A portrait drawn from a photo: the ATAYS illustrator and us
Laura, founder of ATAYS Design, spent a work-study year at Pampa just as MyTomette was getting started; today she draws portraits by hand from your photos. We introduce her world, our photo engraved on terracotta, and an idea for a collaboration between her illustrations and our tomettes.
Colourful illustrations, engraved tomettes and plenty of sunshine: two creative worlds meeting around the memories that matter. Laura, at ATAYS Design, draws portraits from photos, by hand, in her sunny southern colours. With us, a photo becomes a drawing engraved into terracotta. Here is the story we share, and what her illustrations might become once engraved.
A lovely story that began at Pampa
Today we would like to introduce a designer who is particularly close to our hearts: Laura, founder of ATAYS Design, a lovely brand of personalised illustrations, colourful and full of sunshine, born in the Var, near Toulon.
But before telling you about her work, we wanted to share our own little story.
A few years ago, Laura joined the Pampa adventure, our concept store in Hyères-les-Palmiers, for a work-study year during her master's degree.
At the time, MyTomette was only just taking shape. The first engraved tomettes (the traditional hexagonal terracotta tiles of Provence) were coming to life, ideas were multiplying, and Laura was already there to discover these rather unusual creations, designed to hold on to life's memories, big and small.
Since then, each of us has gone her own way. And Laura eventually took the plunge and started her own business, with a world that is entirely hers: ATAYS, where she draws everything herself. A creative adventure we simply had to share here!
ATAYS Design: colourful portraits that feel like the holidays
At ATAYS, there is sunshine, colour, gentleness and that little Mediterranean touch we love so much. Laura dreams up illustrations inspired by the South of France, by holidays and by the small everyday pleasures that make life prettier.
What we love most, though, are her personalised illustrations made from your photos. A family photo, a couple in love, friends together, a pet… Laura turns your favourite pictures into one-of-a-kind illustrations, drawn by hand, in her instantly recognisable style and lovely colours.
You can ask her for a custom portrait of a couple, a family or a group of friends, or a custom portrait of your pet. You choose a plain background or a personalised setting to recreate the mood of a memory, then a digital version or a print in A4 or A3. Prices start at €27 for the digital version.
How Laura draws your portrait from a photo
Laura explains it in her article on why a personalised illustration makes a good gift. You choose a photo and your options, Laura draws from that photo, then sends you a first draft. Two rounds of changes are included. Once the drawing is approved, the illustration is delivered digitally or printed in the size you chose.
She also creates decorative posters and illustrated clothing, always in that sunny, joyful, colourful spirit. A lovely idea for a personalised gift, and for decorating your home with a piece that says something personal. Among her posters inspired by the South, we have a soft spot for the Hyères les Palmiers poster, the town where our Pampa shop is.
From a portrait drawn from a photo to an engraved drawing
In the end, this is what ATAYS and MyTomette have most in common: the wish to give our memories a second life.
At ATAYS, a photograph becomes a colourful illustration to hang at home. At MyTomette, a date, a name, a place, a photo or a few words find their place on a genuine terracotta tomette from Provence, engraved to stand the test of time. Our engraved keepsakes start from a photo, a video, the place where you met, a starry sky or a song.
Two materials, two styles, two ways of creating… but one shared idea: memories deserve better than to sit forgotten on our phones.
A birth, a wedding, a family photo shoot, a holiday with friends, or simply a happy moment you would like to keep close. So many occasions to create a unique, personal object, full of feeling.
Any photo becomes an engraved drawing
There is one creation we wanted to tell you about here, because it echoes Laura's work: our engraved photo. You can use any photo you like: a couple, the whole family together, friends by the water, your dog or cat, a travel memory. Our tool turns your photo into a line drawing designed for engraving, perfect for a personalised family portrait or a keepsake for two. It is a lovely idea between friends, too; and for a personalised gift for your best friend without a photo, our engraved names do the job beautifully.
The drawing is ready in a few moments, then the preview updates live with every setting: the shape, the framing, your words. What you see on screen is what we engrave. Not keen on a detail? Generate a new illustration (up to 5 every 48 hours), and the drawings you have already created stay in the gallery so you can compare them.
You can add a few words above or below the drawing, a date, a place, or let the drawing stand on its own. It is laser-engraved in our workshop in Hyères, on real terracotta from Salernes, in a single shade of brown: it is an engraved drawing, not a photo print. It comes as a 12 × 10 cm hexagonal tomette at €24.90, or a 13 × 13 cm square tile at €29.90. Collection from Pampa, in Hyères, is free.
For a pet, the portrait of your dog or cat works the same way. You will find more examples in our engraved photo gift ideas (in French). A tip from the workshop for your photo: clearly visible faces, light from the front and a subject that is easy to make out.
What if ATAYS illustrations met MyTomette tomettes?
With our two worlds side by side, one idea was bound to come up… Why not imagine a personalised illustration signed ATAYS, adapted to be engraved on a MyTomette tomette?
To get a feel for it, we started from one of her illustrations: three friends in pink, green and black dresses, two with heart-shaped glasses on their noses, the third waving a pair in the air.
Laura's colourful drawing could be reworked into a simpler version, suited to engraving on terracotta. In adapting it, we made a point of keeping what defines her style: faces without a gaze, eyes closed in a single stroke, and the heart-shaped glasses right where they belong. The colours give way to the brown line of the engraving.
This is not a product for sale: it is an idea we would love to explore together. Our two ways of working are quite different, as it happens. Our photo tool redraws a photo in its own way: each attempt gives a slightly different interpretation, and you keep the one that feels like you. Laura, for her part, draws by hand, in a style you recognise at first glance.
A lovely family illustration, a couple on their wedding day, children, a holiday memory, a group of friends like this one… A meeting of illustration and craft, of colour and material, of two women makers from the Var.
Above all, a new way to imagine a personalised family keepsake, a personalised new baby gift or a wedding keepsake unlike any other. A lovely creative path to explore together!
Two women entrepreneurs from the South, and the joy of creating
Beyond our products, something else brings us together: a love of our region and the wish to make objects that mean something.
We both love this luminous Provence, the colours of summer, houses with that holiday feeling, and the memories we bring back from our happiest moments.
And then there is the pleasure of seeing new businesses spring up close to home. Watching Laura, who shared a year of the Pampa adventure with us, now growing her own brand, her website and her collections, and meeting her customers at markets, feels like a lovely continuation.
We love these stories of local women makers, each moving forward with her own personality, ideas and world, while sharing the same values.
A personalised photo gift that lasts
Looking for a personalised gift idea for a birth, a wedding, a birthday, or simply to treat someone you love? ATAYS illustrations and MyTomette tomettes each have their own way of telling your stories. One draws them in colour, the other engraves them in clay. And both share the same wish: to turn your precious moments into memories you keep for a long time.
With us, a photo can become a personalised couple gift or a personalised family gift.
To discover Laura's work: ATAYS Design, personalised illustrations, posters and colourful creations.
And to imagine your memories engraved in Provence: MyTomette, your story, engraved.
Two makers from the South, two worlds, and a lovely story of memories to share.
Read next in Inside the workshop
