Meet illustrator & surfer Juliette from France

Tell us about yourself and your creations

Hello! My name is Juliette, I make illustrations and I’m beyond happy to have this opportunity to introduce myself here, thanks to Her Waves’ awesome project.

I grew up in the south east coast of France though I have been traveling to Australia and Indonesia lately. I love being in the water as much as I love drawing. I've been drawing since my early childhood, and only started surfing about five years ago, on and off. I find my balance in both activities, they bring me inspiration, energy, focus and calm in different ways. 

What inspires the art that you create?

I’m spending my time between Bali and the Swiss Alps at the moment, learning to snowboard on my winter days off and surfing tropical waves in the summer. It’s a special lifestyle that I’m having the chance to experience and that brings me a lot of inspiration. All my characters are influenced by the people I’ve met during my stays or the situations I’ve encountered while traveling. 

I tend to mostly draw women, I find their personalities, energies, movements and bodies very interesting to illustrate and I’ve got to meet many amazing women where I’ve been, especially in the water. My other great source of inspiration is Bali’s beautiful culture, nature, and its naughty yet cute dogs. The wildness of the mountain is also very interesting to me, and so are the people living with it. 

All my illustrations are made digitally but often sketched on paper first.

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist/entrepreneur?

I used to draw for myself or for close friends only, but I’ve been told that I should “do something about it” and that’s how I started my Instagram page. I’m still getting used to Instagram, I find it hard to post things often as I don’t always have something I feel worth sharing, and they are many awesome artists on Instagram so it’s hard to get noticed but it is a fascinating tool and a great source of inspiration at the same time. I need to take the time to build myself an online portfolio as well. Here is the link to my page: 

www.instagram.com/juliette.drawings

When did you start surfing?

I’ve started surfing about five years ago, on and off, in the southwest of France, in Australia and in Indonesia. 

Longboard or shortboard? 

I actually really like both. 

Dawn patrol or sunset surf?

Dawn patrol, for sure. 

Where is your favorite surf break?

I loved surfing in Bali, but it gets crowded very quickly and that’s why it’s best to get up at night and drive to the beach before the sun rises. It's not always easy but these are magical moments to remember. 

Hidden talent?

Music is also a big thing for me, I used to play the piano for almost fifteen years. 

Current obsession?

Snowboarding.