Casters,
Welcome back to the Community Spotlight series, where we shine a light on the incredible people shaping the world of MetaZoo! Today, we are thrilled to introduce Pierre Broissand, a French artist whose work is making a big impression in the MetaZoo universe.
Pierre may be new to MetaZoo, but he's no stranger to breathtaking artistry. With a background in webcomics and animation, his creative journey has spanned multiple storytelling mediums - from the introspective and emotion-driven A Moment of Honesty to the sprawling sci-fi adventure of The Fountain of Souls. His ability to weave depth and emotion into his illustrations made him a natural fit for the MetaZoo team, and his talents are now front and center in the game's highly anticipated relaunch.
Most notably, Pierre is the visionary behind the redesigned MetaZoo Base Set booster box - a design that has been met with overwhelming praise from the community. In our interview, we discuss his artistic roots, creative process and what fans can expect from his future contributions to MetaZoo.
MetaZoo News (MZN): Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started as an artist?
Pierre Broissand (Pierre): Hi, I'm Pierre! Like every young kid, I grabbed a pen and started doodling everywhere I could, even if that meant scribbling something on the walls, to my parents' dismay. Despite that, they were very supportive of my career choice and I pretty much never stopped since then.
MZN: What inspired you to create webcomics, and how did you develop the distinct styles for each of your projects?
Pierre: Oh, you dig that far? I grew up with comics (and almost learned reading thanks to them), especially with the French-Belgian ones. The manga culture is very prevalent here in France, so I got influenced by this style indirectly as well, even though I didn't hold many mangas in my hands at the time. Throw into the mix a lot of 90's Disney movies, French animated shows, children's books and I think you get my schizophrenic approach to drawing. Diversity built the individual I am today and I think it also shows when I create my stories.
MZN: Your webcomics are unique in that you're able to tell a story without words in A Moment of Honesty and are able to transport your readers to a completely different world of imagination, wonder and hope for the future in The Fountain of Souls.How do you approach such different storytelling styles?
Pierre: You really did your homework! I feel like the common trait between the two is "emotions". Stories are about human beings, or at least they are a projection of humanity and its struggle, physical or mental. Whether I tackle a simple wordless story, an epic fantasy saga or an illustration for MetaZoo, human emotions remain at the core of my process. As long as it's there, it is what matters most!
MZN: Being based in France, do you feel that your cultural background influences your art?
Pierre: Like I said previously, French-Belgian comics are a big thing here and growing up with them helped me discover new storytelling and visual horizons. I owe most of who I am as an artist to the French comic industry.
MZN: How did you first become involved with MetaZoo and what drew you to the project?
Pierre: Quentin Regnes reccommended me to the MetaZoo team and I was lucky enough to be accepted into the project. MetaZoo's brief was very similar to my artistic approach so I said, "Why not?".
MZN: Your design for the updated Base Set booster box has received a lot of positive feedback. Can you walk us through the creative process?
Pierre: I'm pretty glad the fans are liking it! The MetaZoo team really liked my Sun Wukong Illustration and wanted to overextend the card background in order to create a seamless loop!
MZN: Did feedback from the previous design influence your approach?
Pierre:Not really; I just updated my current illustration and hoped the MetaZoo fans would like it!
MZN: What other artwork can we expect to see from you in the world of MetaZoo?
Pierre: Can't say much really, but expect some more cryptid awesomeness in the coming months! And the current ones will be as cool as Sun Wukong!
MZN: Do you have any upcoming projects or collaborations that you can share with us?
Pierre: I've put my webtoon projects on hold since 2022 to move on to the animation industry where I work as a freelance art director and visual development artist! And expect more animated artworks from me in the future!
MZN: As someone who works in both webcomics and trading card games, how do you adapt your artistic approach to these different mediums?
Pierre: Card illustrations are on another subtle level of difficulty: You need to tell a story while the character remains clearly visible in a very small format. My years in advertising design taught me how to communicate visual ideas as simply as possible. I pretty much apply the same approach. If it works at a small scale, it will in a big format!
MZN: What advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to break into the TCG scene or start their own webcomics?
Pierre: Be honest. Be honest with yourself and others. This will show in your art, period.
MZN: Finally, where can the fans find you and your work?
Pierre:You can find me on ArtStation https://www.artstation.com/brsnd. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pierrebrsnd/ and X https://x.com/PBroissand