Agathe Marty: travelling the world and falling in love with drawing

As we enter autumn season, we can’t help but look back towards the summer months. And what better way to commemorate the end of the warm seasons than with a collab with summer-loving Agathe Marty? Her cheerful illustrations will transport you straight to the sandy beaches of Ibiza. For the October collab, Agathe joined hands with 9-year-old Novi from the SDN 4 Batu Putih school in Lombok to create a heart-warming illustration.

Out Now: Agathe Marty x Face This

From France to Australia

Our inspiring artist’s story starts off in France, but she doesn’t stay there for long. At the age of 21, Agathe made the life-changing decision to move all the way to the land down under. “After I finished my bachelor's degree in France, I decided to take a gap year. I chose Australia because I wanted to travel far from France and work on my English. I was supposed to stay for 8 months, but ended up there for 4 and a half years instead!" 

The reason she stayed was as simple as falling in love with the country. From the lifestyle to the cities and the Australian landscapes, Agathe felt her heart tugging her towards the decision to stay for longer. Unfortunately, in 2019 this chapter had to come to a close, but Agathe never lost her love of travelling. Just one look at her online presence will show you her love of exploring new places and, of course, illustrating them. 

When pondering on her favourite places to visit, Agathe admits she can’t settle on just one: “There are 3 destinations I’m obsessed with and that I go to every year: Bali, Ibiza, and New York City.”

Stumbling into a career of illustrating

While Agathe has an extensive and impressive portfolio, it might be surprising to hear that her background is actually in communication and public relations. After returning to France, she found a job in the tourism industry. But secretly, she nurtured a passion for illustration. 

“I started drawing on my newly bought iPad”, she explains. “In 2020, I started an Instagram page, just to share some illustrations I thought were cool. To my surprise, it took off quickly, and I started receiving project inquiries. That’s when I realised that I could turn it into a real career.” 

Photo: the Agathe Marty x Face This T-shirt is available on front and back printed tees.

From that point on Agathe quit her day job, focussed entirely on her art, and never looked back! She now has a fully realised art style, that centres around warm colours and summer motifs. In her words, developing a unique style wasn’t even her main goal: “I simply started drawing in a way that felt comfortable to me, and I enjoyed it. I'm completely self-taught.”

What did help her develop her characteristic look was her love of the sun. She confessed that she feels the happiest in summer and draws what she loves. So, it’s no wonder that her illustrations invoke feelings of sun-drenched joy. 

Unfortunately, fame also brings online copycats. Agathe is no stranger to companies trying to steal her art and make a profit from it. “I won’t lie, at first, it felt kind of validating to think, ‘If brands are copying my illustrations, it must mean they're good and sellable.’ However, I quickly realised that they were actually taking my time, inspiration, work, and money.” Her solution? To advocate for herself and her hard work if she notices people stealing her art. She shares that she sends companies legal notices when she finds out that they are copying her art.

From an Instagram newbie to brand collabs

While some brands might try to wrongfully use Agathe’s art, others have recognised her talent and have sought to work with her. She has a very impressive list of brand collabs, from Dr. Haushka and Bombay Sapphire, to CASETiFY and Nespresso. According to Agathe, she has her wonderful online presence to thank for these opportunities.

Agathe has a pretty notable track record of working with clothing brands, like Anthropologie, Maurie and Eve, and gamin gamine. When discussing this trend in her collabs, Agathe elaborates: 

“I’ve always had a passion for clothing, especially summer fashion. Seeing the illustrations and patterns that I’ve created on my tablet come to life on fabric adds a whole new dimension to my work.  There's something incredibly gratifying about wearing a piece of clothing with a pattern I designed myself. It’s not just about the design, it’s about seeing my creativity transform into something tangible and personal.”

Collabing with Indonesian school children

We were not only very excited to have Agathe collab on a Face This illustration, but also to provide her with the opportunity to do her first collab with a child. She confesses: “I waited for the right project to come along. Children have a wonderfully innocent perspective (in the best way) and a creativity that flows directly from their hearts and minds. Their unique approach and fresh ideas bring a special spark.”

Agathe says that she was in Bali at the time that we reached out to her – it’s as if this collab was written in the stars. And, with Agathe’s love of Bali and Indonesia, it made perfect sense on her part. 

“Bali has a unique and indescribable energy that deeply inspires me, both personally and professionally,” she adds. “Given this connection, it was clear that I would accept this project with Face This. It makes a lot of sense to me and I’m very glad that I could help Indonesian children in my own way.”

Creating her Face This illustration

An important reason why we facilitate collabs with children is because of their unfiltered creativity. Agathe says that what makes children’s art so inspiring is that “kids’ art is free from rules, full of imagination, and driven by pure creativity.” We couldn’t agree more!

For the theme of ‘Makes you feel at home’, Novi (9) drew herself on a walk with her family. After seeing the drawing, Agathe knew exactly what to do:

“I knew I wanted to preserve Novi’s original drawing and build on it. I thought that adding a scenic background would enhance it. Since beaches and palm trees are elements that represent my work, I envisioned a beach setting where Novi and her family could go on walks together. This added a personal touch and brought the illustration to life in a way that reflects both my style and keeps Novi's original idea.”

One of the main reasons why the end result looks so touching and nostalgic is because we still see Novi and her family at the heart of it. Agathe ponders: “it seems that home is wherever [Novi’s] family is. She chose to only focus on her family, without including any landscapes or a home in the background.”

When talking about what home means to Agathe, it’s clear that Novi’s message also deeply resonates with her: “I'm not tied to specific locations; instead, I connect with the feelings I experience in those places. For me, home is wherever I feel at ease and, of course, when I’m basking in the sun!”

Moving forward as an artist

After receiving such a wonderful illustration, we were naturally curious if this experience has influenced Agathe in any way. We’re delighted to hear her enthusiastic response: “This experience gave me a new perspective on how a message can become significant when translated into an illustration. I now feel that I need to infuse more meaning into my work, beyond just creating art for its visual beauty.”

It only feels right to end this interview with a famous Picasso quote: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Agathe’s response to it is as honest and refreshing as the rest of her answers:

“I wish I could maintain a child-like mindset when I draw, but that isn’t always possible. Since my drawings are also my livelihood, I have to balance artistic expression with the practical aspects of earning a living. However, I make it a point to occasionally draw purely for myself, without considering the business side of things. It’s incredibly refreshing!”