Illustrator Quentin Monge’s Instagram feed shows that, with a little imagination, just about anything can be turned into a canvas.

Quentin Monge grew up on a beach in the south of France. At a young age, he started his creative journey drawing simple silhouettes in the sand. Today he lives and works in Paris, where the summer vibes of his childhood by the sea continue to inspire his colourful work.

Illustration by Quentin Monge

A collection of drawings waiting to be coloured

Quentin is represented by illustration agency Handsome Frank. Originally inspired by a conversation between two cousins in a pub, Handsome Frank now represents some 35 illustrators across 5 continents. Despite their growth, Handsome Frank likes to keep things personal. They aim to match the best artists with the best clients and collaborators, working with some of the biggest brands in the world. In Quentin’s case, they have helped him add AirBnB, Barclays, and Glamour to his long list of clients.

Four of Quentin’s many mini masterpieces

A mini painting adding some stylish intrigue to this watery scene

When he’s not creating sleek digital illustrations for clients, Quentin indulges in a variety of personal projects. Taking a more analogue approach to his personal artist explorations, he enjoys playing with paint and cutting-out paper people. Experiments are then shared on his Instagram feed, serving up a dose of free inspiration to his 85K strong following.

Quentin often created papery characters

From paper to pebbles – everything is a canvas in Quentin’s eyes

Both professionally and personally, Quentin’s colour schemes are consistently calming, often combining mixtures of pinks, blues and greys.

The most inspiring thing about Quentin’s consistent creativity is the variety of canvases he uses. Not content with simply putting pen to paper, he seeks out more unusual surfaces to paint on. Scrolling through his feed you will find everything from pattern-covered jugs to painting on rocks. Our favourite series is the collection of mini paintings he shares. His tiny painted-pictures add extra intrigue and narrative to mundane scenes. Both the skill of such fiddly work and perfect alignment of each snap are equally impressive.

Quentin’s Instagram feed serves to inspire us to always be looking for inspiration. The world is filled with inspiring things not just what to draw, but what to draw on. Each of Quentin’s mini masterpieces and painted pebbles reminds us that anything and everything is a potential canvas.

Quentin’s mini paintings add narrative to everyday scenes

A collection of drawings waiting to be coloured

Design by Quentin Monge

A glamorous paper-girl lurking amongst the leaves

instagram.com/mongequentin