Miguel Pang’s hand-drawn approach adds texture and depth to his illustrations

“I consider an illustrator as principally a communicator, where the important thing is the message or story I want to tell, rather than the form,” says Barcelona-based, Miguel Pang. Believing “style is a consequence of your concerns”, Miguel’s work is characterised by rich colours and hand-drawn elements and characters that add texture to his illustrations.

Having started out working as an illustrator for children’s books, Miguel now focuses his time on editorial commissions for magazines, newspapers and advertisements. “I enjoy drawing and contemplating with my sketchbook as much as sitting at my studio table. However I draw, I need to have a link between what I illustrate and myself,” says Miguel.

Capturing various scenes in cities, pizza restaurants, parks and apartment windows there’s a touch of surreality within Miguel’s work with skies appearing in vibrant shades of violet and indigo, combined with the cartoonish faces of his characters. For Miguel, working on commissions allows him to challenge himself by blending “[his] illustrations with someone else’s point of view and text”, which in turn enriches his portfolio as a whole.

While there is some distance between commissions and personal work, Miguel works best when there’s a real connection. “There has to be an emotion of an image I try visualising in my head, which triggers me to start an illustration,” he explains. “It comes a bit like a path of intuition, the rest come more fluidly.”