Illustrator Zoé Maghamès Peters finds poetry in everyday items

Based in Bordeaux with French, Lebanese and English heritage, Zoé Maghamès Peters is a self-taught illustrator with a background in social sciences. This informs how she sees and interprets the world: “Illustration is another way for me to explore ideas,” she explains. Her colourful and tactile images often blur the lines between play and poetry, combining familiar symbols from our everyday lives into abstract compositions.

Originally trained in ink drawing, Zoé now works digitally, layering scanned textures in Procreate to retain an analogue mood. She’s worked on editorial and publishing projects with clients like Penguin Random House, Cosmopolitan Italia, Bon Appetit, and Little White Lies. Her work draws from an eclectic pool of influences – from Art Nouveau glasswork to 70s album covers, and Japanese teen magazines to 1930s fashion.

As for subject matter, “I naturally gravitate toward food, plants, animals, and human behaviour,” she says. “Lately, I’ve been obsessed with illustrating perfume.” This sensory dimension runs throughout her illustrations, from swirling shapes that echo the movement of scent, to compositions that feel dreamlike yet grounded – anchored by familiar items like handbags, vegetables or pets. “Plants and animals allow me to tell a story or set an atmosphere without relying on human representation,” she says. “It allows for a more poetic or symbolic approach.”