Vibrant and bold work from French illustrator Marylou Faure

Marylou Faure moved to London three years ago having spent five years in her home city of Paris studying graphic design, typography and illustration at Penninghen. Six months ago, following internships with the likes of Andy Spencer and time at a couple of agencies, she went freelance and has focussed her attention on illustration. “I didn’t really have a style I was happy with when I moved to London. I just kept trying and did one thing for Skinny Things, an exhibition about representing the female body, and it went really well – which was the start of developing the style I have now,” she says. “I realised I was having fun.”

She has produced her colourful, often character driven, work for the likes of The Debrief, TfL (with Andy Spencer) and a whole host of digital projects. Marylou cites Aries Moross and Hattie Stewart as influences. “I really like how vibrant and bubbly their work is,” she says. In 2014 Mary Lou worked on a personal project called The Ultimate Summer that helped her hone her style, simply asking friends what made them think of summer. She took 16 answers and created a piece for each. “Most of the work I showcase is personal projects, I don’t really have a process – I think of something fun or quirky and work to put a smile on people’s faces,” she says.

This year she is working on a couple of digital projects and has opened an online shop to test her skills beyond print. Marylou is also working on a children’s book with a friend that she hopes will be complete in the next few months, when they will look for a publisher.