Berlin-based Cristóbal Schmal’s naive illustrations are an intriguing mix

Berlin-based Cristóbal Schmal’s personal illustrations have caught our eye for their oddness and naive style. His characters are a mix of scanned-in collage and hand-drawn elements and despite working in flat 2D forms there’s real expression and personality throughout his work.

This slightly unpolished approach is completely dissimilar to his usual editorial work, which we featured three years ago and the Chilean illustrator has continued to create bright and geometric work for The New York Times and its international editions. While these are neat, communicative images, it’s the simplicity of these other works that intrigues us more. Single figures on blank backgrounds hula-hoop or restrain a snakes, and on his Tumblr there’s an array of rough sketches and works in progress that give a glimpse into Cristóbal’s unusual imagination.