I’ve loved drawing fairies and reading about them for as long as I can remember. There is something about the charm and mystery surrounding them that sparks such enthusiasm and curiosity in me..
This book is part of the L'Encyclopédie du Merveilleux series curated by well-known French artist Benjamin Lacombe. He chose Fatemeh Haghnejad (known as bluebirdy) to illustrate the fairies theme. Her style suits this subject so well!
As you may notice, this is a large-format (26x36 cm) picture book. Double-page and spot illustrations alternate with unfinished traditional sketches. This is very interesting, since the artist herself loves working both digitally and traditionally.
What I love about Fatemeh's work is the way she depicts expressions and poses of her characters. Also the line work and graphite sketches.
This page is my absolute favorite. Which one is yours?
The book was first published in France in October 2022, then in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany (actually I don’t know if there’s an English version).
More on Fatemeh
She is an illustrator for picture books, painter and character designer for animations and games. She was born in Iran but now lives in Oslo with her husband, also a well-known illustrator.
Fatemeh has developed her skills and knowledge from an early age, since her mother started to teach her about art. She alternates traditional paintings with digital art capturing contemplating somehow dreamy characters.
And uses an array of media including acrylic, gouache, ink, and colored pencil.
COMING NEXT SUNDAY:
Interview with Mojca Novak
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