French Illustrator Jean Mallard Creates Dreamlike Worlds with Gouache and Watercolor

Jean Mallard, a French illustrator and painter born in Paris in 1997, produces detailed and vibrant artworks using watercolor and gouache. He studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he trained in comics, animation, screen printing, and engraving. Mallard is represented by La Slow Agency and regularly shows his original paintings at the Slow Galerie in Paris. In 2018, he received the Grand Award at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, gaining international recognition. His artistic approach involves applying watercolors in a manner similar to oil glazes, building up layers from light to dark through a careful process to achieve rich colors and seamless transitions. Influences on his work include the comics of Moebius, films by Hayao Miyazaki, Russian painters, Indian miniature art, and Henri Rousseau. His paintings often feature imaginative scenes with natural elements, charming buildings, and travel motifs, inspired by his experiences living in Naples and Sicily. Mallard's creations are characterized by their poetic and intricate quality, blending various artistic traditions into welcoming, fantastical environments.