illustration.subhead
Gazing into one of Parakid’s scenes you can easily feel a light sense of nostalgia washing over you, just like her deftly applied watercolours wash smoothly into the soft paper she paints on. Reminiscent of great storybook artists like Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulak of a century ago, nevertheless there’s a fresh feeling across her portfolio as traditional painting techniques merge with contemporary themes.
Parakid is the creative handle for Natalia Fernandez, who is based in Los Angeles and who trained as a 2D animator at the Otis College of Art and Design. Wanting to devote more time to her watercolours, exhibitions and projects like her web comic, Natalia became a freelance illustrator. Clients love the instant connection they feel with her work, and sometimes even cite a sense of déjà vu.
This could be because nostalgia is baked into the Parakid process. “I draw to show the beauty in daily life activities that most don’t think too much about, scenes that might bring a sense of nostalgia when remembering or looking back,” she says.
Influences include early anime such as Yu Yu Hakusho, the band Gorillaz, Carl Larsson and Sibylle von Olfers.
