Francois Champagne Limoges Art

Born in the suburbs on the south shore of Montreal, this french Canadian was raised on a steady diet of 70’s and 80’s music and movies, Saturday morning cartoons, video games, American comics and french European “Bandes Dessinées”, which shaped him and continue to inspire him to this day.

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

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

He draws mostly on Strathmore illustration paper, using primarily mechanical pencils with micro carbon leads of various sizes and intensity, techniques he developed through his architecture drafting training, and remnants of times spent stealthy doodling in class when he was bored. He has also painted with acrylics, illustrated using ink and colored pencils and he is currently experimenting with watercolor.

Self-taught in the art of digital illustration and photographic softwares, he uses this technology to help him 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, he finds inspiration in other artists and their craft, music and travels, in pop culture as well as classical and academic art. His love for traditional commercial illustrators like Alphonse Mucha, J.C. Leyendecker and Drew Struzan, comics, cartoons and animated movies, and his time spent mastering shapes and contours in architecture school, is evident in his line work, which is integral part of his art.

He now pursues his quest to master realistic portraiture and figurative drawing in any medium, where he finds endless beauty and inspiration in the human form.

Sought after and well appreciated for his portrait commission work, he especially loves when he has the opportunity to reunite families or generations through his illustrations.

He currently resides and works in Montreal.

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