Spanish illustrators
A world of fantasy
Spanish illustrators are a hit both in Spain and abroad, featuring on the covers of prestigious publications and murals in cities around the world. Artists who, despite developing very different styles and techniques, have known how to win over thousands of people with their strokes and colours. Do you want to get to know them and dive into a world of fantasy?
An illustration can take us to different worlds, places where reality is transformed, where everything is colourful, where feelings don’t require words, where beauty is born from the simplest strokes. And it is illustrators, artists in capital letters, who create these drawings capable of awakening emotions that span from joy to bewilderment. Emotions that are universal, that know no boundaries. A good example of this are Spanish illustrators, who collaborate with the most prestigious international publications, paint murals in cities around the world or work for large brands. As a way of showcasing Spanish talent, here are some of the leading illustrators on the national scene.
Cristina Daura
Colour fills Cristina Daura’s illustrations. Maybe that’s the first thing that catches your eye about her work, but if you keep looking you find a dreamscape capable of absorbing you, like Alice through the looking-glass. And all this without forgetting about that fight for recognition, that punk vibe she inhabits. Thanks to her talent and perseverance, she has been published in prestigious publications like The New Yorker.
Ricardo Cavolo
Ricardo Cavolo’s visual imagination—with its eyes, flames, hearts, tears, and feast of colours— has become one of the most well-known (and recognisable) in the country. Close to the tattoo culture, religious and tribal icons go hand in hand in his creations. His works have been exhibited at galleries in London, Porto, Milan, New York or Montreal, and his murals can be seen in cities like Madrid, Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, or Mexico City.
Ana Juan
Ana Juan’s expressionist illustrations started to fill the pages of La Luna de Madrid, a magazine associated to La Movida in Madrid, in the mid-1980s. Her particular universe, as disturbing as it is evocative, caught the attention of The New Yorker, which put her illustrations on the cover for the first time in 1995; dozens more have followed since. At the turn of the century, she made her debut in children’s literature and in 2010 received the National Illustration Award.
Jorge Arévalo
If we had to define the work of Jorge Arévalo with a single word, it would be elegance. Because who wouldn’t want to have their portrait done by this illustrator from Madrid? His portraits for La Luna, the cultural supplement of El Mundo, during the 1990s defined his unmistakable style, launching him to fame and opening the doors of publications such as Vogue, Esquire, or Vanity Fair. Prestigious brands like L’Oréal, Ray-Ban, or Carolina Herrera have also worked with him.
María Hesse
Women inhabit the universe of María Hesse, women with penetrating gazes that come to life in the form of roots, branches and flowers. With her first illustrated biography, dedicated to Frida Kahlo (2016), she became one of the most successful illustrators on the national and international scene—the publisher Taschen included her in their 100 best illustrators in the world in 2020—. Then came more personal works, like Pleasure (2019) or The Fear (2024), as well as other illustrated biographies, like Marilyn (2020).
Sergio Mora
Love of Lesbian’s album El poeta Halley received the Latin Grammy Award for Best Design in 2016. The person behind this unmistakable design was none other than Sergio Mora, also known as Magicomora. This award launched him into space, like the comet that inspired the album, and he hasn’t stopped since then. He has recently published La chica de la serie B, a pulp fiction full of humour, and has designed murals at the restaurants of chef José Andrés in Miami and New York.
Ana Jarén
Illustrator Ana Jarén is a great observer of reality and in her works, she turns everyday life into poetry. With her delicate fine lines, she is able to capture the beauty of everyday scenes, inviting us to share the intimacy of the protagonists of her illustrations with an exquisite attention to detail. Female friendship was the subject of her first book (Amigas: Ladies celebrating ladies, 2020) and her passion for literature featured in her latest publication, an illustrated biography dedicated to writer Almudena Grandes.
Fernando Vicente
At this stage in the game, Fernando Vicente has turned into a classic of Spanish illustration. Self-taught, he started out in the 1980s, took a break to work in advertising, and then returned to his true passion. Intricately connected to the world of literature, his active collaboration with Babelia—the cultural supplement of El País—has made him worthy of the Award of Excellence granted by the Society for News Design on three occasions.
Spanish illustration includes dozens of artists worth following. To the aforementioned, we can add Conrad Roset, María Herreros, Alfonso Casas, María Medem, Pablo Amargo, Ana Galvañ, Sanz i Vila (Pau Sanz i Vila), Flavita Banana (Flavia Álvarez-Pedrosa), Lola Vendetta (Raquel Riba Rossy), David de las Heras, Bea Lema, Del Hambre (Fernando Del Hambre), Ilu Ros, Miguel Brieva, Laura Pérez Granel, Jordi Labanda, Isa Muguruza, Paula Bonet, Raisa Álava, Aitor Saraiba, Moderna de Pueblo (Raquel Córcoles), Ana Oncina, Iker Ayestarán, El Chico Llama (Javier Navarrete), Sara Herranz, Mikel Casal, Elena Pancorbo, Javirroyo (Javier Royo), Sergio García or Ana Müshell, among many others. What are you waiting for to discover their work?
