I'm chatting with another owner behind a beautiful etsy shop today.
This time its the turn of Mademoiselle Yo.
There are some lovely items for sale in her shop and Yolande has sent me some little sneaky peeks of her new calendar for 2015, available towards the end of the year.
Go get that cuppa!
1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background...
I began to design at the School of Fine Arts, in Lyon, to prepare my work as a photographer; I drew to research ideas for staging objects.
I pursued photography work in black and white since leaving Fine Arts and you can see exhibits, even if at the moment this work is in stand by!
I did some book projects, and with my husband we created a small Publishing House,
releasing the first calendars and cards to fund our books.
Then I decided to create Mademoiselle in 2009/2010 to devote myself more to my illustrations.
I opened my shop and sometime did fairs also.
In parallel, I work as a freelance textile designer, designing surface patterns for children and illustrations for stationery with the awesome studio Paper and Cloth.
2. What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table?
When I buy a book with "beautiful" illustrations, I put in a corner of my apartment, I open it whenever I pass across and look at the pictures.
Grain de sel, is a local magazine for children's activities and family with lots of design to discover
I also have travel books, novels, etc...
3. Who is your design hero and what inspires you?
Rob Ryan, I love his paper cuts, the small details.
I also like the staging of Christian Voltz and Isidro Ferrer very poetic.
4. Tell us about a typical day for you...
I start by looking at my emails, respond and prepare my orders to send in the day.
I have a coffee.
Then I look at my favorite blogs Print & Pattern, Loveprintstudio, my brain starts...
Once I made this little ritual, I start my work day.
There are days drawings in my sketchbook, and then days where I work the color of my drawings on the computer.
There are days when I look for colour trends, trends for textile design,
and more technical work layout, or cut paper to prepare cards or calendars.
5. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?
I draw with a pencil directly or black felt (Micron) in my sketchbook.
I scan drawings and I work the colours.
I use wallpapers, coloured paper or I draw with a colored pencil, then I use as color.
I make all-over geometric patterns that I also use for my coloured birds.
The layout is important, I like to put in place the drawing in space. (Often white)
For the geometric all-over, I also make drawings in my sketchbook, research association forms and then I work the colours and the all-over with my computer.
6. What art do you have on your wall?
On the wall behind my desk, I hang the drawings I'm doing.
I love screen prints, prints and drawings.
I'll see fair creators, and I try to buy prints.
A poster of a Czech illustrator years 70 serigraphs, a print of Angela Harding and Clare Curtis ...
7. What makes you laugh?
Children make me laugh, especially their sentences.
I remember my daughter; we made a cake, flour was not well mixed with eggs,
my daughter told me "there are a lot of big words," instead of saying lumps!
(il y a plein de gros mots", au lieu de dire plein de grumeaux!!!)
This is a French expression I can translate the feeling.
The word has the same sound but does not mean the same thing.
8. What are your top three blogs?
Anna Emilial, I love these designs, and I love the red houses of the Scandinavian countries.
Sandra Juto, I love his way to show us Berlin.
Ana Ventura is a Portuguese illustrator, I Love Lisbon.
9. Why do you like being an illustrator/designer? (in 10 words or less)
I find a lot of freedom, a lot of creations in the world of illustration, continuous innovation.
I work a lot ...
but when I stop, I'm a fan of reading, I have a big stack of books next to my bed!! I love going into bookstores.
In the city where I live, there are several literary festivals, I'll listen to authors talk about their books.
I like to know how they found their characters, how it grows or not with their lives.
I also love to see shows, contemporary circus.
That's all that I love living in the city see lots of shows, concerts, strolling in the street.
Merci beaucoup Yolande d'épargner le temps de partager un peu de votre monde avec nous!
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