Fubiz is partnering this year with Adobe Stock to highlight the visual trends of 2019: Back to Nature, Expression Disruptive, Brand Stand and Creative Democracy. Adobe Stock allows creatives to find inspiration but also to share their work with as many people as possible.
To illustrate the possibilities we imagined the collaboration between a user and a contributor of the platform. The collagist and graphic designer Julien Pacaud is the author of a work conceived using some of the images proposed by photographer Sarah Arnould on the theme of “Back to Nature”. This collaboration will be the starting point for creating a collaborative mosaic.
The creation plunges us into a timeless universe and resolutely vintage, in which Julien Pacaud cleverly assembled the images of Sarah Arnould.
We were able to talk with these two creators so that they tell us a little more about their universe and their creative process.
Collage by Julien Pacaud
Can you introduce yourself in a few words and tell us more about your creative worlds?
Julien Pacaud : I am an illustrator and I live and work in Paris. In parallel with the orders I make for clients (press, publishing, music, advertising), I also pursue a freer and more personal creative work. I have been practicing digital collage since the early 2000s, and I like to compose surreal images, imbued with retro imagery and futuristic forms, where space and time are mostly indefinite. The digital tool allows me more manipulations than traditional collage, and allows me to achieve a visual consistency between the different photo elements that I can find and make coexist.
Sarah Arnould : I am a professional photographer for 4 years now. But I practice photography self-taught for much longer. My world is very focused on nature, travel, contemplation. The countryside, the forest, the oceans are recurring themes in my photos.
Photo by Sarah Arnould
Julien, how did you come to the practice of photographic collage?
By chance and in a self-taught way. I studied film at the Ecole Louis Lumière, but then I realized that a more solitary and more immediate work would better correspond to my creative inclinations. During an internship, I discovered Photoshop and the possibilities of manipulation of images offered by the computer tool. Having no artistic training and no “manual” talent, it was natural for me to go to what, in my opinion, required the least technical virtuosity: the work of collage and assembly of already existing photos. This allowed me to focus only on the idea or feeling that I wanted to express without worrying about achieving a particular technical mastery.
Sarah, what place does photography occupy in your daily life?
Photography is one of the most important things in my life. I do it every day either for professional or personal projects. I love this medium and am very proud to have made photography my job.
Sarah, can you tell us how the theme of “Back to Nature” echoes your work as a photographer?
The theme back to nature echoes my work because the subjects of travel, the countryside, the fresh air of the ocean, are topics that I love. It is sometimes good to go back to the city, at home, in its cozy universe. But even better to leave again and again to relax and get lost in unfamiliar or familiar places!
Julien, on your side, how did you approach the theme of Back to Nature for your creation?
As often when I work on an illustration, I try to approach the theme imposed with hindsight and distance, not to be too literal. I try to find a rather odd, strange and funny angle. Almost all of my creations are set in nature, but they are mostly landscapes “mastered”, where the footprint of humans is present. This results in an opposition between the rigor of geometry and the more anarchic forms of nature.
Photo by Sarah Arnould
Julien, You imagined the creation from the photos of the contributor Adobe Stock Sarah Arnould. Can you tell us more about your use of Adobe Stock in your work?
I use Adobe Stock, especially for my work as an illustrator when I have to answer a specific order, and I miss a particular element to build the image I have in mind. If I illustrate a specific theme asked, it inevitably comes at a time when the need for a particular image is needed. It’s the bond of collage: we do not create from scratch. I have a large stock of retro images that I have collected all these years but it inevitably comes a time when I miss the particular photo I need.
Sarah, you have contributed Adobe Stock, how long have you chosen to be present on this platform to sell your images? What were your motivations?
I have been an adobe contributor for just under a year. I use the Adobe suite every day for the treatment of my photos. I thought it was cool enough to be represented on the platform.
Photo by Sarah Arnould
Julien, what is the creative process you use to create an image like the one you imagined for this project? How do you select the images you want to use?
I work in a rather instinctive way, without necessarily thinking a lot before going into creation. I collect images that I like, that inspire me, and the process is quite experimental. I combine, I cut, I add, I withdraw, until I begin to see what could be the final image.
Sarah, how is your creative process going from creating your images to uploading to Adobe Stock? How do you select the images that will go into your collection?
The photos I select for Adobe Stock are often personal photos that can not be part of a series. Holiday pictures for example or when I walk in the nature. It’s a way of making them “live” differently. For my creative process after dealing with Lightroom I select those that are likely to be accepted by Adobe and go !
Photo by Sarah Arnould
In your opinion, what are the benefits for a creative to be an Adobe Stock user or contributor?
Julien Pacaud : Above all the ease of use and integration into Creative Cloud, which is convenient and allows to find his collection directly in the interface of Photoshop.
Sarah Arnould : Another visibility that can sometimes bring nice projects to achieve with new people!
If you had to summarize your work in one sentence, what would it be?
Julien Pacaud : I think I’m trying to organize chaos and travel between parallel worlds!
Sarah Arnould : The elements, the pretty lights of morning and evening, a certain intimacy with nature could sum up my work pretty well.
Photo by Sarah Arnould
You can also participate in the creation of a creation from images on Adobe Stock. Fubiz offers to select in Adobe Stock and send us the most beautiful images on the theme of “Back to Nature”. A creative fresco will be imagined. You can send us until April 15, 2019 your selection of 3 images to the following address: [email protected].
