A self-taught lover of drawing, Diego Fazio first focussed on creating Japanese-style tattoos, developing a precise and refined technique.
However, this artist – who is now internationally renowned under the name DiegoKoi – soon discovered the delicacy and beauty that each shade of black can offer.
His work is hyper-realist and focuses in essence on drawings of the body. Mixed with different materials and textures, he creates works that straddle the real and the unreal, blurring the line between photography and drawing. His spectacular artworks have won him many prizes and have been exhibited the world over.
I draw several hours a day so I use professional tools such as Grafwood pencils, ideal because of the unique quality of their graphite and their incredible duration.
BEYA REBAÏ, France
Caran d'Ache ambassador for the Neocolor® II Aquarelle Line
A graduate of the Saint-Luc School in Brussels and the Condé School in Paris, Beya Rebaï developed a keen interest in colour at a very young age. Fascinated by the artistic movement of Les Nabis, she developed her drawings with a small range of carefully selected colours. Carrying a sketchbook and a few Neocolor® II Aquarelle wax oil pastels wherever she goes, Beya draws what she sees in her own style, using lots of colours and a recognisable touch.
I love drawing with Neocolor® II Aquarelle pastels: the colours are dense and clear-cut with a distinct texture – I find that just amazing.
NINA COSFORD, UK
Caran d'Ache ambassador for the Supracolor® Aquarelle line
Living in Hastings, Nina Cosford is a tireless globetrotter who never goes anywhere without her sketchbook. She is a talented illustrator who depicts the eccentricities of the modern era such as the little problems of daily life through brightly coloured characters. She is often featured in magazines thanks to her inimitable style that is both colourful and full of humour.
Her work is now also used by some of the world’s biggest brands. However, Nina Cosford also puts her talent to work on topics that are close to her heart, having created numerous books celebrating renowned female figures.
I like how easy it is to use Supracolor® Aquarelle. A very complete range of colours and great versatility. A little extra: the body colour coordinated with the lead colour, ideal in a large kit.
RUBEN BELLOSO, Spain
Caran d'Ache ambassador for the Pastel Pencils line
A graduate of the Seville University of Fine Art, Rubén Belloso is an artist of superlatives. He has received repeated awards from his city and faculty and also at individual and collective exhibitions in every continent, and he possesses a talent without equal for rendering shapes, shadows and materials in the purest tradition of pastels.
By giving his works, and in particular his portraits, a hyper-real dimension, Rubén Belloso is today elevating this ancient art form to true perfection, with a touch of modernity that has made him one of the greatest talents of his generation.
Pastel pencils have a unique intensity and great covering power. Simply the best in the world. After all these years, I am still amazed by all their possibilities and their 84 colours.
JP KALONJI, Switzerland
Caran d'Ache ambassador for the Graphite RGB Line
Born in 1973 in Geneva, Jean Philippe Kalonji is a painter, illustrator and comic book author. A true citizen of the world, he has lived and travelled in numerous countries including the US, Japan, Liberia and the UK, where he perfected his drawing techniques. The diversity of his works reveals his influences, both in his techniques and his inspirations.
Jean-Philippe Kalonji regularly supports a wide range of causes. In 2019, within the framework of a partnership between Caran d’Ache and the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), the artist created the promotional material for an 849 pen, the profits from which were donated to the ICRC. A long-standing friend of Caran d’Ache and a keen advocate of its different ranges, he is behind the illustrations decorating the packaging for the pencils in the Graphite Line RGB range.
Regardless of whether you want to produce delicate work or really press on to obtain greater contrasts, the RGB pencils offer such a wide range of shades. The watercolour effect allows you to create an impression of transparency and mist, while retaining that unique grain of graphite.
JON MONNARD, Switzerland
Caran d’Ache Haute Écriture ambassador
For his first book Et à la fois je savais que je n’étais pas magnifique [And suddenly I knew that I was not outstanding] which was published in 2017 by Éditions L’Âge d’Homme, Jon Monnard successfully combined wonderful literary flair with a critique of youth of today. Lauded by both the press and his peers, this young author entered the literary scene to great acclaim.
Today, with the support of a grant to promote the creative arts, he has launched a project dedicated to the American novelist Francis Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda Sayre, who was sectioned in Switzerland in the 1930s. Caran d'Ache is supporting this project by making Jon Monnard its Haute Écriture ambassador.
When I was a kid, I used to dream about Caran d'Ache pencil boxes. Today, I am proud to represent this prestigious Maison, present at every stage of my life; a pencil for a drawing and then a nib to dedicate my novel.