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Klimt, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec. Their
styles and the theatricality of the women
they portrayed influenced me.
Natalia Sanabria
ABOVE
Natalia Sanabria
Excuse Me
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HOW DID YOU BECOME AN ILLUSTRATOR? I’ve always loved fashion magazines. Then
in art school I took inspiration from drawing models and with every drawing I did and
just wanted to learn more and polish my technique. ANY FORMAL DESIGN TRAINING?
The University of Costa Rica majoring in graphic design and painting. WHERE ARE YOU
FROM? I was born and still live here in San José, Costa Rica. DESCRIBE YOUR STUDIO. It’s
my bedroom and it’s like a collage with art supplies, watercolours, pencils, books, glitter,
origami papers, crystals, toys, and souvenirs from my travels. WHO OR WHAT IS YOUR
BIGGEST INSPIRATION? My family, they support me a lot and always encourage me to
do what I love. HOW DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS? Usually from photos on the internet.
Colours, an interesting face, a mixture of different patterns drive my interest. I love to see
how people express themselves through clothes. DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING? Barbies.
I love the old ones, recently I bought the Pizza Hut skipper and now I want to buy the
astronaut Barbie from 1985. TELL US ABOUT A FAVOURITE PROJECT. It was a drawing of
a model from the SS14 Ashish show. I was very pleased with the result; the girl looked
very powerful. YOUR DREAM COMMISSION? Seeing my drawings in NYLON, Vogue, or
V magazine. WHO ARE YOUR ART HEROES? Klimt, Degas, Toulouse-Lautr ec. Their styles
and the theatricality of the women they portrayed influenced me. YOUR ILLUSTRATION
HEROES? René Gruau, David Downton, Minni Havas, Cecilia Carlstedt. YOUR FASHION
HEROES? Meadham Kirchhoff, Ashish, Manish Arora, Jeremy Scott, Romance was Born
and Prada. HOW WOULD A FRIEND DESCRIBE YOU? Shy, sarcastic, with a dark humour,
eccentric and caring. WHAT IS THE FUNNIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE? I dressed
myself as Boy George for this past Halloween, it was fun I’ve never dared myself to dress
like that for anything. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SCENE FROM A FILM? The final scene
from Lost in Translation, where they say goodbye and start playing Just like Honey by the
Jesus and Mary Chain.
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