The Driving Force Behind Leo Espinosa’s Illustrations is Curiosity

Leo Espinosa’s illustrations present a playful universe, full of color and movement. In one, a baker is seen surrounded by bread baskets, while another shows a funny-looking woman holding a funny-looking dog.

It’s these kinds of every day, humoristic snippets that make Espinosa a sought-after editorial illustrator, with publications of his seen on The New YorkerThe New York Times, and The Atlantic standing in line to get his work.

But oddly enough, Espinosa didn’t start out as an illustrator but rather stumbled into his vocation: “Curiosity has led my career and it has proven to be a good business strategy,” he admitted once in an interview with AI-AP.  Based in Bogotá, Colombia, Espinosa had first worked full-time as a designer and art director.

“Even though my illustration career didn’t kick off until the mid-90s, I like to think that I started working while I was still attending design school,” he reflects.

“I got a small job doing storyboards for an ad agency, which lead to a designer position, and later on I became an art director; by the time I left Colombia at the age of 22, I had worked in three large multinational agencies.”

Aside from his editorial work, Espinosa also delved into character and product design, as well as animation, logo design, comics, gallery work, and children’s books. He has collaborated with brands like Nickelodeon, Swatch, and Facebook, and his work has also been featured in one animated series and gallery shows worldwide.

Scroll down to see some recent highlights and show him some love on Instagram.