Benoit Tardif: An Illustrator's Guide to Montreal

He may live in Repentigny now, but illustrator Benoit Tardif’s known Montreal intimately for over a decade. From humble beginnings in Saint-Eustache, his work’s since appeared everywhere from the New York Times and The Walrus to Habs jerseys and iconic drawings of restaurants and bars like Joe Beef and Burgundy Lion.

There’s no style quite as playful as Tardif’s: Vibrant, whimsical, and characterized by bold colors, imaginative scenes, and a playful use of characters and elements, each of his pieces feel both exaggeratedly cartoonish and nostalgic, like a carefully filled in colouring book.

“I’m just trying to do something unpretentious. I want to have fun, so I’ve developed a style where I know I’ll have fun,” Benoit says.