ILLUSTRATION • FREE RESOURCES
Free brushes and collage tips from Maxime Manga.
The Cameroon-based artist shares the inspirations and process behind his Afrofuturist photo collage creations.
By Aileen Kwun
RESOURCES
Maxime’s brush set includes:
● Mboa.Art brush 1
● Mboa.Art brush 2
For the Cameroon-born and based artist Maxime Manga — also known as Mboa.Art — creating is all about instinct. “Art is very primal, and comes from really deep in ourselves, so I just try to create naturally.”
After starting his career as a web developer, Maxime made the leap to a full-time artistic practice in 2016. In the six years since, he has quickly honed a personal style that centers around experimental photocollage, Afrofuturism and a distinctive patchwork aesthetic. By mixing stock images with analog elements brought into Photoshop, his digital playground of choice, he creates new works that are unmistakably his own.
“Cameroon has a really great mix of many cultures in one country,” says Maxime, who is self-taught in Adobe software, and finds inspiration in the vast networks of social media, as well as the vibrant creative scene of local, traditional, and street artists of the capital city Yaoundé, his hometown. “Just walking around, you can see artwork everywhere; it’s fantastic. Being born and raised here, it’s a big luck.”
And lucky for us, Maxime has shared two of his personal brushes — bold, textured strokes made from ink and paint — for you to experiment with.
Download Maxime’s brush set, then follow along for his tips.
Mboa.Art brush 1
Mboa.Art brush 2
Source your subject.
Start with a photo of a friend, or source a portrait from stock imagery, as Maxime does. “I’ll start by looking at the person’s eyes first. Trying to catch the vibe of the photo is pretty abstract, but when the eyes speak to me, then I’ll download the photo and begin,” he says. “I love minimalism, so I’ll place the subject on a solid-colored background. Next, I try to clear my mind and think, ‘What can I do with you?’ To me, this person looks introspective.”
Cut and paste.
“The concept of patchwork is super interesting and fun to me, because it allows you to mix and combine,” he says. Use the Lasso tool to cut, copy and repeat certain elements for emphasis, or bring in textures and colors from other source images.
Make your mark.
“These are my main Photoshop brushes that I’m sharing with you, and I basically use these for all of my artwork,” Maxime says. “These are inspired by traditional brushes.” Use the Eyedrop tool to set your Brush to a color from your composition or select a complementary hue for added contrast and visual impact.
Embrace the outcome.
“Self-love is a value that I like to transcribe in my creations, especially this one,” says Maxime. How does he know when a work is finished? “It’s instinctual. I’ll take a step back and if I’m happy with it, it’s complete.”
Cameroon-born and based artist Maxime Manga has been experimenting with digital collage since 2016. His work manipulates classic photography and geometric shapes with the vibrant colors that are reflective of his African culture. It’s this self-described ‘Afrofuturistic’ style that has enabled him to carve out a niche in a contemporary art form. Follow his work on Instagram and Twitter.
