Am\u00e9lie Wauthier spoke to the children with tenderness as she told the story of\u2019<\/i>Am\u00e9lie Col\u00e8re. Her drawing is fine; her text, authentic and meticulous. The young artist studied at the Beaux-Arts in Brussels before returning to Switzerland. Today, she teaches DIY to teenagers and is working on new books. Much to the delight of the <\/i>Regard Libre, Since May, Am\u00e9lie Wauthier has even been drawing for our editions.<\/i><\/p>\n
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Loris S. Musumeci: What drew you to writing?<\/b><\/p>\n
Am\u00e9lie Wauthier: Even at school, I loved writing. I've always loved inventing stories and finding the words to tell them. After that, I stopped writing for a long time: I was under too much pressure to be perfect. One day, however, I found myself in a situation of great suffering. I tried to understand the frustration I was feeling, and it took me back to my childhood. I frantically started writing again. Everything came to me very quickly. In one evening, I had produced my story. Without waiting, I added a few drawings. This text and these draft drawings are those of\u2019Am\u00e9lie Col\u00e8re<\/i>.<\/p>\n
So you did all the work in one evening?<\/b><\/p>\n
No, but that was the gist of it. After that, I quietly took three months to arrange the drawings and lay out the whole thing.<\/p>\n
What is your working method for drawing and writing, if you already have one?<\/b><\/p>\n
I spend a lot of time working out the stories in my head. But always inspired by my own experience. Then I put these thoughts down on paper, in letters and drawings.<\/p>\n
Why did you choose to address children with Am\u00e9lie Col\u00e8re<\/i> ?<\/b><\/p>\n
Firstly, I love children's literature. There are some incredibly talented artists in it. However, my style isn't necessarily suited to children. I draw in a very realistic style. As a result, I had to work very hard to make my images more naive: I really learned a lot from working with children.<\/p>\n
Apart from the fruitful learning experience, why did you tell the children about your anger? Did you have an educational goal?<\/b><\/p>\n
Not necessarily. Children are fascinating. On their own, they're able to learn freely from drawings and stories. However, I wanted to address them to give them something to think about and something to be aware of. It's profoundly human to have emotions, even anger; children need to hear this today. With Am\u00e9lie Col\u00e8re<\/i>, I also wanted to tell them that something constructive can come out of a negative emotion.<\/p>\n
What do you want to offer children by using language that is accessible to them, while remaining polished and even poetic?<\/b><\/p>\n
I tried to put myself in a child's shoes. And I told myself that without a doubt, he knows how to appreciate beautiful writing, even subconsciously.<\/p>\n
Your drawings have a childlike quality, particularly the use of colored pencil. Do you think children can relate to this drawing technique?\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n I made a point of using colored pencils. In my opinion, the result is warmer than if I'd used digital. Clearly, colored pencils echo everyone's childhood. All the more so as I wanted to leave the pencil lines visible, in an artisanal style. So children can fully identify with them.<\/p>\n
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