Arnal transmits sympathy and humour. Just like his drawings, which are wise, ironic and beautiful.
He welcomes me at his house in the Gracia district and we do the photo sessions in his studio, crowded with books and drawings, a universe of references. Looking at his work, one can guess the years of experience in the profession, the care that he puts into each drawing, his demand for the quality of the editions and prints and a rich personal discourse.
Arnal Ballester was born in Barcelona in 1955. Since 1989 he has been teaching Visual Narrative at the Escola Massana d’Art i Disseny in Barcelona. His field of work is quite diverse and includes books, editorial, advertisement, design and animation. He is the author of 80 illustrated books; doing regular contributions for Spanish and foreign newspapers and cultural magazines; animations for TV, foundations and film festivals.
He has been awarded several prizes, such as the Nacional Illustration Award, Spanish Government Ministry of Culture (2008), Gráffica Awards (2015), or the Premi Junceda d’Honor (2020), among others.