Thomas Barbèy grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, across the street from the “Caran D'ache” factory, the largest manufacturer of art supplies. He started drawing seriously at the age of 13, using black “encre de Chine” and gouaches for color. His influences were Philippe Druillet, Roger Dean and H.R. Giger. After living in Geneva for 17 years and designing posters for musical bands, he decided to move to Italy, where he lived in Milan for 15 years making a living as a successful recording artist, lyricist and fashion photographer.

The Lady Boys of Bangkok have fun at the Meadows August 1, 2006 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Lady Gaga attends the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on June 6, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

A protester holds a poster displaying the message “Get away UK” during an anti-British demonstration in the Iranian capital that resulted in a break in at the British Embassy on November 29, 2011 in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by FarsNews/Getty Images)

Military staff members of the German Bundeswehr check an Eurocopter Tiger military attack helicopter at the Eurocopter plant on March 8, 2012 in Donauworth, Germany. EADS, the parent company of Eurocopter as well as airplane manufacturer Airbus, is scheduled to announce financial results for 2011 today. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

A girl jumps over a campfire while celebrating Ivan Kupala Night, a traditional Slavic holiday not far from Kiev on July 6, 2013. During the celebration, originating in pagan times, people plait wreaths, jump over fires, and swim naked. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP Photo)

A mosaic artwork, copied from an original painting, is pictured in a workshop in Kafranbel town in the Idlib governorate January 17, 2015. The mosaic workshop with 30 workers, manufactures artistic and revolutionary mosaics in Kafranbel. Each mosaic artwork takes 5 to 10 days to complete. The artists exhibit their artwork in local and international exhibitions, and have a scheduled exhibition this month about the “Syrian Revolution” in Turkey. (Photo by Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)

A full scale replica of the sphinx, which is part of an unfinished movie and animation tourism theme park, is pictured in Chuzhou, Anhui province, March 3, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)