Merry Christmas

Verz!n drawings

Illustration I made for an article for Verz!n about how writers only get a small share of the total income related to a publication. I liked this illustration more than my other proposal, which they eventually chose:

De treffers

I made a T-Shirt design for the 25th anniversary of badminton club "De Treffers". the Goose on the image is their masquotte.

From Londen #1

We spent a few days in London, which was a great experience. Some highlights: Sylvanian Family, Wicked the musical, Amish Kapoor, Batman & Superman, Forbidden Planet (the best comic store on the globe).

Egbert

This is a small doll Mone has. It's dressed up as a girl but it has a very strange expression on the face. We decided to call it Egbert, but you can call him/her Bertie if you want.

Elmo Quote

I want this

Verz!n cartoons #2: topic: Muziek journalistiek

For an piece on rock journalism.

ElmoArt: Dad with curly hair

Another masterpiece by Elmo. I'm quite proud of this one.

ElmoArt: Dad in the shower

During our last vacation, I took a daily shower with Elmo to wash off the dirt of the lake we swam in. When we came home, he made this drawing of how he remembered the scene.

Saskia D. Get Together invitation

My sister is leaving for a trip around the world during 9 months. This is the drawing I made for the invitation to an evening together with her friends.

Melanie and Gijs wedding invitation

What are you readin' #3

Last year, I was in my comic store in Leuven looking for new discoveries for my comic collection (as if I didn't have enough series to follow already). There is something very exciting about digging around in the great mass of available titles and finding undisclosed treasures that have been waiting for years before they share their secrets with you. (If you agree, then I recommend you read Hicksville, that story is all about that sort of kicks).

I was already following some Marvel titles at the time, so I was surprised to find a title such as the first "Northlanders" trade, standing out in the display of the store. I didn't know the US market had this type of material, and while at first site I expected an action-boosted version of "Thorgal", I was pleasantly surprised when turning the pages to find an art that is simply delicious, and a storyline that was about more then vikings kicking each other in the skull.

From there on, things went fast: the Northlanders title introduced me to the Vertigo imprint, of which in fact I already had some titles, not knowing the fact that it is to be considered as quality label. Not long after that I filled my shelves with titles as 100 bullets, Scalped, Vertigo Crime, Pride of Baghdad, Human Target, Greek Street.. and the list goes on and on.

But more importantly, it introduced me with the work of Brian Wood. After some research, I quickly came to the conclusion that most of what this guy has written is the work of a genius. I can't explain what exactly it is in his writing that is so great, but the least you can say is that it is versatile.

So, what am I reading these days? Brian Wood. And I'm planning to do so for a long time.

If you're curious in where to start, I'd recommend you DMZ and Northlanders, and if you're more into the creator-owned style of comics, Local is what you need.

Brian Wood is perhaps one of the best secrets European comicpublishers haven't discovered yet.

Liezl in the mud

What are you readin' #2

For years I've been buying books by Christophe Blain, and not once have I been disappointed. On the contrary, he continues surprising me over and over again. Is there something this guy can't do in comics ?

Quai d'Orsay gives the reader some insight in the administration of De Villepin, when he was responsible for foreign affairs in France. Written fluently by an insider, the short stories expose the absurdity and humor of the different circonstances in which the main character is living. I can only say that this book is an absolute MUST read for anyone, and a great gift to receive. Only a few weeks ago, De Villepin announced his ambition as a presidential candidate for France. I'm already looking forward to that.

Hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.

New drawings ?

I'm sorry that there are very few drawings I'm posting currently. I've got a big stock of them, but for different reasons I can't make them public yet (either it's an invitation I'm making for somebody, so I don't want to spoil the surprise, or it's for one of my projects I prefer only to show when I've progressed enough.

Here a little video I like: it's made by putting sequences of photographs behind each other, instead of actually filming the event.

Makes NY look like a miniature city.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

I love Lego #1

funny family

How my brother in law parks his car.

I love the way Ully can't keep from smiling.

Verz!n cartoon #1 - Topic: Aansluiten bij (creatieve) schrijversgroepen

The cost of moviemaking

If 2 talented persons can make this for almost nothing in a couple of months, I wonder why Hollywoodbudgets have to be so incredibly high.

Things that scare me #1: Shooting ranges in Germany today

What you listenin' to ?

2010 has been a great concert year so far - I just saw LCD Soundsystem this evening and they were pumpin' !

What are you readin' #1

Thanks to my sister (thankyouthankyouthankyou) and the nice people at Forbidden Planet, this is what I'm reading these days - a fresh import from London.

New series of posts

When the kids go to bed, at around 8.30 PM, they always ask us to stick around. As a consequence, I spend a lot of my evenings reading or composing mp3 playlists in the next room (while in fact I should be working on my own comic project).

So I present you with a new series of posts "What are you.. readin/listenin' to" in the coming weeks, in which you can check out what books / music grabs my attention lately. Hope you can enjoy it.

Guru's gone

On monday, Guru passed away. His album Jazzmattaz volume 1 is more or less the soundtrack to my early twenties. I thank him for that.

Gabriel Rios Jef Neve Kobe Proesmans

I witnessed an amazing performance yesterday. If you get the chance to see these guys, don't hesitate for a second.

Rome

Just had a splendid week in Rome with my family. I forgot how great the city is during the spring time.

Easter

MARVIN flyer

MF Doom: The mask

I read an interesting article on underground hip-hop, and that's how I discovered MF Doom. I'm not sure yet what to think of it, but the videos are absolutely FA-BU-LOUS.
Check this out:

My latest project: MARVIN

Elmo Art: babies

Saskia with Elmo and Mone in her belly - by Elmo last february. No idea where he gets his inspiration.

Looking forward in 2010

2010 missed a good start on this blog. I could give you all kind of excuses, but the reality is that I was missing some inspiration and needed a reload of batteries. After 3 months I think I'm ready to kickstart this blog again, so keep your eyes open for the coming weeks.

This post to illustrate how much I need something to look forward to.

In dreams..

Elmo Art: The baby that looks at his behind

Yesterday evening, Elmo made this drawing for me. He named it "The baby that looks at his behind". I believe the creativity of my boy will continue to surprise me for years to come. Note that each hand has only 4 fingers - "like the Simpsons have" dixit the artist.

Best wishes for 2010