Cultures Maison 5.

Nog!

Hoera! Nog een recensie uit de Humo!

In ander nieuws:
Morgen signeer ik "Snow's" op de "Antwerp Convention".
Meer info hier.

Recensies.

Enkele (Nederlandstalige) recensies van "Snow".
Best wel positief, waarvoor ik de heren recensenten dankbaar ben. ;-)
Respectievelijk uit De Morgen, Focus Knack en Zone 5300.

Snow signeer-sessie.

Ik signeer mijn debuut "Snow" op 22 februari te Kortrijk.
Bij deze, iedereen van harte welkom! :-)

Het boek is verkrijgbaar via uitgeverij Bries:
ria@bries.be
Of te vinden in de betere stripwinkel/boekhandel.

Copra fan art.

A few posts ago I was talking about Copra, a book by Michel Fiffe.
Here's my version of two of my favorite characters from that book.

Check out Copra!

Be sure to read his post about fight scenes in action comics, too.
Good stuff!

Interview in JOIA Magazine.

I have an interview/feature in the latest edition of Joia Magazine.

Full interview, in English:

Date and place of birth and place of actual residence, please.

04-03-1977, Izegem, Belgium.
I currently live in Heestert, Belgium.

In art, do you think “strange” or “weird” are only defined by statistics, or there other factors besides being unusual?

I guess it’s a personal thing.
What I think is weird might be perfectly normal to you, or the other way around.
I think it has to do with how much fantasy you have, your personality, sense of humor, 
upbringing, taste, etc.
I find that the weirdest art is often not meant to be weird.
For example, outsider art can be deliciously weird just because it’s so genuine and real.

I’ve read you feel influenced by Francis Bacon and James Ensor, besides 80s cartoon, which could be easier to tell. What can you tell us about those painters related to your work?

Years before I started sharing my work on the internet, I made paintings that looked like bad 
Bacon rip-offs.
Not because I wanted to copy what he did, but because it inspired me so much.
The work I’m making today is very different. Definitely more cartoon-influenced.
But he remains my favorite painter and I still count him as a major influence.

Ensor is more visible in what I do now.
He painted a lot of masks and weird figures.
In many ways his work has a cartoony quality.
If he’d live in this era, I think he’d be painting cheap Japanese toys.

Do you think people are grotesque? Why?

Grotesque might not be the right word.
But there’s something disgusting and at the same time attractive going on with people.
More so than the individual, I think society is grotesque.
All you can do is look at it in disbelief, shake your head and wonder why.

What materials do you use in your paintings and illustrations?

It varies. Mostly a mix of gouache and watercolors.
I like to make oil paintings too, it just takes more time.
I’m a bit too impatient now but I can see myself turning to oil painting later on.

Are you fully dedicated to art now, or you still have another job?

Yes, I have a day job.
I have a wife and child and I’ve got bills to pay.
If that wasn’t the case, I’d probably be fully dedicated to art.

How did you get to participate in Completoburger? What can you tell us about that book?

RANO (an artist and designer from Chile, aka "Acido de vainilla") contacted me through Flickr,
asking me if I wanted to send him one of my creatures for a book he was putting together.
The theme was funky burger/junkfood-art.
It turned out to be a really cool and beautiful little book.
I’m glad I was part of it.

Your work has appeared in publications from many countries, how do you take that worldwide recognition? And how was the process to get that recognition?

I take it with a grain of salt.
A few years ago I started posting my stuff on Flickr.
I didn’t have a plan, I just made things and shared them.
If you keep doing something long enough the recognition will grow, slowly but surely.
I’m in a better position now than I was a few years ago
but I don’t see any reason to get big-headed about that, you’re as good as your last work.

Is there a particular message in your work in general or each piece has totally different meanings?

I’m not the kind of guy that wants to put a big message or opinion in everything I do.
On the other hand… I believe somehow everything carries a message or meaning.
What I’m trying to do is create these characters and environments that can take the viewer away to a strange fantasy land for a moment.
If I succeed in doing that, that’s the main thing for me.
I see it as a form of entertainment.
If I can entertain people with my work, amuse them or maybe scare them a little, then I’m happy.
Mission accomplished.

How’s your work with clients? Do you get many instructions and directions or they come with general ideas and trust your ability to give shape to it?

They mostly come with a general idea or how the image should look and let me do my thing.
I leave some room for minor tweaking in the end and that’s it.
If I’d have to follow instructions all the time, I’d feel like nothing more than a tool.
There’s no way I could work like that.
I like to have some personal satisfaction from my work, other than money, even if it’s for clients.

Have you got bad critics from people and/or “art specialists” some time? How did you take it?

Oh, sure. When you’re putting work out you’re bound to run into critics sooner or later.
It doesn’t bother me that much. You can’t please everyone.
Besides, I think it’s healthy to be your own critic.

Evaluating your own skills as painter and illustrator: what areas or elements you feel you already master or close to that and what do you feel you want to improve?

There’s always room for improvement with everything I do. It keeps me going.
Technical skills can be mastered.
But what I feel is much more important, is finding your own voice.
That’s way more important than being able to make a flawless drawing.

Wolfman.

I've been busy working on a new book.
It's by far the biggest "project" I've done.
This is an early page I made for that book.
Decided not to use it.

More news and stuff later...

Puck.

Experiment in black & white for the Italian "Puck comic party".

PlantHeads.

A double pager from a while ago.

Don't have any plans for it, so might as well post it.

Copra.

I used to be a big fan of comic books.
Spiderman, Hulk, Batman, Avengers, X-men...
Whatever I could get my hands on.

Nowadays I still pick up a comic book once in a while.
But I rarely buy them anymore.
The artwork is often "over-produced" and bombarded with digital effects.
I guess they want it to look commercial or something...
To me it just looks ugly and soulless.

It might be a bold statement, but the future of superhero-comics is no longer

in the hands of big shots over at Marvel or DC.

Indie-creators are running with that ball now. Making comics exciting again.

Enter Copra.

Copra is the brainchild of Michel Fiffe.

Fiffe does it all himself. Writing, drawing, inking, coloring, lettering, printing,

promoting, distributing,... everything!

How much more "indie" does it get?

And what's even more amazing: he's getting a new book out every month!

Copra is a team of super-powered mercenaries, assembled to retrieve a head
that has some weird, demonic shrapnel stuck in it.
It doesn't take long before a group of villains shows up and the fun begins.

I've read the first 3 issues and I'm blown away by the overall quality of the book.

Just like in Zegas, another book by Fiffe, the writing is top notch.
The plot thickens, new characters get introduced and I've enjoyed some great dialogues.
The artwork is inspiring and adventurous, it has an "arty" and very personal feel to it.
It's an approach that I'd like to see more in superhero-comics.
I also love the character design. Some nice examples are on the covers.
My favorite character so far is Vitas. Looking forward to his return.
But the new guy with the white mask on the last page of issue 3 looks pretty damn cool too.

Ok, by now you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.
Go buy the book so we can talk some more.

Further reading:

Michel Fiffe's site.
His Tumblr.

Party Poster.

Zone 5300 and Schokkend Nieuws, the two powerhouses of Dutch magazine-land,
are celebrating their 100th issue.

As you can see, it's going to be a majestic slugfest. A fight to the death
featuring blood, bruises, gore, flames and freaks!
Possibly beer, wine and cocktails too!

Dambi.

Painted version.

Ananaargh!

"Ananaargh"- doll by the amazing Tracy Widdess.
http://brutal-knitting.tumblr.com

Bruno & friends.

Drawing Goat.

The Blageroos.

Favo de Fel.

I'm on the backcover of Favo de Fel 2.

Lotsa weird ass comics from Rio de Janeiro,
you can read the whole thing here.

Gotta love the internet!

Children of the Core 4.

Double M or Mandrake Manslaughter.

"Double M" is the Core's first layer TerrorMaster.
Coming from an ancient race, resurrected by the aliens,
Mandrake deeply hates anything that even resembles a human being.

3012 is his second year as a TerrorMaster
and he's looking to make an impact.

Hotdog.

One of my "creatures" got the "brutal knitting"-treatment!

Lots of awesome knitted artwork including masks, dolls and blankets

all by the talented hands of Tracy Widdess.

Check out her flickr-page too.

Tough Love.

While I'm not convinced that the world will end in 2012,
I'm pretty sure 2012 will end.

Enter 2013! Enter "Tough Love"!

I'm proud to be part of this gorgeous "pets"-themed calendar.
By the way, all of the proceeds of this calendar will be donated to a good cause.
Read more about it and go buy it here:
Ask Alice!

Out now!

Big Pink is out now!

Only 50 copies!

Get it here:

Graisse Animale

Plastieken Plunk.

I've entered a Flemish comics-competition called "Plastieken Plunk".
Please vote (!) for my little strip here:
http://www.plastiekenplunk.be/strips/plunk2012-11/
and help me get the win.
Thanks!

Coming soon.

"Big Pink" is coming.
What is "Big Pink", you say?
48 full color pages of comics and illustrations,
mutha-effin' A4!

So what's in it? Some personal favorites of mine from 2010 till now,
but also some brand new material from a book I'm currently working on.
The image above gives a taste of what to expect.

Pieces.

My contribution to the "Piecesbook"-project.
All kinds of (mainly Polish) illustrators and cartoonists are making a comic,
each making one panel.

I felt like introducing the "Murderous MegaBird"character.
Pretty curious to see what's gonna happen next.
Who knows, maybe they'll kill him off right away. :-)

Children of the Core 3.

Billy Ice.

Sparring with bears and tigers, England's Billy Ice
has quickly garnered a reputation among martial artists.

However, there's a rumour that Billy is addicted to MegaSnort Coke,
which could explain his insane behavior.

Big Pink!

Coming next month: "Big Pink"!

A4, full color, 48 pages.
Featuring "The Core" and much more.

Children of the Core 2.

Flattypus.

40% human - 30% amphibian - 30% fish.
Former champion of New Australia.
Trapped inside The Core since 3007.
Is rumored to be working for the Alien Overlord.

Children of the Core 1.

Ernie Toa.

The faceless karate expert.
Grows his organs outside his body to have more muscle mass.

Strength: Remains calm no matter what.
Weakness: Poor communication skills.

Summer Nights.

"The Core" is taking another break, but will be back in September,
together with an ultra-special announcement!
In the meantime: enjoy the summer!

The Core 21.

The Core 20.

The Core 19.

The Core 18.

The Core 17.

I took a little break from working on "The Core"
and now I'm slowly getting back into it.

Bergen Street Comics.

The small-press corner over at Bergen Street Comics, Brooklyn, NY.
One of the few precious places where you can buy "The Core"!
Publisher Hirntrust is the online solution.

Go buy, buy, buy!

Graphic Poem.

My "graphic poem" for comic-festival "Connecting the dots - Leuven Stript."
Text by Dutch poet and writer Patty Scholten aka Patty Klein.
It's on display in a mighty fine expo at the library in Leuven.
Hopefully it will intrigue some people and scare some kids. ;-)

The Core - The Zine.

Available april 2nd.

Order it here:

http://www.hirntrust.at/