Nesma Mesbah is an illustrator who created a world where peculiar characters act out the nuanced interchanges that we all face in our regular life .Her doodles are a mix between abstract art with large, blocked-out colorful shapes and zany characters,that all meet and interact .Last year she published a comic book entitled”MON ÉTERNELLE HALLUCINATION” which is still ON SALE AT THE “POINT VIRGULE ” BOOKSTORE IN ALGIERS . WE had the chance to talk with Nesma about the theory behind her work , her inspirations and her influences .

L’aubade : Hello NESMA can you tell us a bit about yourself ?

Nesma : so my name is Nesma Mesbah but I’m known on social media as JEWEE , I’m 22 years old from Algiers, (Algeria), and i’m an illustrator.

L’aubade : How do you describe your art style?

Nesma : Generally when people ask me what type of art I do I always answer saying that I’m a professional doodler, or as we say in arabic “TKHERBICHA”, because a lot of my work is sketchy at first.

L’aubade : Who are your biggest influences?

Nesma : Strangely my biggest influences are not famous painters but illustrators from the local art gallery aka internet. These days I really like the works of “furry little peach”, “ectomorphe” and “varguy”.

L’aubade : What subject matters interest you? What are some of the stories behind your work ?

Nesma : Most of the time when I draw, I tend to draw little stories or reflections that I previously noted in my note app. But I also like to create and imagine characters and create a whole story about them. Last month, during the pandemic I created a whole story about an adventurer called “indiano Janiss” (wink wink to indian Jones), and strangely the first drawing of the serie illustrated her being trapped in the forest. And now that i think of it, i think i unconsciously reflected my condition and emotions regardless of the lockdown.

L’aubade : How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?

Nesma : Most of the time people assume that i only do illustrations because it’s the things i generally post on my instagram, tho i’m also a graphic designer. So in order to have a diverse portfolio I try to mix between my illustration and design works. If i could give a tip regardless of the portfolio i think that diversity is important, also posting only works that we really love.

L’aubade : Tell us about the project you’re most proud of and why?

Nesma : One of the projects I’m the most proud of is the comic book I edited last year, it was a consecration for me because I put in all my heart and hard work, and as a result I realised a childhood dream.

L’aubade : One word to wrap this up?

Nesma : I’m not going to pretend to be a superhero with an inspirational quote, but the only thing I can tell to anyone reading this is that there is a place for everyone in this universe, and everyone has their own rhythm in achieving their goals.

Serine is a 20 years old , illustrator/designer who creates impressive works which you can see on her instagram page @serine.zaa .Her designs depicts random people with refined silhouttes and precise strokes, the stunning colors and intricate style of Serine’s portfolio of works allows her to express her deep feelings and emotions by reaching a large audience.We reached out to SERINE.ZAA for a little Q&A and were lucky to Nab some of her time, in this interview Serine shares how she got into illustration, her favorite type of work and inspirational tips for aspiring illustrators .

L’aubade : Hello Serine , could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in digital art?

Serine.Zaa : I think I identify myself first and foremost as an artist , because art is what takes up most of my life . But in a more formal way , I’m a 20 year old management student from Algiers . I can say also with confidence that I’m a person who chose a craft and decided to dedicate her life to it . Whether its a good or bad thing , this attachment to my passion ; drawing gives me a sense of purpose and allows me to have a certain structure and ambition in my life and whether or not I will stick to this passion , for the time being It’s the thing I have most faith in .

I’m also told that I was born ” with a pen in my hand ” as in Art has always been an integral part of my life . Being an introverted and shy kid , I found the most comfort and peace in creative endeavors because I could express myself the most easily through them . I often used drawing as an escape when getting too overwhelmed by the external noise and with the validation and encouragement from adults around me , this craft stuck to me and I never let it go since . I still have vivid memories of sitting alone at the shcoolbreak doodling or pausing my favorite cartoons on TV to try to reproduce the image to the best of my abilities . I was the ” Picasso ” of the class so , in a way , whether I liked it or not , it’s how I was labelled and I sometimes felt like I had to live by that title . I started taking art more seriously around the end of middle shcool and I first started drawing digitally with my finger on a smartphone , starting that way allowed me to slowly progress and upgarde my drawing tools over the years .

L’aubade : What is the secret of a powerful communication ?

Serine.Zaa : I believe the ability to communicate is what makes us stand out among our peers . As an artist or draftsmen ,you can have the best technical skills , but if your audience can’t find a part of your soul in it , they’ll’ll easily forget about it the second the next shiny thing comes by . Powerful communication lays in vulnerability , showing our true self to the world means allowing ourselves to be hurt or to be loved so being authentic requires a certain level of strenght and self-awareness . We often try to silence our instincts in order to fit into a certain mold and protect ourselves from judgment , which is normal . Nevertheless not fearing coming off as too eager or emotional and not holding ourselves back can lead to the most intense experiences and connections we can ever have , or in parallel to the best pieces an artist can ever come up with . In order to do that though , we must first detach from the outcome and live unapologetically , always acting through love instead of fear , because it’s what makes us human . As an artist I’ll admit that I’m still in the early learning phases , which means I’m more focused on tailoring my technical skills and creating something aesthetically pleasing to the eye by capturing a certain mood and feeling using lines shapes and color palettes . Social media can easily get overwhelming because comparing myself to other artists is so easy and measuring the value of my art by numbers is encouraged ,thus I don’t feel fully comfortable sharing more personal work yet ( which might seem hypocritical considering what I just said about vulnerability ? ) . That said I am forever working on bettering my skills wheter they’re human or technical , It’s a long journey but small steps go a long way.

L’aubade : What are your goals now ?

Serine.Zaa : My ultimate goal is to be the best artist I can be and find my place in the art industry ! Whether that means having art as a side-job , selling paintings or working at a studio , all I know for now is that I’ll just continue drawing everyday . I am very welcoming of any opportunity that comes my way and believe that life is way too unpredictable to stick to one specific objective which can make us lose sight of other options that are unfolding as we move forward .

L’aubade : Which artists have influenced your art along the years ?

Serine.Zaa : At ” the beginning ” of my art journey I was mostly motivated by cartoons and animated movies , I have always been captivated by Disney and Ghibli animation so I would try to emulate the artstyle and research artists that worked on those movies .The day I found out that there where actual people ( such as Glen Keane , Milt kahl or Jin Kim ) designing those characters and bringing them to life , I started viewing those films as actual pieces of art and really admired the work and passion put into them . Like most kids I also had an ” Otaku ” phase and was inspired by japanese media for a while. I was inspired by Yana toboso and Sui Ishida or even south asian artists on social media such as twitter . Fast forward a few years and I began discovering new artists through the internet , I got really fond of early 20th century American illustrators such as J.C Leyendecker , Norman Rockwell or Dean cornwell and was fascinated by their complete mastery of all the elements that constitue a painting , especially their ability to tell a story through a still image . I also would like to pay tribute to fashion illustrators such as David Downton or Renée Gruau that teach us how to keep the essential and focus on line weight and the strenght of minimal shape and color use in an illustration . There’s so many more artists that I would like to mention such as Gustav Klimt , Michael Carson or Annette marnat but it would end up taking pages , all I can add is that There’s a part of each of the artists I like in me and for that reason my drawings might seem inconsistent but I really enjoy the learning process and embrace whatever my artsyle ends up looking like . I often go back to my favorite artists or artworks for inspiration

L’aubade : How would you describe your art in 3 words ?

Serine.Zaa : Figurative , soothing , fluid.

L’aubade : What is your illustration that makes you feel most proud ?

Serine.Zaa : If I have to choose then it would be this portrait of indigocave . I’m happy that I could capture her gentle expression and translate the lighting and warm mood surrouding her .

L’aubade : Any final thoughts ?

Serine.Zaa : As a final thought , I would simply like to advise everyone , but specifically young people , to find something they’re passionate about , that heals them and to invest their free time doing it . The ” sleep-work-eat-repeat ” cycle can result in a lot of unhappiness , wasted time , and a feeling of Emptiness . Therefore I strongly suggest all of us , to pick up hobbies , try out new things and experiment with all of amazing activities , art forms or sports there are out there . There’s no need to overthink it or expect perfection , focus on learning and have fun doing it ! Finding your passion means finding your authentic self and getting to know who you are and the world around you better . ” Spend your precious hours what will bring out the real you , the brilliant , passionate you , that’s ready to contribute something meaningful into this world . ” – Pixar

Artsy_Miwa is a 22 years old self -taught , digital artist who represents the people she draws , each of them is unique like she sees herself and the others .Through her art she’s sharing observations , inspirations and reflections that she notices in everyday life. Her bold and vibrant work is a playful and honest interpretation of cartoons , manga,and video games characters . If the feeling you get when first encountering her characters is that they have a life Of their own outside of what you see on paper then you might be right especially her “mushroom girl pieces”. We Caught up with her to discuss about the process behind her digital artwork

L’auade: Hello marwa can you tell us a bit about yourself ?

ArtsyMiwa : Hi, I’m a 22 years old student, currently working towards my master’s degree, I eat too much instant ramen , and I’m an artist in my spare time. I like drawing women portraits, mushrooms, cartoon girls,forests , stars and cresentes.

L’aubade : What do you like most about being an artist ?

ArtsyMiwa : I like that sometimes when I’m broke and cant afford to buy someone a birthday gift, I can draw them (or for them) and it would still count as a legitimately good gift!And I also love the fact that whenever a class is extremely boring or I have to wait for a few hours for my friends alone at a coffee shop, I can just pull out a sketch book and draw.

L’aubade : Which artists are you most influenced by?

ArtsyMiwa : When I first started seriously trying to draw, I just wanted to be able to recreate my favorite characters from cartoons and mangas , so technically, the artists behind most of our childhood shows were major inspirations. But as I got better and got more invested in my art and developing my own style, there are a lot of amazing artists in Instagram that heavily affected how and what i want to draw, the ones I can currently remember would be @cyarine @shmuh @_picolo @artofkatiepayne @nining @vioree @tasia.m @petite.betterave and the list goes on…..

L’aubade : what Inspires you ?

ArtsyMiwa : I dont really know, sometimes a random Pinterest picture, or another artist’s artwork, or a song, or an event. But most of the time it’s an accumulation of all these things and more, I dont really notice that I’m getting inspired, I just draw when I feel like it and those things somehow reflect on it.

L’aubade : What is your favorite piece of work in your portfolio? Why did you make it?

ArtsyMiwa : I dont really think I have a favorite piece, and most of the time I dont exactly have a reason why I draw something I just do it because I feel like it, but, if I had to pick It would be one of my mushroom girl pieces, simply because I like the whole concept of tiny humans and gigantic forests/plants/ mushrooms.

L’aubade : What is your dream project?

ArtsyMiwa : There was a time where I wanted to be a professional illustrator, or character designer, but that takes a lot of work, efforts, perseverance, patience and the list goes on, and im not disciplined enough for that, specially with how much competition and talent there is in those domains. Deep down I still want all of that if I get the chance to, or if I get myself together, however, what I currently really want/dream of, would be having my own stationary line, journals, sketchbook, scrapbooks, pencil case, stickers.. etc etc With my art on them, that would give me the freedom to draw what I want to draw and to create things I wanted to have but couldn’t get my hands on.

L’aubade : What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

ArtsyMiwa : The one that popped into my mind immediately is ” work at your own pace” or simply don’t compare yourself, your work, or you progress to anyone. I still have a hard time applying that sometimes, and I also often use that as an excuse to be lazy and procrastinate.. But well when you find the right balance, it’s genuine good advice.

A phenomenon without example, Japanese prints combine majestic landscapes, sensual scenes, demons and other creatures that alarm the living, sumo wrestlers ,and courtesans . This article lifts the veil on a valued but misunderstood art telling the story of ukiyo-e and its influence on other countries

In Japan, during the Edo period (1603-1868) , prints inspired both everyday nature and popular allegories. These latter, populated by demons( The yōkai), daring heroes, and all kinds of fantastic creatures have stirred up the imagination of ukiyo-e artists, producing compositions of Exceptional Creativity.

The first principle of the Japanese print was not to describe reality, but to describe the impression that the subject gives, the emotions that are released from theater actors, such as passion, joy, anger, or the sacred beauty of landscapes.

Japanese prints were at first Popular illustrations affordable but as soon as Japan opened in 1858 ,the new fashion ,”Japonism” spread around the world but especially in Europe. The prints begin to gradually become The representation of a Japan at the height of its culture. Impressionist and post-impressionist artists drew a lot of inspiration from ukiyo-e and particularly from landscapes. Indeed in the nineteenth century European painters gradually detached themselves from the rigorous pictorial laws of classism, and impressionism aimed no longer to accommodate itself to standards but to represent its impressions

European artists did not hesitate to discover this delicate art. monet’s passion for the Japanese print has moreover become public. other french artists like Degas, Manet were also influenced by the art of the external east.

Vincent Van Gogh also developed an affection for ukiyo-e and fell in love with it. the painter goes so far as to recopy the prints to really imbibe them.In the images below you can discover some of the copies of Van Gogh

In East Asia , pictorial art is like a derivation of calligraphy. There is neither perspective, nor foreshortening, nor shadow to give the impression of thickness and shape: attitudes, like proportions, are often artificial, heedless of real anatomy and not exempt from monotony; but the purity and delicacy of the contours, the harmony of the fresh colors, the richness of the tones, the refined feeling of the composition make it an enchantment for the eyes. These merits explain the seduction exercised by the masters of Japanese prints on Western artists and the considerable influence they had in the renewal of decorative art in Europe.

The relationship between the model and the photographer is essential to the quality of an image,it’s even one of the most complex aspects of portrait photography and the young portrait photographer “INDIGOCAVE “understood it well and manages to highlight the personality hidden behind the faces of the models she works with. The world of this creator will not leave you indifferent, Her outspokenness, her photos and her typical style will make you discover a unique and fascinating universe, immerse yourself in her colorful world to discover the wonderful work of this artist like no other.We asked her questions about the origin of her passion, her technique to communicate well with her model and many other things……

L’aubade : Hello indigocave Could you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

Indigocave : In my opinion this question is the hardest because i never know what to answer when i am asked to talk about myself and at this very moment all the adjectifs that could qualify me are running out of my head. Maybe it’s because my answer could be so many things that I can’t choose one and not the other, But to be more concise and less philosophical I would say that I am a student at University who is trying to learn about everything that fascinates me, in other words about life, art, humans, and love.

L’aubade : How did your passion for photography come about?

Indigocave : I remember when i was younger i used to go through family albums and look at how things were when i wasn’t born yet, and there was a strange yet a heartwarming feeling of me reliving the photos I was looking at. No matter how the world we live in keeps on evolving, I think it will always be fascinating for me that we can immortalize a moment. I have always loved taking pictures because as a very nostalgic person I want to look back at them and be thankful that I captured whatever was in a specific moment, whether it’s a melancholic gaze, a genuine smile, flushed cheeks or a position of a hand. I started to take pictures “seriously” when I created this account last September because I felt like it was something I was committed to. It is a good friend of mine that pushed me to post the pictures that I took of him. And I am glad I did.

L’aubade : What subjects do you currently like, and what are you working on?

Indigocave : Currently I am focusing on expanding my horizon when it comes to photography and trying to experiment with different perspectives, colors…etc. I want to create as much as possible with the little experience that I have and hopefully I will come up with something nice.

L’aubade : where do you find your inspiration?

Indigocave : As an overthinker I tend to question whether my ideas are worth it or not so it is very frustrating to create sometimes even though the inspiration is everywhere. However, most of the time I get the inspiration from the people I am taking pictures of or from the setting or even the lighting in that moment. Sometimes inspiration comes to me in very random moments and pushes me to make something nice.

L’aubade : Your models often have strong expressions on your images. How do you communicate with them to bring out that stuff ?

Indigocave : I think having a certain connection with the model is important because it will reflect in the photos. I usually don’t give specific instructions to the models, I like it better when they do their thing and for now it has worked well. However, when I have a specific idea I try to communicate it with the model. And with their interpretation of it we try to concretize it with both of our points of view which makes it better because we both worked towards one idea but with two different minds.

L’aubade : what do you want to convey through your photos?

Indigocave : It depends on which photo but overall I always want to invite people to look beyond what it is there to see with an open heart and an open mind but most importantly with love.

L’aubade : Which photographers inspire you?

Indigocave : There are many photographers that have impacted my visions and make me want to carry on creating. Some of them are Diane Arbues, Salvador Dali, Philip-Lorca DiCorcia, Letizia Battaglia…etc

L’aubade : What advice would you give to a young photographer?

Indigocave : As a young photographer the best thing to do in my opinion is to follow your heart and your intuition rather than following the crowd. It is an expression of self and a way of sharing what words can’t say so why not keep on sharing what your vision and portraying whatever life offers you to portray.

L’aubade : One word to wrap this up?

Indigocave : To wrap this up i would like to say that in an oppressive environment where art is considered as blasphemy and where expression of self is controversial, we should always keep on creating and breaking the taboos.” Art breaks social and cultural barriers, it accesses higher ways of thinking. . Art doesn’t just make you absorb information. Rather, it makes you think about current ideas and inspire you to make your own.” It keeps on changing the world one perception at a time.

Torin Ashtun (@torinashtun)

The model-artist torin ashtun plays with colors in her abstract paintings of bodies and symbols.Though references to the likes of Picasso and Braque are evident in her painting ,there,is no doubt that torin has developed her own very significant style . In her own words she’s allowing her “unconscious mind to take control throughout the creative process”

Isabel Emrich (@isabelemrich)

The Californian painter creates fantastic underwater paintings .The artist express through her painting the calm and the lightness that we feel when we float and carry water . The fascination exerted by Isabell Emrich works is based on the use of strong and vivid colors.

Marco Grassi (@marco.grassi.painter)

Marco Grassi is an Italian painter known for his hyper realistic portraits . Grassi calls his paintings “surrealist hyperrealist” in view of the fact that every detail is so precise that t seems like a real person is looking at you from the painting.

Jet Le Parti (@jetleparti)

Jet Le Parti’s modern art are a living proof of how counter-cultural art practice can become a recognized and celebrated form of art .Many compares his style to Basquiat’s but he said in one of his comments that he is inspired by “some general quantum mechanics,Cartesian doubt,uncertainty principle”.