Featured artist: Nico Delort
Afternoon, 12x16, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Step into the richly detailed world of Paris-based illustrator Nico Delort, whose black-and-white scratchboard work combines dramatic lighting, intricate compositions, and compelling storytelling.
Scholar's Codex, 30x40cm, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: You initially studied physics before going to art school in Lyon, France, to study illustration. What led you to make such a major shift and has your physics background influenced how you approach your art?
I just wasn't a scholarly person at all. I never really had long-term career plans, so I initially went into what I was best at, maths/physics, but quickly realized college wasn't for me. At the time, I spent most of my free time drawing, and after I dropped out of college, I thought, well, why not art?
The Daguerreotype, 12x16, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: How much has working in scratchboard influenced the style of your work, or do you feel your style naturally led you to the medium?
Absolutely. I started working in black-and-white with pen and ink, but I couldn't get the nice, even tones and parallel lines I'd seen in Gustave Doré engravings. I tried out different materials first, but student-grade scratchboard was very frustrating to work with, and when I found Claybord, I didn't look back. It allows me to get that nice dramatic contrast and get the kind of textures and tones that are much harder to achieve with pen and ink.
Leaving Canton, 12x16, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: Can you walk us through your process, from the initial idea and digital sketches to creating the final piece?
I usually start with really, really rough thumbnails in a sketchbook and just throw everything that comes to mind on the paper. I refine the idea, and when I'm happy with the general concept and composition, I start sketching out the piece digitally. I usually do two or three passes on the sketch: one very rough, then I refine, then I clean it up. Then, with transfer paper, I trace it on the Claybord and then it's a mix of working with fine liners and with a scratching nib. Some lines are drawn in with fine liners; others are etched out.
Q: Of all those stages, which do you enjoy most, and why?
I don't really have a favorite stage; they're all enjoyable in different ways. I like brainstorming for ideas, I like working on the sketch and tightening the composition, and I like rendering on the Claybord. I know what I don't like, though. It is those last few bits of the final piece, when it feels like the piece is almost done, but not quite.
Penelope, 16x12, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: Your work often feels like a single frame from a much larger story. How do you decide which moment in a narrative will make the strongest image?
I always try to pick a moment that leaves the viewer guessing. I personally dislike illustrations that feel like they're just repeating the text, so I try to pick moments before the action, leading the viewer to wonder what's going to happen, or after the action, leaving the viewer wondering what's happened. I feel like an illustration is much stronger if not everything is spelled out.
The Hunger Games - Chapter 13, 10x8, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: You’ve had the chance to create illustrations for some incredibly well-known authors, from a Stephen King book cover to the illustrated edition of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. When working with a world as familiar as The Hunger Games, how did you make the characters and environments feel distinctly your own?
Working on stories that already have a distinct visual signature, like The Hunger Games, can be challenging, but the best way to approach was to completely forget the movies and go back to the text. For the characters, I feel I was fairly faithful to their descriptions in the books; I took a bit of freedom with the environments, architecture, and compositions, and I was able to instill my style into them. I've had the chance to work with great art directors who've given me great direction too and helped me make these stories take shape visually.
Filianore's Rest, 7x5, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: You’ve mentioned your appreciation for video game music composition. Does music influence the mood or atmosphere you create in your own work?
I do like video game music, movie soundtracks, and all sorts of orchestral music in general. But while working, I listen to pretty much any genre, even much cheerier stuff like disco, so in truth, I don't think it influences my art all that much!
Janus, 12x14, pen and ink and scratchboard on Ampersand Claybord
Q: Scratching away a dark surface to reveal light is almost the reverse of traditional drawing. Has working this way changed how you think about light when planning an image?
I always think of the lighting first and foremost in terms of how it will enhance the storytelling. How realistic or logical the lighting isn't all that important to me if it helps me tell the story I want to tell. So, I try to plan my illustrations so that the story emerges from the dark, so to speak, and I use masses of black and white to lead the viewer's eye towards the narrative focal points. Sometimes it almost feels like two-dimensional sculpting.
Q: How did you discover Ampersand Claybord, and what do you love most about using it for your work?
It's been a while, but it was from finding another scratchboard artist's – Russ McMullin- tutorials online. He used Ampersand products with great results, so I decided to give them a try!
Artist Bio:
Nico Delort is an illustrator based in Paris, France. Their black-and-white scratchboard illustrations are known for their elaborate compositions, dramatic lighting, and intricate detail. Working across a variety of genres, Nico has created illustrations for books, magazines, movie posters, and galleries. Nico is part of the illustration collective The Vacvvm, founded by Aaron Horkey and Mitch Putnam. To see more of Nico's work, visit their website and Instagram.
