The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring prowl content from 3D World weather ImagineFX is represented on Imaginative Bloq.