Hire This Woman: Artist Marguerite Sauvage

In the overwhelmingly male comic book industry, it has been a challenge for some editors and readers to see the ever growing number of talented women currently trying to make a name for themselves. With that in mind, ComicsAlliance offers Hire This Woman, a recurring feature designed for comics readers as well as editors and other professionals, where we shine the spotlight on a female comics pro on the ascendance. Some of these women will be at the very beginning of their careers, while others will be more experienced but not yet “household names.”

Longtime ComicsAlliance fave Marguerite Sauvage had already established herself as a fashion and commercial illustrator with work for companies as varied as Marie Claire, Playstation, and Louis Vuitton, not to mention animation art and writing and drawing comics for the French market. It was only recently that Sauvage made waves in the US with her celebrated work in Sensation Comics, where she reimagined Wonder Woman as a contemporary feminist rock star. Just this week, Sauvage was announced as the artist of a new Thor story to be written by Lumberjanes co-creator Noelle Stevenson.

ComicsAlliance: What is your preferred form of creative output?

Marguerite Sauvage: Working on short or on one-shots as a drawing artist is very exciting! First of all, it makes you meet new writers or editors, which is always a good human experience. Also, you can try a lot of graphic things on shorts, you have to be efficient to express a lot of information in a few pages, and you avoid the laborious aspect of working on serial or on more than 22 pages (which has some other advantages).

CA: Do you work on paper or digitally?  Why?

MS: More and more digitally. I miss traditional work on paper but often because of lack of time or space I do almost all on my Cintiq. I sketch on paper but only very roughly the layouts of the pages when I have to do sequential art.

CA: What’s your background/training? 

MS: I graduated in Law and then in Science of Information and Communication/Journalism at the University of Paris. No artistic training except drawing on my own, and very often. Just after my graduation I decided to try to do something with my passion for illustration and art. I put a book together. I planned absolutely nothing, was as poor as a student and as innocent as a beginner. I got lucky and got an illustration job for a telecommunication company that allowed me to pay my small rent for around 6 months. I haven't stopped being a freelance since then.

CA: How would you describe your creative style?

MS: It's not easy to describe your own style. I think it's feminine, modern, a little sexy, soft, light and joyful.

CA: What projects have you worked on in the past? What are you currently working on?

MS: I've worked on illustrations mainly. I also worked in animation. I love animation. My favorite project was a TV serial for children I both designed and wrote the concept for and few episodes as well. It was broadcast on French national TV and few other countries. It's called Monsieur Loutre (Mister Otter) and it explains cultural anecdotes to children .

MS: Currently I'm working on a comic book for pre-teens for France and on covers and shorts for the US. I'm so happy I've began working in the US comic book universe this year. It's like a dream come true as I'm a huge fan from my childhood!

CA: Approximately how long does it take you to draw a 20-page issue?

MS: One to two months (drawing and ink and color) without the weekends and evenings.

CA: What is your dream project?

MS: Wonder Woman was a dream project, so this is one I can check on my list (I hope I'll work on this character again)! Working on strong female characters, super-heroines, sci-fi and a thriller, these are some of my dream projects. I have many.

CA: Who are some comic creators that inspire you?

MS: Moëbius, Jean Claude Forest, Alan Moore, Mike Mignola, Phil Noto, Adam Hughes, Milo Manara, Daniel Clowes, David Mazzucheli, Rumiko Takahashi, Naoki Urasawa, and a lot more...

CA: What are some comics that have inspired you either growing up or as an adult?

MS: Barbarella, The Incal, Ranxerox, Watchmen, Ghost World, Blankets, Hellboy, The Black Hole, etc...and a lot of manga!

CA: What’s your ideal professional environment?

MS: A forest. Yeah that's not easy with electronic devices. A shared or single atelier in a nature-friendly environnment is a good spot.

CA: What do you most want our readers and industry professionals to know about your work?

MS: Oh god, difficult question! Hum, I always deliver on time? As a matter of fact I think my work will certainly speak better than me.

CA: How can editors and readers keep up with your work and find your contact information?

MS: It's really easy! I'm almost on every social media network, my Facebook page is here Twitter, my blog and my website.