Sam Guillemot

Samuel Guillemot grew up in Alsace, near Obernai in an artistic environment. His maternal grandfather was an amateur painter and sculptor, and his parents gave him an education and a sensitivity to painting and music by taking him to museums and exhibitions. Passionate about comics since his childhood, he began to copy characters and strips (Walt Disney, then Goltlib, Franquin, Morris, etc.) He then tried out different techniques: Indian ink, ink wash painting, graphite, and watercolour, whilst always having a preference for black and white. At around the age of 15, he took some lessons with a local painter, who taught him the basics of observational drawing, shading and composition. “I also learned a lot from training books about drawing and different techniques”. In terms of influences, he is a fan of the work of Enki Bilal, “for his ambiances and his very powerful compositions. I am also passionate about street art, this booming field influences me strongly. Finally, because of my work as a cameraman, imagery and photography have a big place in my heart. I particularly like the contrasting moods, the chiaroscuro and the “low keys” which are often found in my drawings. I like to be able to reproduce in a drawing the same type of atmosphere that I need to create in a photograph.” The other parallel that exists between his job and his artistic activity is the meeting and close proximity with high level athletes. He has done a good number of portraits of athletes on newspapers talking about their victories.