Illustrator Harol Bustos Renders Power and Myth in Screen-Printed Color

Chilean artist Harol Bustos creates atmospheric illustrations that turn complex stories into bold, cinematic images. Working across culture, science, politics and current affairs, he brings together sculptural figures, dramatic lighting and carefully limited palettes to give each composition a distinctive sense of tension and scale.

Within Harol’s work, faces frequently become landscapes, stages or symbolic spaces. Grainy textures and softly airbrushed transitions give his digital images the tactile character of vintage posters and printed ephemera.

One recent highlight is his incredible illustration for The New Yorker’s article on Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. Harol places Odysseus in the foreground, rendered in glowing orange and deep blue, while Penelope, his wife, walks across his shoulder and ancient ships battle through the water behind him. The layered composition captures the epic scale of Homer’s story while retaining the psychological intensity associated with Nolan’s films. For more of Harol Bustos’ expressive editorial work, follow him on Instagram.

More illustrations via Instagram