We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marie Morel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

How did you learn to do what you do? I was a very dreamy child (and I’m still like that, haha). I always loved inventing stories and I learned how to draw so I could bring to life the stories in my head. I attended art school in France and have continued taking online classes to improve, buy specialized books, etc. I’m still learning, it’s a never-ending process.

Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?
I could have learned my fundamentals first (anatomy, perspective, colour theory) because you need a solid foundation to do anything. I also wish I had put less pressure on myself, remembered to have fun, enjoyed the process, and known that not every drawing will be a masterpiece.

What skills do you think were most essential?
Resilience. Drawing or painting are, like every skill, things you will get better at if you practice.

What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Time, because I like learning new skills and practicing, but I always feel there are not enough hours in the day.

Marie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After attending art school in France, I moved to Canada, where I got my first job in the animation industry. As a Background Designer and Visual Development artist, I work mainly with environments. I design the places where the character evolves and the animation happens. It’s like being a set designer, but for animation! Visual development defines the animation’s look, feel, and general mood. So, it’s a lot of exploration and finding the best way to convince the story/emotion.
I love drawing environments because I get to draw many different things! And I enjoy telling a story with a background. You can tell so much about a character when you look at the place they live, the places they go to, etc. My goal is always to let storytelling guide my decision-making; nothing is placed here randomly, and every little detail has a purpose and serves the story.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew about online classes/schools. It’s easy to find resources online, but it’s challenging to find good ones. Taking online classes with professionals in the industry helped me a lot. You need feedback to improve and it’s a wonderful experience to learn with people who share your passion. Plus it’s online, so you can learn from wherever you are in the world!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Art school can be very competitive, even seeing skilled/young artists on social media can be discouraging. I used to think, “Oh, I need to be better than them. I need to be the best!” And I would constantly compare myself to others, wondering how I could “beat” them. It was very tiring and stressful, haha. It took me time to realize that I don’t need to compete with my peers. I can learn from them and along with them. That’s way more fun! Surround yourself with people who support you and who you can support back. See other artists as friends, not competitors. I dearly love my fellow animation friends, and I know I couldn’t have grown as much as an artist or person without them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mariemorelart.carbonmade.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marimorells/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-morel-art/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marimorells