Sebastian Curi's LA-colourful, optimistic characters that inject some sunshine into our lives

"My experience has allowed me to develop a unique style of illustration, centring around quirky figures who live in their own super stylised universe. And thanks to my background in animation, they just so happen to move beautifully too," he tells us.

Based in Los Angeles, Seb says he finds inspiration in what surrounds him and that is evident in his sunshine, Californian landscapes and hints of what life has to offer in the Sunshine State. "Observing and just being curious, it's something that I've been drawn to since always so my practice is the reflection of that."

Seb studied post-production and graphic design before working as a motion designer for the likes of NoblinkTv, Plenty, Buck and Giant Ant. Now he runs his own studio in LA, which he shares with his wife. "My drawings are informed by all sorts of ideas coming from 3D, motion graphics and contemporary art mixed with a lack of formal education in arts. I feel very attracted to colour and movement and I'm not a perfectionist so I prefer expression to perfection every time. Bold shapes, strong lines and vivid colours are all things that form what I feel is my style," he says.

A recent project he enjoyed was a series of fun animation loops for Spotify and Google Nest, which illustrated moments of daily life at home in 2020. "Reading a book, sharing a meal and even dancing like crazy around the living room take place in this short but really nice project that brings some good vibes during this weird time we are living in. It is always nice when you have the opportunity to work on commercial projects that are driven by your personal stuff so this felt like a great match for me."

To bring his work to life, Seb partnered with the hugely talented Henrique Barone. "Together we decided how to tell each moment and how each illustration would translate better to these short funny loops. We are always down to create the most expressive animations so we worked on frame by frame animation and tried to grow each moment into a full experience."

How has Seb himself found recent events? "Weird! I can't say otherwise. I moved when the lockdown started and that was a whole thing. And being in the US is always a crazy experience because it involves so many people from so many places that the melting pot analogy is spot on. I'm happy that even with all the craziness I found time to take care of the things that matter like eating healthy, exercise, spending time with my wife and keeping in touch with friends and family.

"The work side of it was also a roller coaster with projects changing, cancelled or delayed but I did all sorts of stuff so I really can't complain. It's going to be a year to remember surely."

Follow Sebastian Curi's updates on Instagram @sebacuri. Or discover more of his work at sebastiancuri.com.