" The spring that I cannot see blooming outside comes to life within the pages of my notebooks. "
LUNA
MOONFLOWERS
ILLUSTRATOR, LA ROCHELLE (17)
The artist tells us how, after fascinating studies in Architecture, she decided to return to her first love: drawing.
Tell us your story, how did you find your calling?
Drawing has ultimately always been a part of my life. My mother paints a lot and she immersed us (my sister and me) in a world where art and creativity were very present and valued. As a child, I went to weekly drawing classes where we experimented with various techniques and subjects. I didn't have a specific style, but I enjoyed reproducing paintings, drawings from books, objects around me, etc.
Ultimately, being rather down-to-earth and not really seeing where art studies could lead me, I embarked on Architecture studies. The studies were fascinating and even included theoretical and practical lessons related to the world of art! Drawing then became a medium for me to represent my architectural projects.
It was only a few years after graduating that drawing regained an important place in my daily life. Newly arrived in a city where I didn't know anyone and more or less confined to my home because of COVID, I picked up my pencils again and filled my notebooks with floral patterns. The spring that I couldn't see blooming outside came to life on the pages of my notebooks.
In the end, it was my loved ones who encouraged me to do something with all these drawings. I still work in architecture but have been self-employed for a few months... I then decided to reorganize my work a bit and finally made up my mind to create an online shop.
How would you describe your style and your artistic approach in a few words?
Sometimes you shouldn't overthink things and just do what you enjoy; it can lead to some lovely surprises.
What themes or subjects inspire you the most in your work?
Undeniably nature. Flowers in particular offer an infinite range of possibilities; whether they exist or not, they can take a thousand and one forms. For me, flowers have a positive identity; they evoke spring, a rediscovered softness, colors, the sun, they bring back memories, they are given as gifts, they brighten up an interior...
More recently, the presence of water has appeared in my drawings, as well as a few nods to the region I am from. I grew up in the Landes, near the ocean, and I have a desire to incorporate into my creations the well-being that the ocean and this very unique nature bring me.
How do you work?
I work from home and my desk is a happy mix of sketchbooks, pencils, my computer, and my laser measure. It is by juggling architecture and drawing that I finally find my balance.
As for drawing, I have made it a habit to sketch in my notebooks using a pen and black felt-tip marker. All my originals are therefore exclusively in black and white! And it is only after digitizing them that I create color versions of the illustrations.
More recently, the iPad has made an appearance in my practice since I began printing my illustrations in larger formats. It allows for better precision and a higher print quality than what I obtain when working solely by hand and on a smaller scale.
Tell us about your daily life, your constraints, your joys, your successes…
Embarking on this adventure is a real challenge for me! I never imagined I could turn my love for drawing into something concrete. Every new milestone reached is a joy: opening the online shop, the first orders, the first time my illustrations were sold in a store, my first makers' market... I am quite impatient by nature, so I sometimes feel that things aren't moving fast enough, that I could do better or do more, but I am taking the time to find my own pace between architecture and drawing for a professional daily life that I enjoy and that feels like me.