Mario Nevado is a Freelance Cover Artista Surreal Digital Artista Storyteller
“I think everyone has a good story to tell. I bring them to life.”
Mario Sánchez Nevado (Premiá de Dalt, Barcelona, 1985) is a Spanish freelance cover artist and poster designer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with +15 years of experience in creating cover artworks for music bands, authors and filmmakers all over the world.
His distinctive surreal digital art signature on aesthetics, and his caustic approach on emotional storytelling, has granted him a worldwide recognition of his artistic career, working with clients the size of Adobe, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Harlequin or Hachette. He was also one of the managers of the international artistic collective Hysterical Minds. Mario has lectured in Adobe’s Create Now, Photoshop Rockstars, Brief Festival or the Creative Pro Show. His opus has travelled the world in global exhibitions like Creatives Rising, that itinerated among others, to the exterior walls of the MoMA and Guggenheim museums in New York. His artistic labor has been recognized by the Master Award on the digital art annual Exposé by two consecutive years, and the milestone of his career came when he participated in Adobe Photoshop’s 25th Anniversary campaign “Dream On” that was premiered on the 87th Oscar Academy Awards and screened in Sundance, winning a Pencil D&AD Award, Three Cannes Festival Lions and an Emmy nomination.
With a solid but ever-evolving style, his striking collection of colorful and emotional dark surrealism art is deeply woven with bold, stinging narratives, built with vibrant color palettes that lead to the atmospheres and scenery of the dream-like environments present in his surreal body of work. Nevado’s message revolves about the epic and emotional interpretation of everyday life, where irony is recurrent and leads to a critique to society’s morals, distribution, politics or canons in an historical era dominated by shallowness. Part magical storyteller, and part sober messenger of society’s ills, Mario’s work begs for a deeper consideration of the world around us.
My Style
Epic Emotional Art
From surreal landscapes to gothic portraiture and emotional surreal art, my surreal digital art explores the psychological depth of characters trapped in a shallow world. My style fuses dark surrealism, automatic writing, fantasy, and a punch of vibrant color and drama, resulting in thought-provoking, colorful dark art with a lasting emotional impact.
My Tools
Photography meets Painting and 3D
All my surreal digital art comes with a solid style after decades of experimentation with different mediums. This mix is called ``matte painting``: a mixture of photo manipulation, digital painting, and 3D. I try to shoot myself most of my photo resources, and the crazy textures you see in every other artwork, are hand painted by me.
My Expertise
Timeless Cover Artworks
This dark and emotional aesthetic finds its home in the world of cover designs and album art. I specialize in surreal album artwork, book cover illustration, and illustrated poster design for films. With 15+ years of experience as a freelance cover artist, I help musicians, authors, and filmmakers create eye-catching visuals that elevate their projects. I also craft visuals for merch, vinyl packaging and promotional materials.
Notable Achievements
Awards
Emmy Awards Nominee
Three Cannes Lions
Pencil D&AD
Digital Arts California
Two Exposé Master Awards
Exhibitions
Fragile Strength
Digital Dreams: Masterpieces of Computer Graphics
Sick Tales: 10 years of Mario Nevado
Creatives Rising
Art Takes Times Square
Lectures
Photoshop Rockstars
Adobe’s Make It Layered, Make It Yours
Brief Festival
VII Creative Pro Show
I Symposium of Art & Psychology
What I Do as a Freelance Cover Artist and Designer
Music Cover Arts
I create cover art for music bands with a passion. Whether you are in need of a cover that speaks for your music, or are going to release a special edition that includes detailed booklet illustrations, merch design and stage elements, I’m an expert in making images that introduce music to their audiences.
Promo Posters
My art also finds its place in poster design, especially for film and theater plays. Present your release to the world in a way that makes justice to all the hard work your team put into it, while making your audience know they are in for a true work of art before they even take a seat.
Book Cover Arts
Are you an author in search of the perfect cover art for your next release? Let me introduce your vision to the world to find your audience. I design book covers, interior illustrations, jackets… you name it. Attract your readers with unforgettable cover art that will transport them to your stories.
Convinced? Let's work together!
First Contact
Get in touch with me with the basics of the project you want to commission, preferably with budget and deadline. I'll get back to you with some questions to settle a rate and a date of delivery.
Contract & Deposit
We sign a Licensing Agreement with the terms of the license alongside the payment of the deposit, either via SEPA Bank Transfer or Paypal, after we have agreed on a project briefing and direction.
Art & Design
I create some mind-blowing artworks for your project and send them for preview when they are around 90% completion, so you can offer some reasonable feedback and corrections if they're needed.
Files & Payment
When the art is done, it's time to create a printing layout for them and render the high-resolution files. After payment is completed, everything is sent to you. Now is your time to show it to the world!
Get in Touch_
Let’s talk about your next album, book or film.
If you are looking to hire a freelance cover artist for your next music album, book or film, don’t hesitate in reaching me for availability and quotes. My areas of expertise are cover artworks, editorial projects, music album packaging and illustrated film poster design – but not limited to that! Share a brief of your project with me for availability and rates. Please, try to be as comprehensive with your request as possible to determinte a proper budget and schedule for your project.
Also, feel free to contact me if you would like me to perform in your next design festival, give a lecture or a workshop in your area, if you’re arranging a group or solo exhibition or if you want to invite me to your podcast or magazine for an interview.
Please, allow me 24 hours to reply to your message. Remember to contact me at least 2-3 months prior to your release date for commissions, and a couple of weeks for art licensing, as my schedule might be (and usually is) full.
Say hello at hey@marionevado.art
