maandag 10 maart 2014

A little 'I fucking love Paris' tour...




















I'm doing a little press tour on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th of March.
I'll be signing on Thursday in Brussels and on Friday in Paris.

Thursday I'll be at 'Forbidden zone' from 16:30-18:30, Rue De Tamines 25, 1060 Saint-Gilles.

Friday I'll be at 'BDNet Bastille' from 17:00-19:00, 26 rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris.

I'm looking forward to meet you and sign/draw your copies of 'I fucking love Paris'!

And here are some reviews:

RTBF.be
Samba BD
Ligne Claire 
BD Trésor 
Le mouv 
Men's up 
Easy rider 
PlaneteBD 
BD entre passion & ressenti 
SDI

And interviews:

Samba BD 
Génération BD  

maandag 3 maart 2014

I fucking love Paris

On march 12th the French translation of 'Paris' will be released in France (excited!) and will be titled 'I fucking love Paris' ('Paris' is a much too ordinary title for France).

À travers le destin de trois jeunes ambitieuses à Paris, un portrait sarcastique, cruel et drôle des milieux de la mode et du show business.
Obsédée depuis son enfance par la mode et la beauté, mais défigurée par une cicatrice consécutive à un accident de voiture, Hope part pour Paris, seul endroit pense-t-elle où elle peut espérer concrétiser son rêve : devenir top model. Les deux colocataires qu’elle y rencontre nourrissent le même genre d’espoir : Chastity veut à tout prix faire partie des people riches et célèbres, tandis que Faith ne songe qu’à devenir une chanteuse à succès. Mues par une ambition dévorante, les trois jeunes femmes partent chacune en quête de la gloire, ne s’interdisant rien ou presque dès lors qu’elles peuvent parvenir à leurs fins…
Joyeusement cynique et parfaitement amoral, ce roman graphique en forme de fable moderne brosse un portrait drôle et mordant des milieux dorés de la mode, du luxe et du show-business dans la capitale parisienne. Jeux de dupes, trahisons en tout genre et comédie des apparences, tout y est factice, cruel et vain. Mais au fond qu’importe que le glamour soit frelaté, pourvu qu’il brille…

With a new title comes a new cover design. I thought it might be fun to show you the different steps of how that went.

I got an email from the art director of Casterman asking me for a new cover design with a 'trick', a hidden message. Something sexual, please. So I was finally going to do my version of a sleazy sexploitation movie poster (Showgirls! Emmanuelle! The stud!).

First I made some rough sketches (and I'm only showing you the PG ones):















They really liked the one on the left and asked me to refine it:

 
















Switch it and make the breasts more round like a ball, please.
Now. Stars or nipples?
That's the question:














Stars are too American.
Vive la France!
Add lettering et voilà:






















Hope you like it?

maandag 24 februari 2014

Work romances...










































I made some illustrations for a book called 'Van in team naar intiem' by Stefaan Lievens.
It's about office affairs and you can order it here.

maandag 17 februari 2014

Working on another project...




















It's been very quiet here.
It's because I've been working on another project.
Can't say too much about it, but the picture will give you a hint.
More news soon...

dinsdag 17 december 2013

Birth card 'Mathis'




















This is the birth card I made for my new little nephew Mathis.
In real life he's even more adorable!

dinsdag 10 december 2013

Meet me at Strip Turnhout...










Strip Turnhout is a comic festival that I always try to visit! It takes place in Turnhout. I'll be signing at the 'Oogachtend' booth on saturday the 14th of december (this weekend) from 10:30 -12:00 and from 14:00 - 16:00 at The Warande.

I'm looking forward to meet you!

vrijdag 25 oktober 2013

Catherine




















I started drawing a couple of weeks ago (the fun part but also the most work) and here is a page from the new book I'm working on.  It's called 'Catherine'. I think it will be around a hundred pages, but it could be more...

dinsdag 1 oktober 2013

Stil vinyl


































I'm taking part in a group expostion called 'Stil vinyl'. Famous Flemish people were asked about their favorite music memory and artists were asked to make a new record cover for it. I was really lucky to get 'Fly me to the moon' by Frank Sinatra. Everybody knows I love the sixties, so this was a match made in heaven.

Other artists are Nix, Lectrr, Simon Spruyt, Steven Dhondt, Bart Schoofs, Sam De Buysscher, Shamisa Debroey, Ilah, Inne Haine, Jeroen Janssen, Delphine Frantzen, Kim Duchateau, Melvin, Maarten De Saeger.

You can visit the exposition from 11 oktober till 30 november at the Bib in Leuven.
More information here:

Cobra
Leuven stript
Flickr Leuven Stript

See you there!

dinsdag 24 september 2013

Working on a new project...

















Right now I'm working on the script for my next graphic novel. It's about a woman who goes trough a traumatic experience and starts to see very strange things. It is loosely based on 'The horla' by Guy de Maupassant. The story is slowly coming together. Writing is very hard for me. Every day I have to solve problems and the solutions seem to come to me when I'm not thinking about them. I hope to start drawing very soon!

donderdag 19 september 2013

Paris in Denmark















I'm so excited! 'Paris' is having it's Danish premiere this week! I never thought the book would travel all over the world. Just like in Germany they are selling it as a graphic novel especially made for women, and in a way that is true. But I made the book for me, because there was simply nothing out there that appealed to some of my intrests at the time. As a man, I like fashion, gossip and celebrities and I think a lot of people do. So why not put it in a graphic novel?

And with shows like 'the Kardashians', 'the Valleys' and 'Fifty shades of grey' movies, 'Paris' is still relevant today.

Get the Danish version here
Danish interview with me here

dinsdag 20 augustus 2013

maandag 19 augustus 2013

Rent economy















I'm on the cover and inside of the new 'Vrij Nederland'
this week with some illustrations about rent economy.

dinsdag 13 augustus 2013

Finished work on Little Miss Y.'s wardrobe!




















Just finished illustrating a do it yourself sewing book called 'Little Miss Y's homemade wardrobe' by Astrid-Fia De Craecker. It's going to be a gorgeous book with great retro designs, wonderfull pictures by Leen Van den Meutter, designed in fifties style by Sam Dams and illustration's by yours truly. It has the perfect dresses for when you are hosting a Mad men party, and let's be honest. We have all been there.




















It's scheduled to come out this September and is published by Lannoo.
Order it here.

dinsdag 30 juli 2013

Polly's fault























A wordless comic I made for the Dutch magazine 'Vrij Nederland' for the short story 'Polly's schuld' by Charlotte Mutsaers. Read the story here

vrijdag 7 juni 2013

Jommeke




















A time ago I was asked to make an ex-libris for a special edition of 'De zwarte bomma'.
I was very excited because 'Jommeke' is so much part of my youth.
The most memorable albums for me are 'De supervrouw' and 'Tita Telajora'.

I wanted to pay tribute to the classicly painted covers, but also make it contemporary and fun.
This special edition (including an exclusive ex-libris by me) is scheduled for October 2013.