Featured Artist: France Mansiaux
Artist France Mansiaux has a diverse portfolio with a special emphasis on creating intricate patterns. By using detailed pen techniques, France creates visual rhythms in her artworks that lend themselves perfectly to Redbubble’s suite of products.
France has a huge range of experience with drawing and developing her portfolio. She took the time out of her busy illustrating schedule to share her advice on creating patterns and laying out conceptual ideas visually.
Be sure to check out her shop to pick up a products featuring her work.
Featured Artist France Mansiaux
On making patterns:
“I spend a lot of time on the sketch. I place the elements, I erase, and I replace or overlay other elements. Before starting the illustration itself, I do graphic researches on all the things that will be in the illustration, for example, if there’s several kinds of leaves in an illustration. Diversity makes the pattern more interesting to look at. Finally, I vary the size of the element to avoid monotony.”
[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]”The advice I can give to create patterns is to be patient.”[/tweet_box]
On the creative process:
“I begin with a long process of sketching (I usually do traditional sketches) and when I find the drawing quite rich and original, I begin the inking and then the colorization. I spend a lot of time on finishing the illustration, I like the part when I add lights and reflections, I can spend lots of time correcting things that most people won’t see, but it’s my favourite moment in my process.”
"Fishes Blue" Scarf
On inspiration:
“I’m inspired by visuals things. I mean, lots of people say that they are inspired by music or other things, I don’t. Most of the time, I’m inspired by pictures. It can be the people in it, a little object, or just the atmosphere that emerges from it. I love the movies of Wes Anderson. I like the colour pallete and the centred framing that he uses. They are also themes that are important to me as femininity, the Victorian era (mainly their patterns), nature, and the warm colours of autumn.”
"Universe" Studio Pouch
On portraits of women as creative expression:
“Women portraits are a central element in my work, but I never represent myself in it.”
[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]”I like to study different faces and see how diversity can be beautiful.”[/tweet_box]
“I feel more inspired and more free when I draw women. I can vary makeup, play with their hairstyles and accessorize them with jewelry, brooches or flowers; this gives a feminine dimension to my illustrations.”
