Martina Curiotto

“His face was a picture” is one of those throwaway sayings we use whenever someone’s surprised, but with Argentine illustrator Martina Curiotto each face she draws is more than just a picture. She has a rare talent for capturing expressions that can tell an entire story. Happiness to horror, innocence to bliss, surprise to sneakiness – she covers the full gamut, but if you work with her what you feel might just be adoration With studies in both animation and design, Martina is able to see the project holistically, beyond just the drawing. Her goal is to convey emotions, feelings, and situations without using words, so that the viewer feels empathy for her characters while also experiencing curiosity and a sense of wonder. APPROACH Martina sketches her ideas loosely but clearly, usually digitally, before refining the drawing. She paints it digitally with solid colors, which helps her differentiate the various parts before bringing them to life through color variations, textures, gradients, and noise. She finishes her work with retouching of contrast, shadows, highlights, and final details.