Graduated in Fine Arts, Granada

I’m Itziar Barrios, an illustrator who draws with ballpoint pens. For over six years I’ve illustrated ideas for magazines, newspapers and organizations around the world, and now I’m bringing the same hand-drawn care to advertising and brands. I live in a tiny village surrounded by nature and cats, and I like to find the smile in everyday things.

Making something beautiful out of the everyday: a ballpoint pen, a good idea and plenty of patience.

I draw with ballpoint pens: humble, everyday tools that most people have in a drawer. That’s exactly what I love about them. There’s nothing fancy about a Bic, and yet, with time and patience, it can make something beautiful.

I started with black ink; blue is now my favorite color to work in. Every illustration begins as an idea, not as a drawing. I think, sketch digitally, write things down and let them settle. Only then does the pen come out for the final piece, slowly, line by line. Each piece takes days, and I like it that way: the mistakes, the waiting and the learning are part of the work.

I’m drawn to ethics, politics and big questions, but I don’t want my work to shout. I’d rather make you smile, stop for a moment, or think, with a little irony and a lot of care.

I live in a village of about two hundred people, where I walk a lot, listen to music and share my days with my cats. Nature is my antidote, and it finds its way into my drawings, whether I’m illustrating a magazine page or a jewel.

Clients: The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Forbes, VPRO Gids, Politico, Psichologie Heute, Die Zeit, Unesco Courrier, Le Temps, Le Monde, Volkskrant, Le Particulier, Der Pragmaticus, Fagbladet Folkeskolen, Das Magazin, Het Parool, De Correspondent, Weekendavisen, El País, Alterbe, ABC, Aftenposten, Noema Magazine, Follow the Money, Handelsblatt, Chut! Magazine, El Salto diario, Cinemanía, Vocento, Wilfried, Socialter Magazine, Honest History, Petit Sapiens, Tidsskriftet Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, Luxiders Magazine. Red Ape Agency, Principia Magazine, 33% Magazin, Flush, The Fat Lady, Epsiloon, Brio Magazine, Cog Design, Spectrum News or Inpakt.

Publishings: Cecilia Payne (Vegueta Ediciones), Padre Anchieta (Vegueta Ediciones)