IA: Your “Speeds” are very close to your final drawings, anything you want to say about them?

ML: They are just impressions and between my “speeds” and the final layout there is a lot of work. It takes me usually an hour to draw a speed and 30 to 40 hours to complete an illustration, but it’s true that on the rendering level they look very similar. I use the same two tools of Painter, the pencil and the bold chalk, and as a result the viewer can recognize the same touch.
The difference is in the format, speeds usually have smaller dimensions, which allows me to go faster, contrary to the completed illustrations that are meant to be printed and therefore cover a larger surface.

Also, the improvisation is very clear on the speeds. Sometimes I cut it from abstract forms and get to a recognizable result without pre-planning. For illustrations it’s totally different since there is an initial idea or at least a thought. I don’t leave it to chance and I build up my image one step at a time.

AI: When creating an illustration what are the most important factors that you concentrate on: The colors, the traits or the theme? And when do you consider an illustration successful?

ML: I think you have to take all of these factors in consideration in order to have a successful drawing. I start by concentrating on the subject and then build myself a clear concept, and of course think out of all the constraints imposed, whether it’s about the format or the public that this work is meant for. The theme is very important at this stage and certain subjects inspire me much more than others.

I’m glad that I am able today to choose the projects that I want to work on contrary to my first years in the field when I was accepting any job that would pay the bills. Today I pick the jobs that I like the most and know I can do good work. That’s really why the brainstorming stage is easier and much more pleasurable than ever.

Once I start working everything just goes together: composition, colors, plans, material, light… You must have all these details in mind and think about how each of these elements will go with the other. I can’t say that I have perfectly mastered all these elements or know perfectly well how to put them together, but this is my objective when I start working.

IA: How do you see the future of your work and toward what do you think it will be evolving?

ML: I don’t have a vision about it’s future, I’m a person who lives a lot in the present and I work my best and take pleasure in working as much as possible. I’m satisfied when I look at my very first drawings and my evolution and I hope my style will keep evolving and that I will have the opportunity to create new things that people will like.

IA: What attracts you to this job and why?

ML: What I like the most is the variety of the projects that are proposed to me. There are so many products on so many subjects and for different audiences that I never feel that I’m doing the same work. I never get bored doing my job.

Proofread by www.rebuildbabel.com

Links

Mathieu Leyssenne's website (French)