Illustrator Fanny Blanc’s elaborate scenes are full of detail and humour

Date
7 April 2017

French illustrator Fanny Blanc’s detailed editorial illustrations are precise and compact with neat 2D characters all set in harmonious palettes of peachy, purple tones. Fanny gets her ideas from movies, places, time periods and novels. “I am also very interested in representations of the past in art and photography,” explains the illustrator. “The kind of art that excites me, and gives me the most the inspiration to draw, is folk and naive art. I admire the inventiveness and the brilliant drawing of these artists who were not considered ‘fine artists’ for a long time.”

Fanny’s style is like an interpretation of folk art as she creates elaborate scenes with lots of characters to tell her stories, yet her execution is far more contained and neat, with structured linework and smooth textures.

Her illustrations are very narrative-led and she often creates series of works for different publications and personal projects. In her portfolio we see a couple going about everyday activities in the buff, depictions of historical figures, and Versaille-like scene with lots of dignitaries. The illustrator’s process is very detailed much like her finished works, as she starts by composing sketches with pencil and paper. “When I’m satisfied with my sketch, I then trace it using a lightbox and then generally use gouache paints and coloured pencils to fill it in.”

The running themes throughout Fanny’s work are people, relationships and the humour in the everyday. “I am captivated by how humans can often be strange and ridiculous,” she says. “I enjoy satire and sarcasm and hope that people are amused by what I illustrate. I’m trying to tell stories in my pictures but I like to leave space for the imagination of the viewer. That’s why I often draw scenes where something just happens or is on the edges of happening.”

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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Fanny Blanc

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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