"one last minute family portrait coming up ..."

two weeks ago i got a last minute commission for a family portrait. a hectic day of painting ensued, and it was a lot of fun but also excruciating - what colours do i use? how do i do the eyes? what about the background? what do i do with the background, now that i have started with these orange bits? working with actual paint on actual paper is something i haven't done for a while, and boy, did i feel it! no simple "delete" commands here ... but it's just such a lovely thing, not only doing it, but having something like that done for you. the birthday boy (or man, rather) loved it, so everybody's happy! :)

crucero #3 info illustration

here's a few shots of the sad ship/happy ship illustrations i did for the current 3rd issue of cruise ship magazine "crucero":

io sketchbook entry

the io sketchbook has been doing its rounds despite the german postmen's strike. i chose the one with the guidebook/how to theme, because i wrote a little text that fits that description, it's called "what to do when you have some time on your hands" (you can read it in pandora #8). it's wordplay and a little surreal, and it was fun to put images to. the sketch was supposed to be unfinished and open, to show your process. it got a bit smudgy from the pencil, i hope people can still read it. you can find more sneaky peeks at entries from all the different books here - or come see them for real at the buchmesse frankfurt in autumn!

crucero #2

it has been on the newsstands for a while, and it's successor is almost ready to set sail. this is my second title for german crucero magazine, with a pensive copenhagen mermaid and fluffy cloud formations.

hello io!

it seems i forgot to mention some important news: last year i became a member of the german illustratoren organisation, you can find my work and details in their online portfolio. they represent the artistic, political and business interests of all illustrators in germany.

today was my first time going to the general meeting of the members, which luckily took place in frankfurt this time. the location was lovely, they had rented a room at the hr broadcasting house, surrounded by blooming trees and sports grounds. it was a joy to meet all the different kinds of illustrators: technical, childrens books, animation ... lots of stories and business cards were exchanged, and after a long and interesting day of presentations, discussions and votings we were dismissed with a lovely huge buffet and barbecue on the balcony. thanks, guys!

frankfurt and beyond - more stories from the vhs

the new issue of pandora, the magazine of the vhs frankfurt's english creative writing courses, was a great opportunity to do some collaging, which was very enjoyable. my personal favourite is the bee in the dress! one of the perks of being the designer is that i could naughtily slip in two short pieces after the deadline ... ;)

back to the future - an interview with workyourart.com

a few weeks ago i was suprised and delighted to find an e-mail from debbie in my inbox, asking me if i would be interested in doing an interview with her.
debbie runs "work your art", a website dedicated to helping creatives with the business side of it all. there are guides, how-tos and interviews, and you can also sign up to get a "work it weekly" to-do item via e-mail to further your promotion and selling skills.
answering debbie's questions was a good way of focusing on my goals, and really thinking about what i would like my own ominous five-year-plan to include. since i have not sold much of my work, and it's only available at a small café in my hometown, i can't say much about the business side yet - so i contributed the little i do know, and hope it is at least an interesting read for anyone who is just starting out - or a slow starter like me! :)

you can find it right here.