The Digital Illustrations of Catherine Hébert
At Cinesite, creativity doesn’t stop when the workday ends! Through our Beyond the Screen series, we shine a
spotlight on the creative passions of our talented artists outside the studio, showcasing their personal projects and sources of inspiration.
In this edition, meet Catherine Hébert, DMP Supervisor at Cinesite Montréal, and discover her passion for digital illustration, the everyday moments and animals that inspire her artwork, and how she brings her creativity to life through her personal project, The Ugly Cat Studio.
Q&A with Catherine Hébert
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your role at Cinesite.
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember! I attended a special visual arts program in high school before completing two college diplomas, one in visual arts and another in traditional 2D animation. I then studied film and television at NAD and have been working in VFX ever since!
Over the years, I’ve worked in several areas, including generalist work, texturing, matte painting, CG supervision and VFX supervision. I joined Cinesite in 2020 and now supervise the DMP department.
During a few months between jobs in 2020, I created my little side project, The Ugly Cat Studio, where I share the artwork I create outside of work!
2. What do you love creating outside of your work at Cinesite?
I mostly focus on animals, but I enjoy drawing a little bit of everything! My illustrations are digital, and I use Procreate on my iPad.
If I had more space and time, I’d love to have my own studio where I could also explore painting and sculpture. But that’s a project for the future!
3. Where do you find inspiration for your personal art?
A little bit everywhere! For example, in the illustrations featured here, Léa is a dog we met at a restaurant in Milan. My colleagues will recognize Brigette, the squirrel who once left a bagel in my third-floor window!
Rocco the pheasant lives in my sister’s backyard in Nova Scotia, while the pigeon is one we spotted in the subway in Seoul.
Sometimes, inspiration comes from even simpler moments. One morning, the light in my kitchen was particularly beautiful, and I had some clementines nearby, so I decided to draw them!
And whenever I need a little extra inspiration, I like browsing Reddit’s r/SketchDaily.
4. Lastly, what advice would you give other artists about making time for personal creative projects?
For me, the key is making it easy to create. That’s why I draw digitally.
We’re all so busy outside of work, so being able to simply pick up my iPad and start drawing, without having to prepare anything, makes me much more likely to do it!
Stay tuned for more stories from our talented artists as we continue exploring the creativity that happens Beyond the Screen.
