Leo Espinosa’s Illustrations Capture the Very Essence of Childhood

Leo Espinosa’s illustrations delight our inner child. Full of playfulness and whimsicality, they’re the kind of illustrations that capture the very essence of childhood.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Espinosa’s love of illustration and design came naturally to him, and after moving to New York in 1992 he worked in a small design studio. But with his true passion being illustration, he quit his job, bought a page in a couple of sourcebooks, and became a full-time illustrator. 

“I chose to study graphic design, not only because I was inspired by record covers, rock band logos, and comics, but because I knew it would get me work quickly,” he explained his choice in an interview with AI-AP. “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. 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.”

Now based in Salt Lake City, Utah, his work accompanies children’s books as well as top tier publications like The New Yorker, Wired, Esquire, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, the BBC, and he has also collaborated with Nickelodeon, Penguin Random House, Swatch, and Facebook.

But you can also follow his creative journey via Instagram:

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Time to hit the slopes ⛷❄️ #studioespinosaworks

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