Magali Bardos is a French author and illustrator. Bardos obtained a diploma from L’Ecole Supérieure Saint-Luc-Bruxelles after which she shared her time between theatre and illustration, both of which she is passionate about. She worked as an assistant stage designer, made puppets and drew for children’s books before working with publishers, magazines and illustration workshops. She has published a number of books with Actes Sud France including The Christmas Giant. In her spare time, Magali likes to screen-print.
What inspires your work?
To feed my illustration work, I draw on the spot. I love to watch the everyday life and to catch, with my drawings, the expressions, attitudes of ordinary people. My sketches in watercolours are small snapshots, made with looks and movements, in which stories between people are told.
Tell us a bit about your process….
At the beginning, I draw with a brush and black paint. I imagine little scenes and characters. I write at the same time: dialogues, phrases. The story is constructed gradually by seeking the balance between words and images.
Gouache, brush or stencil are my favourite tools. All images from my books are initially made in gouache, even if for some books the final images are digital, I like to draw with a brush from the early sketches. I love to translate expressions and attitudes of the characters playing on the thickness and irregular feature of gouache. For 100 Bear, I used the computer to compose and colour the images.