Blooming Smiles

Keiko Nabila Yamazaki is a Japanese Indonesian illustrator based in New York City. She specializes in vibrant and whimsical illustration, reminiscent of the Western and Japanese cartoons she watched as a child.

For her Zócalo Sketchbook, Yamazaki gives us a series of flowers and the caterpillars and butterflies who love them. Her playful style combines the looseness of children’s doodles with sophisticated compositions and color choices. “I wanted to play with the idea of bringing the natural world indoors in an imaginative way,” she says. “I used the imagery of blooming, …

Magical Metamorphoses

ShinYeon Moon is an artist and illustrator based in New York. Moon teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts, where she received her MFA.

For …

Finding a Good Society in the Mud of Burning Man

Humans Are Human—And Governments Need to Help Them Achieve Self-Reliance and Avoid Panic in the Face of Disaster

Since leaving Burning Man, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the role that principles play in a society, and what to do when people don’t live up to …

Priceless Nature

Tzasná Pérez Espinosa is a Mexican American designer and artist. A graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, they have worked on visual projects around equity, sustainability, health, and LGBTQIA+ rights.

For …

Enamored of Enamel | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Enamored of Enamel

Jess Grimsdale is a signwriter and illustrator based in Bristol, U.K. Trained as an illustrator at Falmouth University, she found herself drawn to the vibrant folk art of sign …

Wild Sights

Originally from Canada, illustrator Sarah Campbell moved to Australia in 2010. A graduate from the Design Centre Enmore in Sydney, her work is featured in children’s books, editorials, logos and …