More illustrations

As I wrote before, sometimes I feel like doing some illustration-work after drawing page after page. Most of the time these drawings are connected to Splinters, the story I'm currently working on. Making an illustration gives the nice feeling of creating something that I can finish quite soon.

I visualize situations that could happen in the story in the future or that are just connected to the Second Worldwar, like the 'spying-scene' above.

It's also an opportunity to explore different techniques. I have done some water color ones and I've made some with colored pencil. In the future I like to try some other techniques like f.i. charcoal and scraper board.

I do most of my illustrations when I'm on holiday or some days off. It gives me the rest to try something else and often I get inspired by the landscape I'm in.

Splinters so far

After my exposition and making a New Yearscard for Klare Lijn International, I am focusing completely on Splinters, my new story, again. I work in parts at the story normally. That means that I do sketches, line-drawings and color-work of 30 to 40 pages together. In that way I can keep the overview and it gives me some variation. Currently I am working from page 139 to page 177 (and that's still not the end of Book 1).

After Esther and Victor have found each other back at the cemetery, Victor is telling her what has happened to him during the first weeks of the war. After the capitulation all soldiers, including Victor, had to go back to their camp. After a few days everybody who could prove they had a job, could go to their hometown.

At the end of may 1940 Victor, together with his mate Chris, are on their way home by bicycle. Along the way they are stopped by some German soldiers, who are watching over a crashed German plane. The situation then gets quite tensed...

I show you some of the sketched pages. 

Coöperation Oog & Blik and the Bezige Bij

In the United States sales of Graphic Novels have reached almost 30% of the total sales in regular bookstores. In Europe editors of literature see the interesting potential of this segment.

Oog & Blik is a small Dutch Graphic Novel editor with a beautiful list of authors. The Bezige Bij is a big Dutch editor of literature. They've decided to coöperate in editing graphic novels. In that way Oog & Blik (and its authors) have a fantastic entry to the regular bookstores and a new public.

This year the two editors have planned to produce some 30 books. On the list are famous authors like Chris Ware, Charles Burns and Dupuy & Berberian but also talented artists like Judith Vanistendael. 

Inspirated by...

I was born in 1961 and didn't experience the Second Worldwar myself. But in Splinters I want to reflect the atmosphere of that period as good as possible. I have seen a lot of images and movies about the war, but what I found very characteristic from that period are the propaganda posters, from both the Allies and the Germans.

They look very heroïc and strong. I especially like the contrast between light and dark and the use of color. It gives strong shadows on faces, clothes and objects. And that results in very clear, almost graphical images. 

I try to translate that style into my drawings and catch that recognizable atmosphere. And by using strong shadows, greyish colors, sepia and clear imagery, I hope to give my story its 'own' Second Worldwar feeling.

Card for Klare Lijn International

The unsurpassed Klare Lijn website asked me to make a New Yearscard bringing their best wishes for 2009. Being very honored by this request I made an illustration in which I tried to reflect the atmosphere of these days. But I also attempted to bring in a spark of hope for the future. And for the detail-lovers: some numbers can be discovered. The cards were signed and numbered.

Found picture of my mother

I have told you before that an important part of Splinters is based upon real history. I could use parts of the diary of my uncle Gijs. Gijs was one of the soldiers that stayed in the village where my grandparents and my mother lived. He and his mates tried to fight the Germans during the 1940 may-days.

My mother, Lena, was born on the 1st of may, 1931. So she was just 9 years old when the war broke out. She was my grandparents only child. The soldiers liked my mother very much, especially because of her white hair.

My mother has died in 2001 and I didn't speak a lot with her about the war-years. She was just a child then and didn't remember very much of it. A couple of weeks ago my father gave me her 'Stamkaart' and a picture on which you see here dressed as a soldier. He had found them while cleaning some cupboards. I think it's a lovely picture, but I can't say if she tries to give a dangerous look or is just shy.

Full page

In my new story Splinters I sometimes use 'full-page' illustrations. I like to focus on the emotion, action or person that is important at that moment in the story. I decided to bring in some variation in the lay-out of the pages by using one drawing to fill a complete page with. It also shows the reader that something important is happening, or that, for instance, a new day is starting or that they're going back in time.

It's not something new. Of course other artists did it already in the past, like Craigh Thompson in Blankets. I think it can work very strongly and can bring a lot of drama if you do it in the right way and and at the right moments.

Title typography

As a designer I know the power of a typeface to communicate something and give a word or sentence a strong or emotional character. For the title of my new book Scherven (Splinters in English) I've tried a lot different typefaces already. Trying to give the word the character that fits best to the story. I show you some of the more interesting ones I made.

I made the one on the top quite a while ago. I thought it would be nice when the letters where made out of splinters. When I saw it back a few months later I found it very obvious: you see waht you read and there is no emotion in it.

I think in the second one there is more atmosphere, it's raw, distorted and shows in a way the things that happen in the story.

The third one is my favourite at this moment (it can still change in the future...). It's sharp, a bit mean and you almost feel some pain in it. I think when you see this on the cover of a book, it gives an impression of what kind of story you can expect.

Expo has ended

Last sunday, 4th of january, I have taken away my stuff from Lilys gallery. The exposition has ended. It was a very nice experience. A lot of different visitors came by, also people who aren't directly comic-fans. I always feel a little pity when something like this ends, but my car was less filled when I drove home, because quite an amount of my work has been sold. That means that in some houses of some families, somewhere one of my drawings is brightening up a room.

Also on the Ephemerist!

On the European weblog The Ephmerist you can also read a post about my work and forthcoming story. Surf to The Ephmerist and read it!

Article on Forbidden Planet Blog!

On the Forbidden Planet International Weblog their continental correspondent has written an article about my books and coming story Splinters under the heading Translation Please. Want to read more, then go to Forbidden Planet

Contest

As I blogged earlier, there are now 2 sets of postcards in the Erik de Graaf assortment. As a little celebration of this new release, we present a contest where you can win a set of these cards. All you have to do to win is make the little livingroom above as funny as possible with your own text, pictures and everything you want. Email your result to: Erikdegraafcomics@gmail.com

You can join the contest untill the 31th of january, as many times as you want.  If you win the contest, I'll let you know by email!

You can get some inspiration from these pictures from people who already did this!