Theo Chevêche

Chevêche ❁ watercolor artist ❁ hobbyist writer ❁ fairies, goblins, tales, whimsical universe

[theo-cheveche]

Welcome

Budding illustrator, giving life to fairies, goblins, and other little folks, mainly with watercolor. My main inspirations are forgotten folktales and creatures, legends, fairy encyclopedias and the landscapes around me.

Welcome to this humble art gallery.

Links: Carrd | Instagram | Buy me a coffee

[themousefromfantasyland]

"The Gates of Fairyland" by Margaret Tarrant (1888 - 1959)

Another example of fairyland being depicted as the realm of fairy tale characters

@ariel-seagull-wings @princesssarisa @penguinofspades @maimoncat @adarkrainbow

[theo-cheveche]

Now that the photo, the shells, and the siren are sewed together, it is now the poem's turn to be added to the the shrine. I made a sort of frame with fabric that I unevenly dyed in blue ink, gathered, and sewed with beads that look like pearls under the sea.

The poem is from Victor Hugo. It says:

Poet, you're doing right! Poet with sad forehead, you dream close to the flow, and to the seas you owe so many things, that are deep under the waves!

[theo-cheveche]

Whao, ton style est fantastique (pun intended?), tes petites créatures sont super mignonnes 8D!

Je voulais juste t’écrire que le ocean shrine est in-croy-able. Il m’a beaucoup inspiré, et maintenant je vais tenter à me coudre mon propre portable shrine, c’est exactement le sorte de truc up my alley. Je ne conceptualisais même pas que ça existe! Ça me surprend toujours, l’idée qu’on peut créer ce que l’on veut. J’espère que t’aies une superbe journée 🩵🐚🪼🐬

Merci beaucoup, c'est très gentil 😁

Je trouve que l'idée des pocket shrines est vraiment très intéressante, parce qu'on peut réunir dans un objet fait main plein de petites choses agréables. C'est comme un tout petit cabinet de curiosités qu'on peut peut mettre dans sa poche, et chacun est unique. Je suis contente que le mien t'inspire et si tu en fais un, j'ai hâte de le voir.

Je te souhaite une bonne journée aussi ⛵️🌊🐋

[theo-cheveche]

Next step of my ocean pocket shrine: the siren is now framed with small beads.

Follow the evolution:

Beginning | Part 2

[theo-cheveche]

I'm slowly going on with my ocean pocket shrine. I'm finished with the shells and the central picture, that I framed with small beads that make a gradation from blue to white, just like waves. Next step is sewing the siren, again with some beads I think.

[theo-cheveche]

Ocean pocket shrine

I discovered pocket shrines recently. It seems like a nice and soothing crafty thing to make. I just started my first one; it's an ode to ocean, with seaweed, shells, and a piece of polished glass, that I gathered at the sea. There's a photo of one of my favorite places at the center, a verse from a poem and a siren that I drew. Now I'm slowly sewing it all together, with small pearls and lace.

Follow the evolution:

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | to be continued...

Have a look at my blog for more whimsical and gentle art ⛵️

[theo-cheveche]

Honorable forest gnome

Honorable forest gnome | April 2025, watercolor | original content

Hobbling in the periwinkles, the honorable forest gnome mumbles in his beard: he's dwelling on old stories from the past.

Marchant d'un petit pas boitillant au milieu des pervenches, l'honorable gnome de forêt marmonne dans sa barbe : il ressasse de vieilles histoires.

[theo-cheveche]

Sneak peek of October

I've been really active on my Instagram account for the whole month of October, picking drawing prompts from alternative lists to the official Inktober... here's a sneak peek.

With all of these I made up a great series of drawing that will enrich my forest, with new characters and creatures, as well as a different art style than what I usually do.

This pleasing work will end in November, as I'll color the last pieces, then scan and edit everything. Then I plan to make a booklet out of it, with some Autumn poems along with the drawings.

[theo-cheveche]

Lighthouses

Lighthouses | August 2024, watercolor | original content

The Britannic coast in France is known to be a dangerous place to navigate. Reefs and rocks, as well as fog, caused many shipwrecks in this area. Therefore there was a strong effort to secure it from the end of the 18th century to the 1900's. The westernmost tip of Brittany, called Finistère, hosts nowadays the highest number of lighthouses in all France.

Here I painted some of these, only separated by a few miles: the lighthouse of the isle Enez Wrac'h and the two lighthouses of the isle Enez Werc'h. They're still in function today, while being touristic attractions: Enez Wrac'h became a seasonal art gallery, as the Enez Werc'h is visited for being Europe's highest lighthouse and world's highest lighthouse made of stone.

[theo-cheveche]

The Apparition

L'apparition | August 2024, watercolor | original content

Got closer to the style of my Fairy and my Sluagh for this one. Pretty happy with how the main tree and the ferns turned out.

[theo-cheveche]

The Fairy

La Fée (The Fairy) | June 2022, watercolor | original content

Already posted this one a while ago but without context.

Despite the fact that I used a very cheap paper, this is still one of my favorite works. The gentleness, colors, overall atmosphere, and style, makes it the drawing that initiated my current art style.

The subject roots back to a drawing I made when I was around 12, showing a green fairy squatting on the branch of a tree, over a meadow. The style however is inspired by many artists I discovered later, such as Ivan Bilibin, Alfons Mucha, the Impressionists, and Nordic painters of the 19th century like Theodor Kittelsen and Ellen Thesleff, among others.

[theo-cheveche]

The old seaman

The Old Seaman | July 2024, watercolor | original content

Coat of seaweed and seagull on the head, the old seaman stays still, watching the ocean from the end of the world. He's seen much, there; joy of the sailors coming home, shipwrecks in the storm. As the sea mist clouds over, he stays. He's never left.

He loved the sea so much that he became one with her. Oh, she's not always been good to him. She's a capricious lady. But the old seaman never tried to leave her, nor her tempestuous winds, her crushing storms, her mischievous waves tossing about his boat.

For the love he gave to her, he became the eternal seaman, keeping his endless vigil on the great lady.

[theo-cheveche]

July 2024

The old seaman

[theo-cheveche]

Fruity turtle

Fruity turtle, carrying berries and birds. Where she going?

Somewhere in the woods, offering her goods,

To foodie gremlins and chubby goblins.

(made for shrubsyart's DTIYS challenge on Instagram)

[theo-cheveche]

Gathering leaves in the park.

[theo-cheveche]

Here's the process of this illustration I did recently!