Biography
Marty Planchais (real name Martial Planchais) is a French watercolor artist, illustrator and comic book author. He has also taught visual arts and applied arts.
His passion for drawing began in childhood. At around the age of eleven, he was introduced to drawing by the cartoonist and illustrator José Marquez, who shared with him his passion for literature, comics and cinema. Encouraged by his French teacher, writer Alain Coelho, he created his first comic book pages, which won first prize in the competition held by the Rouans Comic Book Festival.
After a trip to Benin and a year spent preparing for the entrance examination to the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels, he joined the school's comic book program, graduating with a special distinction. He later took part in founding Atelier A4, a collective of artists based in Lautrec, in the Tarn region of France.
Back in his home region, he developed a professional career combining watercolor, illustration and press cartooning, producing posters and illustrations, notably for the Loire-Atlantique Departmental Council. He was also awarded the first RIDEP Prize – International Press Cartoon Meetings.
In 2016, Le Petit Bourreau de Montfleury, published by Sarbacane, was released. It was his first comic book as a complete author and was supported by Amnesty International. The book received the award for Best Children's Comic Book at the Nantes Comic Book Festival.
Over the years, watercolor has taken an increasingly important place in his work. In 2021, he exhibited around thirty watercolor paintings in De l'Estuaire à Nantes, an exhibition dedicated to the landscape and heritage of the Nantes estuary. Watercolor has since become one of the main focuses of his artistic practice, alongside his work as an illustrator and comic book author.
In 2025, he created several pages for La Grande Histoire du FC Nantes, published by Petit à Petit.
Since 2023, he has also collaborated with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, creating watercolor paintings and comic book pages presented to the captains of several cruise ships built in Saint-Nazaire. In 2025, one of his watercolor paintings was presented to Richard Fain, former chairman of Royal Caribbean, during the ceremony at which he was awarded the Legion of Honour.
His artistic work also extends to motion design, press illustration, NGOs and education. He regularly leads workshops and talks in schools, high schools and libraries, focusing on watercolor, drawing, storyboarding and comics, as well as projects related to drawing and freedom of expression.
In October 2026, two new collective comic books featuring his work will be released: Nantaises, elles ont fait l'histoire de leur ville, and a comic book dedicated to Céline Dion. He is currently working on a new album about a navigator, scheduled for release in early 2027.
Today, watercolor occupies a central place in his work, alongside illustration and comics.
