Before we spent some time with Marcelle Faucher (Studio 218) we admittedly knew very little about photo illustration. This is in part because it’s a fairly new field in the graphic arts that developed as photography became increasingly digitized. The work that used to be done by airbrushers and photo re-touchers is now being done almost exclusively on computers by Photo Illustrators. The retouching of images is however only one small piece of a Photo Illustrator’s job – they are also artists in their own right and create imaginary visual worlds from combined images. As Marcelle explains, photo illustration “can be anything from removing blemishes to completely transforming an image. It also involves a lot of compositing - assembling as many as two dozen or more photographs to create something that would be physically impossible to photograph. New technology such as the tablet and stylus, which replace the mouse, allow for pressure sensitive brushwork. The only alternative prior to that would have been traditional illustration.”
Marcelle, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, studied photography and started her career in 1995 just as Photoshop was gaining in popularity and influencing a whole new terrain of photographic manipulation. Tools like Photoshop really got the photo illustration ball rolling. “A middle-field was created and it took a long time even for things like Portfolios.com, an online portfolio showcase, to have a category for me. I either had to place myself in the photo category or illustration category - both of which are not at all correct.” She worked with Photographer Shin Sugino for a year, and alongside Richard Picton for another eighteen months, and was then in a position to become freelance renting a tiny space in what was then Gallery 401 (Studio 240). After two years there, Marcelle and Lisa Kiss teamed up to share a studio on the third floor until both their business grew, creating the need to move once again. There may be changes on the horizon that Marcelle cannot anticipate, but for the time being she has found a good balance in her work and a studio she loves to work in.
“Freelance used to mean a lot of time to be able to sit on the Black Bull patio. I’m too busy these days to consider myself freelance, now I’m self-employed. I never want to be huge, oversee a large shop, and be responsible for a lot of different people. I prefer to stay small, concentrate on the quality of clients, and be able to try other things, rather than feeling that I have to keep the treadmill going to keep everybody fed. There’s already enough pressure in this business.”
Marcelle has her own studio space, which she just recently began sharing with her brother Dan, a graphic designer. The new space, which they’re already starting to outgrow, allows Marcelle to do some of her own shooting. The size of the space limits what she can do, but doing more photography means she has more say in the creative direction of her advertising work. “I’m trying to do more shooting because in the commercial world you’re able to work more closely with the Art Director to create your own vision. In editorial sometimes they throw me an article and say ‘illustrate this,’ which definitely allows more room for creativity. It’s really what I prefer.” As the Photographer, Marcelle has more input up front and will often build a shot from props and then finesse it digitally.
Although the time for other artistic endeavours is increasingly tight as Marcelle’s business becomes more successful, she still finds some time to dabble in mediums where she gets to call all the shots. “When I have a chance, I like to get off the computer and do something where I can move my arms. I have always worked a lot with collage, which is why compositing in Photoshop has been right up my alley.” She was also selected to participate in Naked in the House a couple of years ago, a competition that sends twelve Photographers into a house they’ve never been to, to photograph a model they’ve never seen before. They have to capture twelve frames on a medium format camera in thirty minutes. The shots are exhibited and the photographers select a winner - the results are then featured on an hour long segment on Fashion TV. Marcelle hadn’t done much traditional photography for a while when she participated, but enjoyed the challenge – “I like to do things that take me outside of the every day. I sort of believe that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. So far I haven’t fallen flat on my face.”
Far from falling on her face, Marcelle won Gold from the National Magazine Awards this year in Integrated Categories for the October cover of Azure magazine. Since 1977 the National Magazine Awards Foundation has been recognizing the quality of written and visual communication in Canada presenting thirty-five awards annually. This was a great honour for Marcelle in recognizing her talent and experience in her field. There’s a lot on Marcelle’s plate at the moment, working on advertising spreads for Nikon and Lotto Super 7, and several editorials. So far her career has thrived on word of mouth and Art Directors taking her from one agency to the next - she has been fortunate enough to not have to do a lot of self-promotion.
Whether or not Marcelle’s business expands, after spending seven years at 401, she is eager to stay put. Not just a great work space, the building and community also provide her with many tricks of the trade. We’ve spotted 401’s characteristic one hundred year old wood floors in one of Marcelle’s pieces for The Globe and Mail, and the CFMDC was recently kind enough to lend an old film reel for another Globe article about Canadian Film Distribution. She has also convinced many 401 tenants to model for various pics over the years. “This is a great building for sourcing props and creative energy.”
Marcelle Faucher
Before
After
