Capturing the unspoken with Thomas Merceron

Thomas’s work feels like a still moment from a film; calm, emotional, and full of feeling. But his journey didn’t begin with a big moment. It started with simply drawing… again and again.

“I’ve always drawn,” he says. In high school, he studied design, then went on to art schools in Paris, including Duperré and the École des Arts Décoratifs. After an internship at Hermès, one of the most respected fashion houses in the world, he started his career as an illustrator.

Always pensive, Thomas likes to freeze a moment in time, to show how delicate it really is. “Silences call out to me a lot,” he says. He uses how things are placed on the page to tell stories, and often works in black and white first. “It happens naturally,” he explains. “I play with the balance of full and empty spaces.” Later, once the image is built, he adds emotion through colour, trying different combinations until one feels right.

Even though he’s worked with high-end lifestyle brands, Thomas doesn’t change his work to fit in with them. He thinks the clean and careful nature of his style just naturally fits with what luxury stands for. “I’m meticulous by nature,” he says. That attention to detail comes through in everything he creates.

His drawings of people often feel deep and emotional. Sometimes they’re inspired by real relationships, but more often, they come from feelings he keeps inside and then tries to express on the page. “I try to capture what’s not said, but deeply felt,” he explains.

Thomas prefers using real materials including ink, pastels, paper over digital tools. “It reconnects me with something physical,” he says. “The texture of the paper, the slower pace, the little mistakes… those things remind me why I started drawing in the first place. Paper is where I accept my imperfections. And I think that’s what makes people connect with the work.”

When he works with brands, Thomas likes to ask questions and get clear direction, finding out what emotions, objects, or ideas are important. These become the building blocks for the final piece. He always explores different ideas and usually avoids the obvious ones. “I let the strongest idea come forward naturally,” he says.

He finds inspiration in all sorts of places: comics, textiles, architecture, even science. He doesn’t stick with one thing too long. Instead he moves between different worlds to keep his curiosity alive.

Living in Paris helps. “This city has a special kind of closeness,” he says. “Everything is nearby: galleries, studios, cafés. You start to realize how your favorite places and people are just around the corner. Paris is full of creative hubs where lives and ideas intertwine. It makes connecting with others feel easy.”

For Thomas, creativity means searching for something unique—even if you don’t know exactly what it is. “Creativity is the pursuit of singularity,” he says. “It’s searching without really knowing where you're going.”

Getting started can be hard, though. He usually looks at images, reads the news, stares at the ceiling, listens to music… then finally forces himself to draw. “I do 50 bad sketches and maybe one good one,” he laughs. “Then I wait, look at it with fresh eyes, and start the final piece.”

If he could work with any client? “Hermès, without hesitation,” he says. “They treat artists with real respect. They work with the same creatives for years and allow their work to grow. That kind of trust is rare. I admire it a lot.”

Click here to check out Thomas's full portfolio.