Geek-Art Selection of the Week
Newsletter #281 : GEEK-ART & CAURETTE ART PRINT ALERT ! // Interview with Eric Heninnot // Portfolios : Muichiro, Alexander Davtyan, Italo Mateus, Brutal Basics AND MORE !
NEWSLETTER #281
[Retrouvez la version française de cette newsletter ici]
Hi everyone!
Welcome to this new edition of the Fantastic Portfolios newsletter. There’s more of you reading me each week—thank you so much!
The idea behind this newsletter is to share my favorite portfolios, selected during my journeys through the web, but also to highlight artists—through interviews in particular—and immerse you in their worlds. Because I am inhabited, day and night, by this fabulous world of illustration. Because fantasy, sci-fi, imaginary worlds, and creation in general are as vital to me as the air I breathe. Because I want to showcase a profession that doesn’t get nearly the recognition it deserves. Because being an artist is hard, even with all the talent in the world at your fingertips. And even more so with generative AI, of which we’ve only had a glimpse of the damage it could cause if not supervised and regulated.
So, here we go again for another week—this time spotlighting French illustrator Eric Henninot, author of the comic book adaptation of La Horde du Contrevent by Alain Damasio. Perfect timing (!), since today is the last day to grab the exclusive art print produced by Éditions Caurette and yours truly!
Shall we go?
INTERVIEW : ERIC HENINNOT
As you may know, I have the pleasure of regularly collaborating with Éditions Caurette, who publish artbooks by some of the best artists featured in this newsletter. This partnership also leads us to produce fine art prints—such as today’s release, showcasing the stunning illustration of La Horde du Contrevent by Eric Henninot.
This art print has been on sale since Friday, 6 p.m., on Liber Distri, the online store of Éditions Caurette. Sales close this Monday the 15th at 6 p.m.—so don’t miss out, after that it will be too late! These are time-limited editions, available only for three days. Each print is numbered according to the sales and signed by the artist, making it a true collector’s item.
After collaborations with Mathieu Bablet, Guillaume Singelin, Neyef, and Aseyn, we are now thrilled to present this incredible piece with Eric Henninot: a large-format 61x91 cm print (24x36’) from his comic book adaptation of La Horde du Contrevent, published by Éditions Delcourt!
So, with this Monday marking the last day of the print sale, it felt like the perfect moment for a short interview with Eric—along with a look at the sketches he created while imagining this artwork, and the creative steps behind it!
First of all, could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers? Where are you from, where do you work… and how did you get into illustration?
I’m 50 years old and I’ve been working as a comic book author since around the year 2000. I actually started in comics fairly late, even though I’d been passionate about drawing for a long time. My academic background was in science: I earned an engineering degree and worked for a few months in the corporate world before turning to drawing and comics. My family comes from the north of France, and I currently live between Marseille and Bordeaux.
How would you describe your graphic universe? How did you “find” it, and when did you know: '“this is it, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life?”
I’m not really sure how to answer that. My drawing style could probably be described as realistic, even fairly academic, but I’ve explored very different worlds throughout my albums. With La Horde, I feel like I’m really doing what I enjoy most: trying to create a universe that doesn’t exist, while making it as believable as possible.
I honestly don’t know how I “found myself,” or even if I truly have. I always want to explore new forms. Obviously, I won’t jump into that in the middle of a series, but the desire is always there. In fact, last year’s Inktober was an extremely enriching experience for me. I had a lot of fun experimenting without the pressure of an album.
I believe a drawing builds itself over the years, over time, shaped by practice and the artist’s personal tastes. For now, I don’t feel I’ve consciously chosen my style… I’d say it’s something we’ve built together.
What advice would you give to young people who want to become illustrators?
If you want to become an illustrator, you need to want it deep down, viscerally. And beyond that, there’s no secret: if you want to draw, then draw. It’s tough, but it’s worth it—because it truly is a wonderful profession.
What is your vision of the profession and its challenges?
I started working in comics at a time when—even though conditions for authors were already beginning to decline—they were still more or less livable. I’m not saying it was easy, but I was able to take the time I needed to improve and learn my craft.
Now, when I look at the contract terms for new authors starting out, I have to admit I’m appalled. I don’t see how anyone can work under good conditions with so little. In fact, I do know: you simply can’t. “Fast and good” just doesn’t exist. Creation takes time, reflection, and work.
I consider myself incredibly lucky that the success of my series allows me to continue working under decent conditions. It gives me the freedom to keep exploring and learning through drawing, to redo things whenever I feel it’s necessary… in short, to really work.
AI is everywhere these days, on everyone’s lips and across every network. I have to admit, on my side, it’s something I abhor for many reasons. What’s your take on the subject?
It’s obviously a thorny question. I’m not a technophobe—far from it—but when it comes to AI in artistic creation, I have serious doubts about the relevance of the tool.
For me, creation is a source of immense joy, and I really don’t see the point in eliminating a task that provides so much pleasure. Jobs that bring genuine satisfaction aren’t so numerous that we can afford to remove yet another one. Unless, of course, we consider that only results and efficiency matter. Which, conveniently enough, seems to be the perfect ideal for capitalism. I have nothing against efficiency, but making it the only standard strikes me as an absolute nightmare—on top of being an absurdity, given the crises and suffering that this worldview is already inflicting on the vast majority of people.
But even without going that far, to me, creation and AI are completely antinomic. AI runs on probabilities. Human beings create by making meaning.
And that’s without even mentioning the outright looting these companies have committed. Without the work of countless artists whose creations have been fed into AI, these systems would simply do nothing. To me, it’s one of the greatest hold-ups in history.
And as a little bonus, let’s talk about the print ! How did you end up working on the comic book adaptation of La Horde du Contrevent? What’s your relationship with that universe?
I read the novel and simply fell madly in love with it. But I didn’t immediately think of turning it into a comic book—the idea came gradually. I then met Alain with this adaptation project, and let’s just say he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic at first :) Somehow, I eventually managed to convince him that trusting me with it was a good idea. It wasn’t without a few misadventures along the way, but that would be too long a story to tell here.
And despite all the years I’ve now spent working within this universe, our relationship is still just as good!
About the art print
"For this illustration of La Horde du Contrevent, I wanted to revisit an idea I had at the very beginning of the project, when I was still in discussions with Forge Animation, the production company that was supposed to make the animated adaptation of Alain Damasio’s novel. In the novel, Alain briefly mentions the idea of linear forests, and I found the concept extremely appealing. I had imagined the tree trunks in these forests following the lines of turbulence they experienced, the forest becoming a vegetal materialization of the wind.
I had tried to visualize this idea in the comic book, but the density of the story didn’t really allow me to linger and properly stage a scene where these linear forests could be discovered. When Éditions Caurette and Geek-Art asked me to create a very large-format illustration, I quickly saw it as an opportunity to revisit these vegetal turbulences.
I made numerous sketches in pencil or directly in ink. I usually draw in very small format at this stage to stay focused on the framing and rhythms of the image before starting the final drawing. Even so, I’m not used to working on such large pieces, and it wasn’t easy to avoid getting lost in the details. I love detailing my images—it’s a real pleasure for me—but the risk is losing the overall coherence of the piece. That’s why my small sketches are so useful; they act as a safeguard.
I rarely do colored illustrations because my comic book work doesn’t often give me the opportunity. So I’m both extremely excited when I get to do one, and at the same time caught in a kind of paradox: I put immense pressure on myself because the opportunity is rare—I absolutely must not miss it! The only way to approach it calmly would be to do them more often. Lacking that, I dive in, improvise, and hope for the best. But for me, the conclusion is always the same: color is a world in itself!"
— Éric Henninot
If you’re a fan of La Horde or simply love beautiful illustrations, head over to Liber Distri before this print disappears!
PORTFOLIOS
This section features the four portfolios I’ve selected for you this week. You’ll find information about the artists at the end of this newsletter!
MUICHIRO
I absolutely love what’s happening in Muichiro’s portfolio. A symphony of vibrant colors on a black background, ethereal characters draped in plants, flowers and leaves, with a captivating and flamboyant sensuality. It’s so beautiful that it becomes almost hypnotic.
ALEXANDER DAVTYAN
Alexander Davtyan’s portfolio is very eclectic. This concept artist has a wide range of talents, but it’s his more “comic book–style” creations that caught my eye—especially his guardian shown below. I really love his line work, his use of color, and the design of his characters, which sits perfectly between fantasy and sci-fi!
ITALO MATEUS
Italo Mateus’s universe is completely wild. Old-school fantasy, colossal armored figures, monsters, dragon-kings… and a fascinating style that sits somewhere between hyper-realism, classical painting, and 1970s fantasy novel covers. Original and captivating!
𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗦
Or how to take the classic “bikini armor warrior” stereotype—so popular in the 70s and 80s—to its absolute extreme… But Brutal Basics has that certain something in his style: a mix of pulp and vintage comics with erotic manga, which I find fabulous in its unapologetically “over the top” approach!
MAGIC
My little selection of my favorite Magic illustrations of the week, with no other ambition than to share beautiful artwork with you—whether they’re recent releases or not!
REEL OF THE WEEK
This week’s reel is a dive into Boris Popov’s work flow.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
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A huge thank you for your support and for subscribing!
ARTISTS OF THE WEEK’S SOCIALS
MUICHIRO : Twitter - Instagram
ALEXANDER DAVTYAN : Twitter - Artstation
ITALO MATEUS : Twitter - Instagram - Artstation
BRUTAL BASICS : Twitter - Red Bubble
CAMILLE ALQUIER : Twitter
GAL OR : Instagram - Portfolio
DOMINIK MAYER : Twitter - Instagram
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