Meet Artist & Illustrator Marylou Faure

About me: I grew up in Paris and now live in Hackney, London. I’m a positive and cheerful person and I like to create art that invokes joy with a cheeky and playful style. I’ve worked on many personal and collaborative projects with global brands that focus on social and ethical causes.

Creating the Limited Edition Holiday Boxes for FRÉ

I had a brief from FRÉ with a focus on a day in a woman’s life, which we discussed at length. I really liked the brief. It was inspiring and it was a good fit with my work. FRÉ had a strong idea of what they wanted with a focus on resilient female characters, the multiple phases of life, and various aspects of what a woman can be.

We talked about three different women: a working mom who has to juggle a lot of different worlds and tasks, a mature woman who is very active and vibrant, and a young woman who is exploring life. I wanted to use each design to show one of these phases of life.

The Let’s Glow Set is the mother. She has a big workload to juggle. She jumps from one world to the next in a way that is effortless.

The Shine Together Set is about the younger generation and community. You can see the support between the two characters.

The Born to Sparkle Set is a mature woman. She’s cool, with a lot of attitude and confidence.

Each of the three designs celebrates resilient women and the FRÉ brand. They are energetic and dynamic; each woman is brightly colored and in motion.

My personal favorite is the mother. I like the leap she makes between worlds represented by the stars, clouds, and flowers.

"Each of the three designs celebrates resilient women and the FRÉ brand."

Becoming an Artist

I studied at a graphic design school in Paris for 5 years. I moved to London and worked as a graphic designer and illustrator at an agency. While I did this, I worked on my own portfolio; I knew I wanted to go freelance and have more creative control. First, I worked as a freelancer part-time for more financial security. Then, I became a full-time freelancer 7 years ago. I’ve been building my clients and portfolio ever since, and my style is something that keeps unfolding.

Women at the Center

I always loved drawing women even when I was at university. I loved life drawing. We had a life drawing class at 8am. Typically, no one wanted to go, because it was so early and everyone was hungover. But I always went, and when I became a freelancer it was obvious that the female form would be at the center of my work.

The agency that I worked with mainly worked with charities and companies focused on social issues. When I began freelancing, I took on everything. But I felt frustrated, because I wanted my work to be used for good. When I gained confidence and financial security, I began to focus on the projects that align with my values. The majority of my projects have a core message that I believe in. My clients want to put the spotlight on women: empowering women, the gender gap, gender inequality, body image issues, and more. I recently did a project with Nike all about body confidence and different body types, to promote the right sports bra for breastfeeding women.

"The majority of my projects have a core message that I believe in. My clients want to put the spotlight on women."

Getting Inspired

My inspiration comes mainly from my moods and feelings during the day. I can be a little disconnected from reality. I am often in my own head and daydreaming. It’s not that I want to escape life, but more that I want to be in my own world.

I’m also inspired by other artists. I love the French artist Malika Favre. I discovered her when I moved to London. My vision of illustration was so limited at the time; she helped me see how much can be done with the medium. I also love Hattie Stewart. I also discovered her work when I arrived in London. She has a very colorful and playful style, and she has evolved in a really impressive way. I’m also inspired by the work of Kristen Liu Wong, Kelly Anna and Parra.

Art in Different Mediums

Digital 2D illustration is my main medium, which I create on photoshop and my iPad. But, I’ve been exploring 3D for the last few years and animation is also something I’m learning about. I love translating my art into different mediums. I started working on my figurines about 4 years ago. I wanted to see one of my girls in 3D, but didn’t have the ability to do it. Then, I found a 3D designer on Instagram, and we worked to create a range of characters. They are women in all their bubbliness and curviness. I started with one 3D render and it did really well. It’s been really exciting. In my work, there is essentially one woman that I present in different ways.

Right now, I have an exhibition coming up at the London Illustration Fair where a 4-meter (13.12-foot) tall inflatable sculpture will be exhibited.

Collaborations with Other Artists

My biggest collaboration is with the 3D artist, Nicola Strada, who helps create my figurines and is very understanding of my work. I share my studio with 2 artists and sometimes I do projects with them. We did some illustrations combining our styles.

My Daily Routine

I start my day by walking Charlie, my whippet, for an hour in Victoria Park. Then, I begin working on client and official projects and keep going until 3 or 4pm. After working, I like to take a couple hours to sort out my shop or work on personal pieces of artwork. I try to structure my day as a normal work day, otherwise it’s all too easy to wake up at 2pm and have cookies for breakfast.

At home, I share a studio space with my husband. I also have a studio with two artist friends. I go there once or twice a week. We share ideas and it’s a great space to have a chat about everything.