Atelier Bingo’s new storybook features "pure, expressive images" inspired by nature

Atelier Bingo – comprised of Maxime Prou and Adèle Favreau – has illustrated a new children’s storybook created and written by Aurélia Coulaty. The book is published by Amaterra and uses Atelier Bingo's signature cut-out style; the images are colourful, expressive and have stolen our imagination. “The book is about the sky from the height of a child”, the studio explains, “we show what they see — the sun, the stars, bees buzzing around flowers, the steam drawings planes make”.

Amaterra is a publishing house based in Lyon, France, “we make a point to create books that will surprise young readers and develop their curiosity, by presenting themes through a different angle”. Dans le Ciel is a book where the illustration mirrors the text in terms of poetic style. “The idea was to create pure, expressive images”, the studio explains, “while including some more figurative elements to make a link with the text and give some landmarks to the readers”. Inspired by nature, the storybook is about capturing a child’s imagination, offering an impression, which they can then enhance in their minds. “We are convinced that children have a strong imagination, and we want to give them an illustration where they can use it”, Maxime and Adèle tell us; “we love the children’s books from the 50s and 60s, where they use fewer colours and shapes, allowing the power of dreams to take shape in the mind of the reader”.

The book is printed in five spot colours: blue, yellow, red, green and black, creating a powerful but simple image that imprints itself clearly on the mind. Atelier Bingo’s creative process begins with “cutting shapes on paper, drawing and experimenting with texture to create a library”. The studio keeps piles of scrap paper in boxes, using them for exploration and play; when the final image is chosen there is that moment of “bingo — when you suddenly get the perfect number line”, the picture is embraced and chosen. The studio want Dans le Ciel to be for both children and adults alike; favouring books “that you can keep in your library all your life”.