If Francesca Melis’ illustrations are “slightly imperfect”, she’s done her job well

Francesca Melis’ illustrations are richly detailed. Or, in other words, they’re jam-packed. In her decorative scenes, nature and mythology explode across surreal environments and Francesca calls them “slightly otherworldly”. In one work, Francesca renders the would-be gruesomeness of an exposed brain with a composition of comic-esque boxes that show the inner workings of the character’s brain – this was a collaboration with Les Echos, developed alongside biologist Guillaume Fond’s research in psychonutrition. “The challenge was translating complex ideas around diet and mental health into imagery that felt clear, engaging and visually immediate,” says Francesca.

Francesca’s process is intuitive, combining traditional and digital techniques by progressing from the hand-drawn to the digitally altered. In Francesca’s eyes, if the illustrations are “slightly imperfect”, then she’s succeeded in her work. The illustrator is inspired by the botanical, the psychedelic and the retro, and the visual noise of ancient embroideries plays a big role in her busy compositions. In her newest editorial illustration for Hermés Paris, the animal kingdom has a dinner party on blue grass and pink skies, punctuating the absurdist qualities she does so well.

Francesca recently illustrated the cover of Grafica Magazine, an Italian quarterly magazine dedicated to visual communication, art directed by Stefano Cipolla and Elisa Abbadessa. Depicting the world and central figure on her own terms, she connects to her upbringing in Sardinia and its rich cultural heritage, allowing Francesca to put a little bit of home, as well as themes of identity and memory, through an imaginative lens that raises the standard for editorial illustration.