Today we’d like to introduce you to Penny Fournier.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I don’t remember how I got into art, it was always something I was drawn to. A lot of people stop doodling in the margins of their notebooks and I guess I never did! But really, growing up I wasn’t interested in school and art was a way to escape while feeling like I was good at something.
I grew up in Paris and never felt like I really fit in, right out of high school, I got into the School of Visual Arts and that’s where I really found my community and felt like I could use my art in a meaningful way. I had the chance from learning from illustrators I had been a fan of for years and it really gave me the confidence to go forward. After graduating with a BFA and working a series of odd jobs, I had a realization which is one of the most feared as an artist: I had fallen out of love with my own work and was totally burned out. I applied for the illustration MFA at the Fashion Institute of Technology, looking for guidance and inspiration. There, I learned how to love illustration again. I got to work on myself and my art while getting feedback from incredible working illustrators and a talented cast of classmates. It felt like the passion that first brought me to move to the US to pursue art was quite literally brought back to life. Now I focus on print media, like editorial pieces, book covers and comics while still doing the occasional odd job if I feel like it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s definitely been more of a dirt road than a smooth path! It took me a while to figure out what kind of art I wanted to put out in the world and what type of artist I wanted to be. Through the years, I tried many different mediums like screen printing, riso, film photography, watercolor and ink drawing. I had countless odd jobs from dog portraitist, pattern maker to set designer, I even ran a stationery and gifts business for a few years. It was a hectic life but I loved every second of it. It still is a lot of trial and error, for every breakthrough I have a hundred failures that I learned nothing from except how bad they were. But I’ve also had incredible successes that I could never have planned! I learned to embrace the unexpected and forget about any tight expectations I had about being an artist.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an illustrator, and I love that title because of how broad that term is. I specialize in comics, editorial work and book covers but I get to work on a variety of projects like branding, posters, narrative illustration and even the occasional wedding invite! I love being able to extend my work to a variety of media while staying true to my style. I find inspiration in real-life experiences, traveling, learning and exploring. In my personal work, I like to create short comics where I talk about funny things that happened to me, random thoughts, while also speaking up about issues that are important to me like women’s rights and mental health. My illustrations are known for having a lightness that allows me to talk about serious matters in an entertaining and relatable way. Through my work, I like to educate, provoke and make people laugh!
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’m a strong believer in following my gut and creating my own luck. Some of the most fun jobs I’ve had were because I created something for myself that resonated with others. I think I’m lucky that I’ve been imbued with a sense of not giving up and getting back up when I’m down. I get to be passionate about something and in a sense, I think that’s the hardest part, because you can learn passion.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pennyillustration.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penny.illustration/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@penny.illustration
Image Credits
Bao Ngo Penny Fournier
