Growing up as a French Canadian in the suburbs of Montreal’s south shore, I was raised on a steady diet of 80’s music and movies, Saturday morning cartoons, video games, American comics and European “Bandes Dessinées”. All of this shaped me into who I am, and continue to inspire me to this day.

I started to draw at a very young age and for as long as I can remember, I have always drawn. My mother painted as a hobby and I was always surrounded by art, an interest which I also shared with my brother, who’s a very talented artist in his own right and a great source of inspiration for me.

I followed art classes throughout my education and graduated college in architecture. In high school, I was introduced and encouraged by my late art teacher to try many different types of media. He gave me lots of liberty to explore and he had a profound influence on me. I also took interest and followed courses in sculpture, stop-motion animation and comic book illustration.

I draw mostly on Strathmore illustration paper, using primarily mechanical pencils with micro carbon leads of various sizes and intensity, applying various techniques I developed through my architecture drafting training, art classes and personal projects. I have also painted with acrylics, and illustrated using ink and coloured pencils. I am currently experimenting with watercolour and also want to learn oil painting.

Self-taught in the art of digital illustration and photographic softwares, I use these technologies to help me work out ideas and block-in compositions, before rendering the finished piece by hand on paper or canvas, using traditional tools and methods.

With a very wide range of interests and eclectic tastes and influences, I find lots of inspiration in other artists and their craft, in music and in my travels, in pop culture as well as classical and academic art. I also have a great admiration for commercial illustrators.

I pursue my quest to master realistic portraiture and figurative drawing in any medium, and find endless beauty and inspiration in the human form, as well as in our fellow furry companions.

My work is based mostly on portrait commissions, and I especially love when I have the opportunity to reunite families or different generations together through my illustrations.

I currently live and work inside The Fortress of Solitude, somewhere in Montreal.

Thanks for your interest and all the best!

F.

You can Email me at francoischampagnelimoges@gmail.com

You can commission me to draw your portrait through my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FChampagneLimogesArt

You can see my portfolio on my website: https://www.FrancoisChampagneLimoges.com

You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francois_champagne_limoges_art

You can see the process behind the drawings on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXm3sef7-uQqwNv3i7KnF-g