In dance, food, sport, cuisine and more, if there’s one word that sums up Latin American culture, that word is ‘creativity’.

Visually, we tend to associate Latin America with bright, primary colours, and cultural icons from the region – luchador wrestlers with their vibrant masks, the feathered dancers of Carnival, the vibrant skeletal artworks of Día de Los Muertos, even the folksy patterns of Ecuadoran and Peruvian knitwear.

However, Latin America has plenty more to offer, and its illustrators are extremely varied in what they bring to the table. The region is far more diverse than we realise, and its Spanish and Portuguese colonial influences have been reshaped or even supplanted by the artistic styles of indigenous cultures, be they Amazonian, from Chile’s Mapuche minority or the Oaxacan peoples of southern Mexico. Layered in amongst all this are facets brought by immigrants to the region – from Africa, Japan and Korea, and even the Welsh farmers who settled in Patagonia.

As economies like Brazil and Mexico become increasingly important on the international stage, so artists from the region are gaining greater exposure and growing in confidence. It’s worth exploring Latin American illustration in detail. And, whenever beiges, greys, greens and other earthy tones are trending in Europe and North America, we can always count on Latin American creatives for an energetic pop of colour. Let’s take a look at five of the best…

Beatriz Gutíerrez Hernández

Charming, gentle, and innocent in nature, the illustrations created by Beatriz Gutíerrez Hernández may not scream Latin American vivacity, but they do have a quiet energy. In her award-winning children’s book imagery, the artist’s Mexican background shines through the characters and storytelling.

“I like to create atmospheres that feel both close to reality and dreamlike, drawing inspiration from Mexican surrealism. Through vibrant colour palettes and detailed compositions, I aim to tell stories that explore the connections between humans, the natural world, and their dreams and memories,” says Beatriz.

This year, Beatriz’s illustrations helped Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp win the Tomás Rivera Book Award for Younger Readers. She has followed this up with Pearls in the Sand, the second book she’s written and illustrated solo. “Inspired by various trips to the Oaxacan coast, it tells the story of a cooperative member and his granddaughter as they look after mother sea turtles and their eggs, capturing the care and dedication behind conservation efforts in the region,” explains Beatriz.

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Beatriz moved to New York, where she spent eight years, first studying Communications Design at the Pratt Institute, and later establishing herself in the publishing industry. She has relocated back to Mexico and is now one of Latin and North America’s finest children’s illustrators with a ream of awards to her name.

Pearls in the Sand

Benito Juárez Fights for Justice

Desert Song

Mel Cerri

Last month, Brazilian artist Mel Cerri signed with the international agency IllustrationX – an event that gave impetus to this article. What is it about Latin American illustrators and their creativity that grabs the attention of art directors around the world?

“My work doesn’t try to blend in,” says Mel. “It’s loud, full of texture and imperfection, and has lots of warmth, just like you’d expect from a Brazilian. In the beginning, I tried hard not to lean into my roots, but the more I allowed my Brazilian references to show up in my work, the more unique and meaningful it became.”

Based in the small city of Vinhedo, near São Paulo, Mel works digitally using Procreate, Photoshop and Illustrator. Doodling is the basis of her approach, and she’s a self-professed ‘girly-girl’ so elements like smilies and flowers often arrive in her work uninvited.

“So much of Brazil has influenced my work – the flowers, the sun, the bright colours. The diversity of the people also influences my lettering, and the mixed nature of Brazilian culture has helped me get really good at combining lettering styles and references that you wouldn’t think work together and somehow make them feel harmonic,” she says.

This diversity is a strength for Brazil, with its huge market, founded on indigenous people, those arriving from Africa, European colonists, and Japanese immigrants in more recent generations. “Living within this big cultural stew gives us endless inspiration and the ability to remix it all in really creative ways,” adds Mel.

Hispanic heritage for MTV

Musabeer

Film Brazil

Axel Rangel Garcia

Hailing from Mexico City, Axel Rangel Garcia is one of Latin America’s foremost portrait illustrators. With his pop realist style, he sneakily captures the faces of the great, the good and the not-so-good, adding colourful graphic elements that catch the eye. It’s collage all the way, and this is an artist who’s never afraid to include a hint of surreal mayhem.

Axel’s Mexican roots and the growing stature of Latin American illustration are important factors in both his creativity and his career. “I’m proud of my country and visual roots, and there are a lot of artists here who have helped me shape my own style. These elements are well received in Mexico and internationally,” he says.

“I always try to be flexible about style decisions because sometimes editorial and current affairs themes don’t fit with a Mexican look. But maybe my selection of colours, drawn or graphic components, makes my work different from other artists around the world.”

With the advent of AI, Axel believes there will be a golden era of human artistry, demonstrating that the technology is merely a tool, not a substitute for human creativity. “When that happens, I think illustration will need voices from all over the world more than ever.”

Blue Demon

Frida Kahlo

For the Washington Post

Bruna Kater

“Maybe we’re just born with gingado,” muses Brazilian illustrator Bruna Kater. “But I do think Latinos have a kind of solar, bright energy. Maybe we have to carve out our own spaces and work twice as hard to be seen.”

At the moment, Bruna’s favourite medium is oil pastels, which she uses to bring a homemade, crafty feel to her work, drawing in her unique, figurative style that tends to blend strong forms, bright colours and have strong women in key roles. ‘Artisanal’ is a word she likes in association with her illustrations, and it’s a fair shout.

With Latin American styles so popular around the world, Bruna has been honing her approach and focusing on the stories she has to tell as an artist. “I’m very careful to draw from my own experience as a Brazilian and not fall into stereotypical images,” she explains.

“Something I’ve noticed is that we are very good at creating amazing things with little resources. Fazer muito com pouco is how we phrase it in Portuguese. This inspires me so much. Brazil is an immensely diverse and beautiful place – we have incredible food, nature, people, music and arts in general – but we also have a very unfair past of colonisation, hence the scarce resources I mentioned,” says Bruna.

For Zumbido magazine

Verão Tropical Metropolitano

Ana Moreno

“Artists from the US or Europe tend to have more access to international markets, and we need to show that there’s also a tremendous amount of talent on this side of the planet,” says Colombian illustrator Ana Moreno. And she’s doing just that with a colourful, expressive portfolio that makes the heart sing.

With a background in graphic design, unconventional lettering plays a large role in Ana’s work, alongside strong comic, Pop Art and psychedelic influences. Flowing lines in her figurative work give it a unique character, and plenty of swagger accompanies her high-contrast palettes.

“I think the maximalism in my pieces has everything to do with the ‘chaotic’ Latin American environments. Our cities and culture are full of elements that explode with colour and forms, saturating the spaces. Additionally, Colombian culture is inherently very joyful and fun, which is always reflected in my work.”

A freelance illustrator for eight years, Ana has a clear message to send to the creative industry: “I want to encourage brands and art directors to look beyond traditional markets and explore the incredible talent Latin America has to offer. Working with artists from our region means bringing fresh energy, vibrant perspectives, and authentic cultural narratives to your projects.”

For Harvard Business Review

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