Natalia Sanabria — At the Service of Beauty
“I love when I do the faces. I feel I’m put in make up on the models and doing their hairstyle. I also love when I do clothes, when I achieve different types of materials like leather, laces, jewelry, When I goal the effect to resemble them, I love it.”
Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Natalia Sanabria, I lived in San Jose, Costa Rica and I’m a fashion illustrator.
2. How did you start your career?
I always liked to draw and I knew I wanted to work on something related to arts. I studied Graphic Design with the idea of easily get a job. However I missed the fact of being able to express myself artistically. So I studies painting as well.
I worked in many advertisement agencies and always when I finished work, I arrived at home to draw. Even on weekends. It became an obsession. I wanted to put more time on my drawings. I began sending e-mails to magazines, fashion and illustration blogs, finding a way to show my work. From this, I did some illustrations for a magazine called Nylon in Mexico, another magazine in Brazil and a CD cover. All these jobs gave me the experience to work from home. In 2014, I decided to quit my work in advertisement, clueless of what the future had for me. I just draw to prepared a professional portfolio to show.
What influence or inspire your work?
Since I was a kid, I always liked dolls and barbies. I enjoyed open the box and check out the shoes, the clothes.. see the make up and the hairstyle the doll had. I also was inspired by my grand mother and my ant, because they used to saw and had a lot of bags full of pieces of cloth with different patterns and laces. Another thing that I still do is to watch music videos. I remember being inspired by the music videos of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Boy George, Spice Girls. I loved the way they used the make up and exaggerated their dresses. Later, I began to put color on fashion magazines. Every of these things still inspired me and are reflected on my work.
Why did you choose fashion illustration?
Because of the fashion magazines I collected. Fashion joined all my tastes, clothes, make up and theatrically of the designers. I had a lot of magazines. I used to cut them to do collaged, or drew the models that appeared on them. From the magazines, maybe the one called Nylon was my most precious. I remember I discovered excellent fashion illustrators watching that magazine. I have great memories from Nylon as a reference and inspiration point of my career.
Can you talk about the fashion illustration industry works? (how you get jobs, who are the clients, how is the pay, etc.)
I work now with an agency that represent illustrators. through them I got my projects. However I’m not alway working, so when I’m free I draw to enrich my portfolio. My projects are not always about fashion, people also ask me to do portraits. I have had to do a lot of different things which is good so I don’t get bored and I can practice different styles. I like when I work with a client and they decided to keep calling me because they like my work and they are familiar with the result. Also I got clients that come from my Instagram account or they see my work on magazines. They payment is good. I think that they recognize that the job that is need to be done in an illustrations will be also a benefit for them.
Can you briefly talk about your illustration making process?
I began looking at pictures and I chose the one I feel attracted either because of the pose of the model or the way the colors play on his/her clothes. I used Fabriano paper or Canson because can stand pencil and the humidity of the watercolors. I have two ways of drawing: One is I do al the drawing with pencil and I use gray watercolor or soft tones. Later in Photoshop and add stains of watercolor or acrylics. Another way is with pencil colors and watercolors.
What do you enjoy to do the most from your work?
I love when I do the faces. I feel I’m put in make up on the models and doing their hairstyle. I also love when I do clothes, when I achieve different types of materials like leather, laces, jewelry, When I goal the effect to resemble them, I love it.
What is your favorite piece you have done and why?
There are different pieces that I like, I think my favorites are the ones that from beginning to end they look like the way I imagine them and I don’t have to retouch them in Photoshop.
What have been the frustrations you have experience in the process of being an illustrator?
I got offers to to buy my originals but they don’t pay what I feel I deserve. They don’t value the amount of work and time that takes to do an illustration. Also, some clients ask me for deadlines that are too short and I have to do magic to be able to deliver the illustration with high quality and short time.
How do you see the illustration industry in your country? (how it was years ago when you started, and how it is today, any changes you observe? The problem in this industry and the solution? How do you see the future?)
Years ago, I met good artist that studied with my Arts, now I know some others thanks to the social network. Now I feel that the artist feels the need to show his/her work on the internet such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and not just a website. I think in my country the artist doesn’t receive what she/he deserves. Maybe more illustration work in advertisement will help to move the industry since an illustration is equal or even more powerful that a photography and also sells.
Compare fashion illustration in Costa Rica and in other countries?
I think that the field of fashion illustration in Costa Rica is similar to other countries because we got inspired by the same resources. Ultimately I see on Instagram how Fashion Week is an instant inspiration to all the fashion illustrators, they produce a huge amount of work from their favorite runways.
For you, what is illustration?
Illustration is as important as any other type of art, Illustration can be made with oils or engraving. I also think illustration is simple and no pretentious, anybody can be identified with it and there are not big speeches to explain it. Is accesible and beautiful.
Advice for beginners (What you’d like to tell the younger you when you first started?)
That any kind of artistic expression is valid. You don’t need to copy or try to fit in any artistic current. There will be people who will not like it but that happens to every type of art. So my advice will be not to be shy of showing your art and defend it because os honest and unique. Also, practice a lot.
Anything else you would like to add or comment, things you think we missed?
I love to travel and se how people dress in other cities. Traveling I also can look for art stores to buy different paper, pencils, stickers or things I cannot find in my country.
Natalia’s favorite places in Costa Rica
I would recommend visiting the beaches more than the cities in Costa Rica. They are beautiful. We also have the mountains which I personally love. The reserves and National Parks have a lot of biodiversity. In Costa Rica we have volcanoes, beaches, forest, animals, flowers that are very different to any other place in the world.
Favoritos de Natalia Sanabria
Animal: Monkeys
Música: Boy George, Michael Jackson, New Order, Radiohead…
Comida: Sushi and Beans
Movie: Pretty in Pink y Lost in Translation
Libro: Fashion Illustration in New York (Peter Sato)
