Some call him Zguig1, others Mr. Mouton. Regardless of what you call him, one thing is clear: David is passionate about drawing and photography. A self-taught man who’s environmentally-conscious, he likes to treat his themes with humor. He even told us that his own designs make him laugh. See for yourself!
Name: GUIGUE David
Age: 35 years old
Residence: St André Allas in the Dordogne
Occupation: River technician, environment-freelance graphic designer
Material: Pencils, eraser, felt pen from 0.05 to 0.8, PC, scanner
Software: Photoshop, Illustrator
Photographer, graphic designer…which of these passions came to you first, and which of these now occupies the most of your time? Who instilled in you this taste for photography and design?
I think that my first passion is the image. I am contemplative; I like to observe, and I always marvel at the beautiful things that surround us. Drawing was the first way to transcribe what I saw or imagined. As an amateur naturalist, I was doing nature illustration, and I started taking pictures to better reflect my observations. I dropped a little bit of the drawing, and little by little my testimonial photos took on a more artistic, dreamlike character, all under the inspiration of the great gentlemen of photography like Vincent Munier. It was only by falling back on graffiti and discovering “Lafraise” that I started to work in graphic design. Today, it is always the photo that I spend the most time on. These two passions are both parallel and complementary in my eyes.
How do your designs come about? Do you first sketch shapes in pencil, or do you have the image in mind and tackle the creation digitally?
In fact, I’m quite old school, so I do all my illustrations with a pencil. I have the image clear enough in my head and I make a few drafts. I trace everything with felt pens, and then I mostly scan and vectorize using Illustrator.
Do you reproduce elements of your photos to make designs?
Actually, not that much…. Even if I have a fairly common working environment around nature, one inspires the other and vice versa.
The sheep seems to be your favorite animal. Is there a reason for this attachment or particular bond?
Besides my astrological sign “Aries,” I don’t really know why I love sheep so much. In our consumer society, I want to say that we are all a bit like sheep, right? Joking aside, I find these bugs so funny and inspiring. They have good faces, and they carry so many stories (fables of Lafontaine, The Little Prince, Sheep of Panurgers…) and connotations. I am not a shepherd, but with my agricultural training, I admit that I have thought about it (maybe that’s a future endeavor).
On the Internet, we read that “it is better to be happy than unhappy”. How do you apply this philosophy to your designs and creations? How about to your everyday life? Which design would best represent this?
It is a philosophy that I find absurdly simple and that I try to apply every day. It sums up the interest of positivism, relativism… in my designs, I often include a touch of humor, making people smile even on more sensitive subjects. This can all lead to happiness. To illustrate this, I think of my “pandaléphant” visual, which deals with the disappearance of elephants and more generally of many animal species. However, it’s formatted in an amusing way by the disguise of a panda. There’s also “Rebeeelllion,” which emphasizes this mass society of consumption in which we walk head down. It also highlights this spirit of protest against freedom and accessibility to happiness.
Let’s go back to our sheep… How do you advertise your designs? Do you have a marketing strategy, especially on Facebook?
Uh… actually, I’m not good at this. I do this for the pleasure of drawing and sharing, so in marketing I still have a lot to learn. I do have a Facebook page on which I post my latest creations, but that’s about it. However, I am absolutely aware that I have to take a very serious look at it.
You also offer posters with your designs. Why don’t you convert your photos to posters?
Indeed, I tried it in the “Posters Design” contest. I find it interesting, even if my visuals are designed for the t-shirt. I did find that some of them adapt quite well to the poster. I don’t offer my photos as posters because I have a different approach. I have them printed by a master printer on fine art paper, and they’re in series that’s limited to 30 numbered and signed copies. I have a much more artistic approach that’s intended for exhibitions (for example).
What are your future creative projects?
My project is to develop my shop a little more and work on the marketing side. My shop will ultimately change its name to “Monsieur Mouton”. Today, I do not live from my creative activities, but I plan to launch myself as a professional photographer and develop my activity as a freelance graphic designer. I also have a joint project for a book where I’ll be mixing photos and illustrations… but I’m going to have to free up some more time, first.
Just out of curiosity, why did you choose Spreadshirt?
I participated in the Lafraise adventure at the beginning, and I naturally migrated to Spreadshirt. However, it has only been a short time since I reopened an account. In my opinion, Spreadshirt is one of the best platforms in the t-shirt market. I am also present on other types of sites, especially in communities… I must admit that I am a little nostalgic for Lafraise.
Thank you David! We wish you success in your projects, and we look forward to your new creations. Follow him on Facebook.
