The Magic of "Belle Epoque"

Since the introduction of iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablet PCs, the interactive children's book segment has developed into its very own branch in the world of e-books. Among the many artists in this diverse genre, Matt Roussel stands out as one of the best illustrators and 3D animators.

For many years now, Matt's work can be seen in many French magazines and newspapers that use his unique style to attract and entertain their readership. It's been two years since Matt, together with Valentine Parguey, created the interactive children's book "Scott's Submarine", which went on to become a hit in Apple's App Store and on Google Play. The book reached #1 in France, Spain and Belgium's App Top 10 and received rave reviews in the UK and Australia.

Matt continues his success story with his newest title, "Mademoiselle Daisy's New Friends", written by Amelie Sarn. This interactive children's book was also done in Matt's own unmistakable illustration style. The images look like miniature models in which paper mâch move, which he created using Cinema 4D. "An application that is user-friendly, works reliably and offers incredible power for modeling," explains Matt.

Matt's new app and both mini games, which are hidden in Daisy's "Belle Epoque" world, were developed using the Corona Cross Platform Development Kit. Images and parts of images were split into 3 layers in Cinema 4D and were applied as separate background, foreground and object layers. The graphics were then exported to Corona where functionality was applied - and the finished apps were then compiled for the respective platforms.

As with his previous titles, Matt's exquisite graphics and their special flair make "Mademoiselle Daisy's New Friends" a joy to look at throughout the entire e-book. This visual experience is particularly enhanced on the new retina display of the iPad 2 - even better than a printed book.