A Window into Renewal: The Art of Skin Renewal

At Mont Trod, we see skincare as a perfect balance between science and art. To explore this connection, we invited Andreas Avgousti, an award-winning horror film director and skilled hand illustrator, to collaborate on a special piece inspired by skin renewal.

His ability to create both chilling cinematic experiences and delicate, expressive illustrations mirrors the duality of skincare - destruction and regeneration, shedding and rebirth. In this conversation with our founder, Helena, we explore transformation, artistic process, and the deeper parallels between skincare, storytelling, and the evolving nature of self.

This collaboration, titled “A Window into Renewal”, captures the way skin evolves over time - just as stories, art, and nature itself do.

The Intersection of Illustration & Skincare

Helena: Your work spans both horror films and hand-drawn greeting cards, two very different styles. Do you see a common thread between them?

Andreas: At first glance, directing horror films and drawing greeting cards might seem like completely unrelated creative fields, but I definitely see a common thread between them.

As absurd as it might seem, my love for horror films started from a very young age and so it was a no brainer for me that I wanted to focus on horror films as a film writer/director. Art has always been in my life as I have been attending art classes since the age of seven. As a result, my creative process for making a film always starts with sketches and drawings before I even put pen on paper. The plot of the film is unravelled through art and that makes it easier to imagine the mood, vibe and atmosphere, once I start writing the script.

About three years ago, I came up with the idea to start ‘GreetingCaards’; hand illustrated greeting cards. However, I didn’t want to design your run of the mill cards; but create alternative, moodier ‘darker’ cards that still elicit emotions of joy, love and gratitude. I carefully choose visuals, colours and composition to provoke the desired emotional response; just like a horror film aims to evoke fear and suspense from the audience. Making these greeting cards was a way to practice my art while simultaneously embracing the horror genre thus marrying the two styles together.

Both greeting cards and horror films tell a story through visuals, albeit in very different ways, but the idea is the same. A greeting card often tells a simple story of celebration or love with just a central image. A horror film also follows a simple story that is told through imagery, sound and action. The visual storytelling in both however, is about transforming a basic idea into something meaningful whilst creating a connection with the audience/recipient.

Helena: Horror films often focus on survival and transformation - characters evolving through intense experiences. Do you see any connection between that and how skin regenerates itself?

Andreas: Funnily enough, many horror films explore these themes in visceral, often disturbing ways, where the main characters undergo physical transformations as part of their struggle for survival. These transformations often include supernatural or even grotesque alterations to the skin, which ties into the concept of skin regeneration and healing.

This connection between skin regeneration and transformation and survival in horror films highlights how the body’s ability to heal can become both a blessing and a curse, as skin regeneration is often depicted as both a tool for survival and a source of horror.

Helena: At Mont Trod, we study how skin follows natural rhythms - shedding, healing, and renewing itself. Your art often plays with texture, erosion, and light. How do cycles of change and renewal show up in your creative process?

Andreas: In both art and skin regeneration, the processes of shedding, healing and renewing play out in complex ways. Just as skin sheds its outer layers to heal and transform, art often explores themes of texture and light to reveal new levels of meaning and form. For example, the way light interacts with surfaces, whether it’s the surface of a canvas or the skin, helps reveal the complex narrative beneath the surface. The result is a deep connection between how skincare regenerates the skin and how an art medium like paint manipulates the perception through light and texture.

My creative process is pretty simple. Whether I am drawing a portrait or landscape, I like to first imagine where the source of light is coming from and that distinguishes where the shadows should be. Then, I start layering the surface; giving it depth but also character as I go along. The first layer is usually a quick background without any detail and with every layer I apply, I add something new (usually do a quick sketch with a pencil just as a guideline and then I go straight with the brush) and this allows me to naturally explore the artwork as I go along.

Currently, I am going through a phase of using watercolours. However, having been using acrylics all my life, I wanted to infuse the technique I learned from acrylics and rather than having a watery effect, I use a tiny brush to add details and multiple layers of different textures as I would with acrylic paints.

Light plays a crucial role in how texture and surface details are perceived as there will be more texture and detail in lighter parts. The use of light and shadow can transform the appearance of an artwork, where there is more light, there is also more texture, much like how skin texture is much more visible when exposed in light.

The Creative Process Behind the Collaboration

A Window Into Renewal

Helena: Your artwork for Mont Trod, “A Window into Renewal,” was created exclusively for this collaboration. Can you describe its meaning and how it represents skin renewal?

Andreas: When I sat down to think what I wanted to draw for this collaboration, I realised I wanted to make something that not only captures the essence of Mont Trod but also showcase the actual process of how our skin evolves over time. Texture and light work together perfectly to transform the emotional impact of the piece. The layers of colour used in “A Window into Renewal” along with the slight variations in light and texture give it a sense of living and breathing, like real skin. The piece almost seems to evolve with every glance, mirroring the ongoing process of skin renewal. The wall is made of natural rocks, and its pattern oddly resembles keratinocytes in the skin. Just as the wall’s surface crumbles, our skin sheds its outer layers over time, revealing something new and beautiful beneath.

Helena: That’s a fascinating comparison. Were there any unexpected challenges in creating this piece?

Andreas: Creating an original piece is a challenge by itself. One thing I found particularly tricky however, was finding the right balance between creativity and realism. As the piece was evolving, I looked at different plants and trees I wanted to incorporate in the design and I wanted to blend them naturally but at the same time give them my own unique spin.

Looking Forward

Stories, Skin & Self-Evolution

Helena: If skincare, film, and illustration all tell stories, would you say they’re all about evolution in some way?

Andreas: One thing I know really well is that most things have a beginning, a middle and an end. In a film for example, the characters must go through a journey, an evolution of sorts. They will start at point A and over the duration of the film they will conclude to point Z. Throughout this journey, they learn new things, adapt to new settings and evolve into a new version of themselves. Something, I can definitely see happening in skincare; how our skin evolves as we age but also how it transforms when we take care of it with the right skincare routine. Change is inevitable but also the true essence of art, film and definitely skincare.

Helena: If you could describe this collaboration in one word, what would it be?

Andreas: 'Artistry’. This project encapsulates the seamless integration of artistic design with functionality. Throughout this collaboration, I didn’t feel like this was ‘work’ but a window of artistic expression that highlights the craftsmanship of the piece and also embodies the essence of the brand’s purpose.

Closing thoughts

At Mont Trod, we believe skincare is part of a personal evolution—a process as intricate as the art we create and the science we develop.

This collaboration, A Window into Renewal, is more than an artwork. It’s a mirror of our own cycles: the shedding of the old, the blooming of the new, and the quiet beauty that lies in between.

✨ You will soon be able to explore the artwork through our limited-edition spring gift boxes, available online next week.