I’m Cristóbal Schmal. I was born in the north of Chile, where the Atacama Desert begins, in one of the driest areas in the world. I grew up by the beach, surfing and playing in a band called The Fuckires. We had 3 songs. After school I wanted to be an artist but someone suggested I study Graphic Design. So I enrolled in the course at the University of Valparaiso, where I lived in a shared flat with friends. For my BA Degree I made a Picture Book about a man lost in Valparaiso. Then I moved to Spain - first Madrid and then Barcelona - with no plan and no visa. I did a lot of odd jobs and shared a tiny room with a friend. I got hired as a designer by a small agency - and drew a lot while speaking on the phone with clients. I wasn’t happy, so I decided to go to Brazil for a year. I spent time in Sao Paulo, the Amazon and Recife, where I did drawing workshops with kids in local schools. When I returned to Barcelona I got a part-time job with a small advertising agency. The rest of the time I drew, painted and did the odd illustration commission. After a few years I moved to Berlin, where I started learning German and was lucky to be able to focus on drawing and illustration.
I currently live in Otzberg (Germany) where I work for clients from all over the world.


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List of Clients:

Greenpeace, The New York Times, National Geographic, Taschen, Lufthansa, Washington Post, LA Times, Strategy & Business, Timeout, Financial Times, Penguin Random House, Le Monde Diplomatique, Matthes & Seitz Berlin, Baku Magazine, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Droga5, Kneipp Germany, Anchor NY, and others....