Meet Illustrator Lapin and his Fantastic Universe

Meet the French illustrator and urban sketch artist with a passion for dinosaurs, planes, and travel

Lapin (@lapinbarcelona) is a French illustrator and artist based in Barcelona. He defines himself as a 'carnettiste,' or mobile illustrator, as he carries a sketchbook and sketching gear with him all the time. He has filled 200 sketchbooks of his everyday adventures around the world and published 30 books, including many travel books.

As a child, he lived near a small airport. His aviation technician father would entertain him by drawing monsters. His uncle was a cartoonist who worked for Disney and many other animation studios. Lapin was therefore inspired to become an illustrator, a pilot, and a paleontologist. 'My fascination with dinosaurs and planes pushed me to draw those topics.' At the age of 17, he got a private pilot license, and his nomination as official air and space painter for the French army in 2019 fulfilled his passion for aviation.

When I was a kid nothing could stop me from drawing! Even the walls of my house were my canvas, although it wasn’t my mom’s favorite! ...When The Wallery offered me to collaborate, I designed a paintable wallpaper, for the little ones, with my illustrations.
Children should paint wherever they want to enhance their colorful dreams forever!

Regarding dinosaurs, 'I sketch them in every natural history museum I'm passing by.' He loves to sketch on vintage accounting books, which he finds in flea markets.

Lapin started out as a graphic designer in Paris, before becoming a freelance illustrator. His clients include Air France, the City of Barcelona, Le Parisien Magazine, PlayStation, Heineken, Porsche, and more. Since 2016, Lapin has taught the Masters course in Illustration and Comics at Elisava University, and participates in exhibitions around the world.

Filling 200 sketchbooks over the past 18 years is a legacy. I documented my life through thousands of sketches. It is also a powerful medium to communicate. I can express my opinion about gentrification and globalization, as I do in my book about Poblenou, my district in Barcelona. I am often commissioned to describe a territory, to show the beauty in common things.

Drawing is about understanding what you see and sharing it. I agree with Edgar Degas’s quote: "Drawing is not what one sees but what one can make others see."

After a sad event involving a close friend, Lapin decided that:

‘Life was too short not to follow your instinct. I left my job the following month and never regretted it. Making a living from my passions was the best advice I received. It is much better than choosing a job for its salary. I sometimes struggle to pay the rent, but I never get bored with my job. I need to draw and create every day to feel good. This is much more than a job; it is a way of life.'

If you have enjoyed getting to know Lapin’s work, be sure to check out his future Domestika course, Urban Sketching: Express Your World in a New Perspective. In his course, Lapin will teach you how to tell the stories about your everyday life, using your unique perspective, and express your original stories with depth and feeling.

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