Elise Gravel was born in Montreal in 1977 and started to draw not long after (because when you have a superpower, it manifests pretty early). In kindergarten Elise was popular because she could draw princesses with long, spiral curls. Then in high school, girls asked her to draw their dream guys in their agendas.
Elise became very talented at drawing muscles and chest hair, which came in handy later on when she illustrated her book ‘Le Grand Antonio’.
Later on, Elise Gravel studied graphic design at CEGEP*, during which she figured out that she wanted to do illustration. After her first book, ‘Catalogue des Gaspilleurs’, Elise has written and illustrated more than 30 books.
Elise Gravel currently lives in Montreal with her two daughters, husband, cats. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages. We are crazy about how amazing her illustrations are and how it makes our inner child come alive. The characters she illustrates are lifelike with all the emotions in the world, they make you think about the joys of Sesame Street, all the light-filled books you read as a kid and how wondrous it is to have the joy of being a child.
We love love love her work and think you should get to know her too. Follow her on her website and Instagram.
Also, go into Naama Ben Moshe’s world of Textile and Handcrafted stuffed Animals
Bio Credit: Elise Gravel’s Website.
Featured Image of Elise: Lapresse Website