- Okay, my name is Natali Koromoto,
and I'm an illustrator and designer.
I've been a freelance illustrator for 10 years.
(flamenco-influenced electronic music)
I've been drawing my whole life,
ever since I was two years old,
I've been told, I don't remember.
I wanted to be an animator when I was five
and I watched The Little Mermaid for the first time.
Unfortunately, that's not really a thing you can be
back in Venezuela, where I'm from.
There's no animation in schools there.
By the time I was 19, the country
encountered serious problems,
politically, socially, economically.
It was pretty much impossible to fulfill your dreams.
My sister moved to the States, and shortly after I followed.
I applied for animation school, and I enrolled,
and that was a big dream come true.
That was one of the best days of my life, I think.
After I graduated, I decided to become
a freelance illustrator.
I didn't pursue the career of animation,
because it takes a lot of patience.
And I like designing and the fulfillment
of creating one thing after the next.
(relaxing bass-heavy jazz music)
After awhile of using social media,
I realized that people commented a lot about it.
Clothing, that my characters were wearing.
Things like, "If that shirt was real,
"I would buy it right away, I love that hat."
So I decided to try and separate
from freelance illustration work,
to designing apparel and accessories.
It did well, so eventually I expanded to do more clothing,
hats, sweatshirts, and now designing has become
my full-time job.
(sporadic and exciting electronic music)
I tried to create a lot of Hispanic-inspired illustrations.
I tried to draw a lot of girls of color.
I'm trying to create a world
of Latin, Hispanic heritage, pride.
I don't think there's enough of it.
I feel like Hispanic people want to wear cute things,
representing, you know, your grandma, and dessert,
or something that reminds you from your childhood,
and there's no really things like that.
But, I have some recurring characters.
Characters of Hispanic origins,
like the Empanada character, and Tres leches,
and Churros & Ice Cream.
They're pretty cute!
(flamenco-influenced electronic music)
I still draw with paper and pencil,
until I'm happy with the drawing.
When the sketch is ready, I scan it,
I clean it and trace it digitally,
and color it digitally as well.
Usually use it for future designs,
for clothing or prints or whatever.
I usually draw and see what's there.
Like, it could be something that a character is wearing,
that I'd like to see that in real life.
It could be the design itself, the drawing itself,
that I use and I screen print on the shirt.
(calm and inquisitive electronic music)
I do feel very successful, I feel lucky.
Would five year old me be happy that this is my life.
Everything I do, I would, I live in New York,
I get to share my work, and people are receiving it well.
(sporadic and exciting electronic music)
Having a number one sell product,
I designed these, it was part of an illustration that I did,
it was a hat, wearing a hat, Hat on Hat.
And I made it happen, somehow,
and they sold out right away!
- [Interviewer] What did they say when you asked
for a hat on hat?
(Natali laughs)
They didn't understand!
(relaxing bass-heavy jazz music)
Practice, explore, don't try to imitate
what other people are doing.
Other people might be better at some things than you are,
and that's okay.
You just concentrate on you.
Try to find your own voice, try to be who you are,
and you'll find an audience.