Interview : Nadou, hexagonal mangaka

Nadou is a french illustrator who works in an elaborate “manga” style. Author in partnership with Sobral of the comic strip “Les Légendaires” published by Delcourt, she answers here a few questions after having created the illustrations for the Graph’it advertising.

You can learn more about “The Legendaries” on Nadou’s Facebook page here

 

• Since when do you draw ? I have been drawing since I was almost old enough to hold a pencil, it’s been a passion since kindergarten… I decided to make it a vocation when I was about 11-12 years old.

 

• Did you go to art school or are you self-taught? I am totally self-taught, I learned from books, the Internet, and by copying the works of other artists I admired.

 

• How did your meeting with Patrick Sobral go? Pretty good! We met “in person” to discuss the “Origins” series at Japan Expo 2010….

 

• With the success of the “Legendary Origins”, and the preparation of Volume 2, you must lack the time to do everything, can you describe one of your typical working days? Yes it’s true I have a lot to do, between the boards, take care of answering emails, fans, interviews… plus everything else! In general I am a little bit all day on my drawings, unless I have to take care of the house, or go out for a walk… in these cases, I make up for it by working late at night. My week is generally cut in such a way as to make 1 day 1 pencilled, then 1 day an inking, then 2-3 days a colouring…

 

• Your basic style is rather manga, and this feature is found in the Legendary Comics. It is quite rare to see this type of drawing in a “French-speaking” comic format. Did the fact of making a first comic strip make you want to tackle a more “classical” style, or do you prefer to devote yourself entirely to traditional mangas? I don’t have a preference for the format, actually, I like to color, I would find it a shame to do without it! The only thing I wouldn’t change is my “graphic style”, which is mainly manga oriented.

• Do you use alcohol markers in your work? No, with Patrick we agreed that keeping an “animated” style close to his series would be better to not confuse the readers… so I work on computer tools!

 

• In what situation do you use alcohol markers? I never use them for The Legendary but more for myself, and for illustration orders that I sometimes get! I sometimes miss them…

 

• In addition to the markers, what other traditional tools do you use? The Pigma Micron in particular, the fine black markers are essential for me for the boards. For my side, as I like precision and finesse, I use the smallest lead (0.05).

 

• Can you tell us one of your secrets to make a successful marker drawing? (ex: shade, gradient, no burr etc….) It’s not easy because I learned a little bit on the job. For my part I particularly like to play with the mixing of colours between them (for gradients), using markers with very similar colours or the blender…

 

• What did you like about Graph’It? The blender precisely, I’ve never tried that before! Otherwise, I find the handling of the markers pleasant, and I really liked the flesh color palette. In addition, I find the price very attractive for people who would like to start with markers and are not sure which colours to start with, there is an interesting palette… in short, good stuff!

• What is your favorite Graph’It color? I liked the “powder” rose, to give a nice pink cheek effect to female characters….

 

• Many people dream of doing your job, what advice can you give them? To hold on and not be discouraged by obstacles! It’s only by persevering that we learn! But don’t go either to disgust yourself with the drawing, sometimes take a short break to come back to what makes you kill a few hours later can be beneficial. It takes courage, but also to keep having fun above all!