Cybernetic Flowers

Sofia Pusa is a multidisciplinary creative director and illustrator based in London.

For her Zócalo Sketchbook, Pusa gives us an array of crisp, cybernetic flowers to herald the arrival of spring. Note her prominent use of solarization—digital extrapolation of a familiar effect in chemical photography, where extreme overexposure leads to a reversal in tone. In Pusa’s flowers, the color shifts are psychedelic and transcendental, giving the plants a distinctly futuristic twist.

Of the Sketchbook, Pusa says, “For me, flowers are not just beautiful living things but have a deeper meaning of hope, inner strength, and …

The World Inside a Giant Erlenmeyer Flask | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The World Inside a Giant Erlenmeyer Flask

Cecilia Gutiérrez García is an illustrator and designer from Seville, Spain. Her work combines traditional drawing techniques with bold digital colors. In her free time, she likes to read, browse …

Fantastic Beasts | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Fantastic Beasts

Collette C. Curran is a concept artist and character designer who designs and illustrates for video games, clothing, children’s animation, and pinball machines. Born and raised in Southern California, she is a …

River Blues

Penelope Dullaghan is an artist and illustrator based in Indianapolis. She works in children’s publishing, editorial, and advertising. In her work she employs a range of mediums, including printmaking, paint, …

Wild Abundance

Farida Zaman is a Toronto-based illustrator and designer. Trained in fine art and illustration, she has found a wide versatility of applications of her style, which has been used in: …

Nature Playback | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Nature Playback

Jorge Verdin is a Pasadena-based designer, illustrator, and musician. Under the name Clorofila, he is known as a pioneer of the Nortec music style. The multidisciplinary artist has also created music …