Benjamin Chaud

Benjamin Chaud spent his childhood near Briançon, in the Hautes Alpes. “I was bored in the mountains. At the same time I went for a walk and that allowed me to develop my imagination. » A long-time attendee at the ski club, he practiced the discipline at a high level then abandoned the competition following an accident. In the absence of his sticks, Benjamin grabs his pencils!
He studied drawing at the Arts Appliqués in Paris: “what I liked the most were the illustration classes and comics. » He then naturally headed towards Decorative Arts in Strasbourg where he trained with the renowned Claude Lapointe. “He knew how to teach while allowing everyone the freedom to find their own style. » Creator of the famous character Pomelo (published by Albin Michel Jeunesse), the illustrator has published nearly a hundred books, many of which have been translated abroad.
A keen designer? Rather curious and enduring! He enjoys telling his own stories as much as illustrating those of others. Having become a key figure in children’s illustration, he was selected several times for the Astrid Lindgren prize and won the gold medal from the Society of Illustrators in New York in 2015. He now lives in a small village in the Drome.