Marylou Faure is a Parisian illustrator and artist, currently based in London.

Curator’s note: I’ve followed Marylou’s work on Instagram for a while and have always admired her strikingly vibrant illustrations. Her work often focuses on the female form, utilising a style that boasts luscious curves and a brilliantly bold but minimal colour palette. This all adds up to a look that is entirely unique to her and never fails to stand out and demand your attention. Here, we chat to Marylou about her work, her career and try to piece together an idea of how she got to where she is today.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Marylou. You have such a recognisably bold and playful visual style. Did it take you time to establish this aesthetic and was it a natural process or was there conscious decision making involved to arrive at that look? 

Thanks :) It’s something that I really worked on. When I started thinking of going freelance, I really wanted to work on my personal style and make it more colourful and fun. I also started putting women at the centre of my work, and that had a big influence on my style. The more I work, the more graphic I try my style to be - I also like making my work quirkier and quicker, less obvious, not as straightforward. I feel like it’s something which is constantly evolving and I love that :)

Your work is pretty distinctive. How important do you think it is to have a way of working that immediately differentiates you from other artists? 

I think it’s definitely a plus when people recognise your style - they feel like they already know you and are more confident working or collaborating with you. I did a mural on Redchurch street a year ago, and I often get people contacting me because they recognise my work passing by - it’s a nice feeling.

Can you see your approach evolving in the future?

I can see my style evolving in the future and the type of projects I work on. I’d like to focus more and more on my own personal illustrations and trying to have that be my main source of work. I did my first solo exhibitions in London and Paris and loved it - it’s something I want to do more. 

Your illustrations were animated for your project for Spotify which adds another dimension to them. I was wondering if you had a hand in this yourself? If not, are you or would you be interested in exploring other creative disciplines?

The animations for Spotify were beautifully animated by Luke Marsh, and I loved seeing the work being brought to life like that! I sometime do a little bit of frame by frame animations for little GIFS, but nothing more. It’s something that I find really interesting, and I think animating my illustrations works well, but I prefer collaborating with people who can do it much better than me :)

You often focus your illustrations on the female form. Is there any particular reason for this? 

It came really naturally - I didn’t think ‘I’m going to start drawing loads of naked curvy women now’ :) but it turned out that it was what I enjoyed doing the most! It makes me feel good and confident to portray characters in a strong and empowered way. As an artist, you can focus your work on any subject you want and so far, I’m happy with that topic :)

You're originally from France and studied in Paris. How does the creative scene compare to London, where you live now?

It’s a bit hard to say because I never actually worked in Paris. All I can say is that there’s a great atmosphere in London. There is artwork everywhere, illustration is really used in different ways -  for campaigns, packaging design, editorial work, etc and I feel like it’s a great scene to be a part of.

On your website, you explain that you enjoy working on projects for a worthy social or ethical cause. Can you talk a little bit about utilising this power of design to do good? Do you approach this type of work differently? 

Yeah, it’s something that I’ve always been interested in. The agency I used to work with focused a lot on sustainability and environmental issues and when I left, I missed that aspect of the work. Luckily, by putting women in the spotlight, it’s gotten me more and more projects that are giving women a voice. I love that and I’m hoping that things continue going in that direction! I approach the work in the same manner, creating bold, vibrant and colourful designs :)

As a platform, we're particularly interested in your journey to get to where you are today. Have you ever experienced any internal battles throughout your career? 

Of course! I think any artist does - you feel so close to your work that it’s hard not to feel any rejections or failures as a personal thing. The main thing that I worry about is making sure I’m going in the right direction and not to get distracted - I like having plans and I try to stick to them as much as possible.

What was the last career goal you achieved and what's up next? Or do you tend to avoid such regimented targets?

I think the main goal I achieved that I’m really happy about is to have been able to put my work out there and been seen. It’s a busy industry filled with talented artist, so it’s great to have your work recognised and appreciated! 

As for any future goals, I’d like to collaborate with brands that I love more and continue putting my style out there. I’d love to do more exhibitions and maybe collaborating with a clothing brand.

Was there a recent professional pinch yourself moment? A mini landmark moment in your career perhaps and would you mind talking us through that?

My solo shows were a great experience :) I was so worried that no one would show up, or that it would be a complete fail and was overwhelmed with how many people came and all the positive feedback I got from it!

You've collaborated with some huge clients. What's it like seeing your work adopted by brands like Apple and Instagram?

It’s really nice :) When I saw my artwork being projected at an Apple’s Keynote event, I was pretty stunned.

Have you ever had to pitch for work? If so, can you talk us through how you approach such presentations? If not, would you consider doing so?

I don’t really believe in pitching… I feel like if a client or brand is approaching me, they should trust that I will do a good job. Because I will do my best to do so :)

This a recurring question we like to ask but I personally always think our failings and how we learn from them shape our future work. Did you ever have any doubts? Was there a notable tough moment and if so, how did you learn from it? 

There are definitely phases where I feel less confident about my work and can really doubt wether I’m doing the right thing. It’s hard, again because I feel so close to my work, I absolutely love what I do and when I feel like I’m not doing as well as I’d like to, it feels like a very personal failure. But whenever I feel like that, I tend to work on some more personal illustrations - I get that pleasure of illustrating again, which puts me back on track :)

Who or what inspires you? Anyone's story that you would particularly like to hear from? (We might be able to help with that!) 

I feel inspired by loads of things - photography, paintings, music, people I’m close to, illustrators, etc. I’m amazed by the career paths of artists like Malika Favre, Camille Walala, Parra or Jean Jullien, who really use their talent in amazing ways.

Finally, what's your aim for the future? 

Continue having fun and loving what I do :)