McBess

London

McBess, aka Matthieu Bessudo, was born in Cannes in 1984 and is an illustrator and director living in London. Until 2006, the Frenchman studied 3D animation in Arles, before moving to the British capital where he began working at The Mill, the award-winning company specialising in post production and visual effects. The focus of McBess’ own work is black and white illustrations and animations. For their series ‚Create Reality‘, rOtring met the McBess for a short interview and video:

How do you go about your work?
I essentially work in two different ways: Either I do the entire illustration on the computer in Photoshop or I use pens and pencils. In this case, I sketch the outline with a pencil, trace it with a rapidograph/isograph technical pen and add in new strokes and detail, whereby I work rather spontaneously and let the pen guide me.

Who or what inspires you?
Everyday life, my friends, my family, probably also my childhood. At the end of the day, it’s all about women, food and music. I even find inspiration when I’m surfing the internet or doing things that don’t have anything to do with work. Everything is in motion and can inspire me.

Does your commercial work differ from your freelance work?
Less and less so. My work as a director at The Mill also influences my freelance work.

McBess