Carlo Stanga: architect turned illustrator on cities, digital art, and the daimon

Carlo Stanga, an Italian architect turned illustrator, discusses his career shift and creative process in an interview. Known for his city portraits in books like 'I am Milan', 'I am London', and 'I am New York' for Moleskine, and illustrations for 'Zaha Hadid' (Corraini) by Eloisa Guarraccino, Stanga emphasizes the importance of following one's 'daimon'—the ancient Greek concept of talent. He is currently working on a 140-square-meter illustration for a double-decker bus in Berlin for the historic Babylon cinema, and an animated video for the Hotel Mandarin Oriental in Tel Aviv. Stanga's technique begins with pencil sketches, then ink, scanning, and digital coloring. He was discovered online by Nino Brisindi of la Repubblica in 2008, leading to collaborations with art director Angelo Rinaldi and Stefano Cipolla. His breakthrough came in 2014 when Moleskine Publishing director Roberto di Puma commissioned a city series. Stanga recently created a portrait of Dante for the 'Dante Plus' exhibition in Ravenna, depicting the poet as a city in 14th-century style. He advises young illustrators to revisit childhood drawings to find their primordial imprint. He names Giulia Sagramola, Laura Carlin, and Yann Kebbi as emerging talents to watch.