Some of you already know him, others discovered him when our Hot collab’ came out! But who really is the artist behind Regards Coupables? We met him to find out more about him and his work.
For the cheeky ones among you who aren’t easily shocked, here’s his interview!
Hi Regards Coupables, we’re here because for Valentine’s Day we called on your talents as a saucy illustrator to help us create a box of 16 mini neapolitans. Can you explain the idea behind your illustrations for this collaboration?
First of all, thanks for inviting me for this interview. For this collaboration with Le chocolat des Français, we wanted to play on the idea of hidden/revealed. The box is understated on the outside, with a woman’s cheeky gaze. Inside, you’ll discover a whole story unfolding over 16 neapolitans, about a steamy moment between a man and a woman.
Your artist name is Regards Coupables – “Guilty Looks”…. But guilty of what?
Good question! When I came up with the name “Regards Coupables” 3 years ago, I had no idea I’d end up drawing what I draw today. But now I can see the link between my name and my subjects, and I think it refers to the guilty look each of us can have on our own sexuality. A guilty look that can stop us from reaching a certain sexual liberation. But it’s no more specific than that. I’d rather keep it fairly vague, so that everyone finds their own interpretation of a guilty look.
Chocolate is said to be an aphrodisiac – do you believe that?
Er, yes I believe it, because I believe in science (laughs). If scientists have shown it’s an aphrodisiac, then yes, I believe it. But personally, I’ve never really felt its effects myself, or thought: “I’m going to stuff myself with chocolate to get super turned on” (laughs). Because the problem with doing erotic illustrations is that you’re turned on all the time (laughs). So I haven’t needed it so far.
What was your hottest drawing?
For me, my hottest drawings are always the cunnilingus ones, which I call “Facetime” and also “Sunday worship”, because it’s a little weekly date I give my followers every Sunday on Instagram – they love it. But I don’t have one particular image in mind. What’s certain is that I’ve already done several series on the subject and I’ll keep doing more.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I have several sources of inspiration. I’ve got a huge archive bank that can come from posters, screenshots, photos or porn films. Every exhibition I visit is also a way to get inspired. In the end, I spend much more time looking for images than drawing.
How does someone end up drawing bums and boobs all day? What’s your background?
Regards Coupables started in 2015, and it was very different from what it is today. Back then, I had my first exhibition in a lovely gallery at Gare Saint-Lazare, and my drawings were quite inspired by the world of tattoos. It was a kind of tribute to the traditional “tattoo flash”, which very often featured female figures. Little by little, I explored the feminine side more than the tattoos, and it naturally became more sensual and erotic. But no, I didn’t start drawing couples embracing and pairs of bums overnight. It came instinctively – I think it was in me and needed to come out.
Does having 800,000 followers on Instagram change your everyday life?
Honestly, not at all! Although I won’t hide that it opens a lot of doors and makes new collaborations easier, and lets me talk to people on Instagram who might not have replied if I didn’t have 800,000 followers (laughs). But personally, in my day-to-day life, it changes nothing, since I don’t show who I am. You could say I don’t define myself by my followers – it’s Regards Coupables who has 800,000 followers. (laughs)
What does your family think of your illustrations? Do they find them funny?
Yeah, they find them really funny – generally speaking, the people around me find it very amusing. I think sexuality is a very intimate subject. So when we’re in public, we often talk about it with a bit of humour, which lets us laugh about it and own it in front of others.
Coming back to my parents, each of them has their own take on my work. My dad is more interested in, let’s say, the financial success of the project. My mum is different. She’s been a big influence on my career, since she was an art teacher and introduced me to the artistic side of nudity, especially through Helmut Newton’s photographs. I can show her anything – there’s no drawing that’ll shock her. She’s very honest with me; she’s really my artistic touchstone in that respect. Whereas I’m not going to show my dad cunnilingus or other images like that. (laughs)
What do you think of Valentine’s Day?
Ummmmm (laughs) well, you might not like this, but I’m not really a “Valentine’s Day” kind of guy (laughs). No, I think everyone experiences it their own way, and you shouldn’t force people to love each other especially on Valentine’s Day. If you feel like doing something with your boyfriend or girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, great, and if you don’t, that’s great too (laughs).
Brilliant, thanks so much for having us! Do you have any last hot news to share with us for 2020?
Well, I’ve just released my first book, called Regards Coupables Volume 1, featuring 70 illustrations alongside 60 short lines a bit like the captions I write on my Instagram posts. These drawings are a selection of the very first erotic Regards Coupables drawings, so it’s kind of the starting point of what people know today. So don’t hesitate if you want to discover what I was doing at the very beginning.
And that’s a wrap on the interview – we hope that thanks to us you’ve discovered a brilliant artist and now know a lot more about him, his inspiration and the story behind his saucy drawings.
If you want to dive even deeper into his world, head this way –> Regards Coupables
