Anne Laval could be one of the characters we see in her incredibly rich and detailed illustrations, wandering through masses of foliage, making notes and drawing inspiration. She tells us how she uses her love of nature to inform her work.
It’s immediately apparent how much Anne enjoys being outside and discovering little, natural gems that might feed her ideas for her illustrations. Her scenes are often filled with luscious greenery, implemented using an enjoyable varied mixture of different techniques and materials.
Using so many different textures is a great way of capturing the many different aspects of natural scenery. She tells us more about these techniques and what inspires her the most.
Since I finished my studies at the Arts Décoratifs school of Strasbourg, my work has changed a lot. I work with different techniques : paint, ink, colored pencils, stamps, stencils, silkscreen printing.
I like the variety of textures that you can get with them. I use Photoshop to adjust the colors and contrasts of my drawings.
Nature is a real source of inspiration. I often have my pocket full of finds collected during walks. I like drawing small characters lost in vast landscapes.
I always have a sketchbook with me in which I note everything. Drawings, ideas, the title of a book someone recommended to me… In case of fire, that’s what I’d save first!
I work in a big studio with 10 other people. They are illustrators, journalists, graphic designers, and video makers.
I work on children’s books a lot. I like writing stories with pictures, creating and giving life to a character. Today, I also draw posters and uniques pictures and I like it.
© Anne Laval, 2015
