Hi there, Macha here, nice to meet you !

I’m a lava-lamps-enthousiast, French-born children’s illustrator (and creative designer) living at the foot of Tiger Mountain in Taipei, Taiwan, after nine happy years in Leeds (Ey up?!).
Most of my adulthood has been spend abroad, collecting colours and characters everywhere I go. I feel like a kid in a giant adult body most of the time, so illustrating children stories to me really is the best job in the world.

How it all began

I spent my early years doodling on the kitchen floor and binge-watching Tom & Jerry on those endless rainy Sunday afternoons. Then, eventually took a more socially acceptable route and decided to get with a degree in cinema editing and special effects. Along the way, I picked up many of the skills I still use today, from storytelling rythm to composition.

After a decade of freelancing as an editor and then designer, I finally took the leap, worked super hard, and shifted my career toward what I’d always wanted to do: keep doing what I started on that kitchen floor.

In 2024, I joined my dream agency, Plum. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to draw for kids stories and call it work!

Influences

My work carries many of the things I loved growing up: neon colours, the glow of arcades, the freedom of bike rides with friends going nowhere in particular, and the goofy, silly energy of just being a kid. I aim to create artwork that feels joyful, empowering, and a little bit rebellious 😉 In a nutshell, the kind of worlds eight-year-old me would have loved to escape into.

Some of my biggest inspirations are the 90s aesthetics and pop culture, the whimsy vibe of Hilda, Studio Ghibli films and The Little Prince, the playful absurdity of Adventure Time, and a lifelong love for comics.

Circa 1996 (meet the kid I still draw for today!)

Tools

Most of my work happens on an iPad using Procreate. I really enjoy love how intuitive it feels (and that it lets me work from my couch!). I also always carry a super messy sketchbook for sudden bits of inspiration and notes (yes, my shopping lists are there too).

I can’t resist trying new mediums, and I often have a walk to the art shop my lunch break, meaning I get craft supplies I don’t need on a regular basis. But it’s really fun to experiment with them on weekends with my 2 kids (and brutally honest creative advisors!) or during classes I teach. Those trials and errors keep my love for art and illustration fresh, and often find their way into my work.

Current obssession : collage comics!

A word about community

Yes, my absolute favourite part of working in the kids’ book industry is immersing myself in new worlds and bringing unique characters to life (the excitment of starting on a new project!). But in the end, something I realised alond the way is it’s all about the humans I do it with! I really cherish the relationships side of this job just as much as the drawing side, and I’m so grateful to have formed long-lasting friendships with the people I collaborated with, and with fellow illustrators.They make working in this industry feel joyful, supportive, and anything but lonely. Children publishing peeps are just the best!