Manticore

A two-legged manticore. I want to do a series of small lino cuts of similar creatures.

Manticores and Thunderbird

Have been going through old stuff. This one's not dated, but it must be from around 2003. Acrylics on board. Four Manticores and a Thunderbird (Argentavis Magnificens)

Sine Qua Non

Working on a cover design for a new edition of my book Sine Qua Non from 2005, which is scheduled for the autumn, but one never knows... Top to bottom: front and rear, without typography, and the original cover. The original edition (almost sold out) was in English and French, this one is going to be Danish. Not that it matters that much: apart from some banners with Latin phrases, the stories are wordless.

My show in Nancy, France

Until the 23rd of April 2011 will my show continue at the MJC Lillebonne, 14 Rue du Cheval Blanc in the centre of Nancy, France. This is one of the poster-size digital prints I have done with the support of the BKVB Art Fund in Amsterdam. They work really well as the eye-catching element as most of my original artwork tends to be small, not larger than A3 size.

The opening went nicely, in a friendly atmosphere and with lots of good snacks and drinks - yes, the French live up to their reputation, I must say, when it comes to that.

More snapshots can be found on the blog of Matthias Lehmann, who organised the show. http://www.blocmatthias.blogspot.com/

Bestiarium (reprint)

This is going to be the cover jacket (with flaps on the left and right) of the reprint of my Bestiarium book that was published by Le Dernier Cri in 2008. It has been sold out for a while. The black and white line art was done in nostalgic scraperboard, the colouring is Photoshop (no filters). The idea is to have it done as mimeography, a printing process that went the way of the dodo in the 1970s. There is however a limited number of places where you can still have it done. There is a special feel to it, it enhances painterly effects, in contrast to off set printing, which tends to smoothen and polish artwork. I hope to have it ready for a show at the 1er Degré gallery at the MJC Lillebonne, 14 Rue du Cheval Blanc, Nancy, France. Its opening night is on March 25th. The show is curated by the insanely talented Matthias Lehmann from Paris, whose scaperboard skills are humbling. Check it out on blocmatthias.blogspot.com. Until February 26th the art of Jakob Klemencic from Ljubljana is on display, with many fantastic linocut prints.

Atomi (or Astomi) are described as mouthless people who feed by sniffing apples. Amyctyrae have enormous lips like some still exisitng African tribes but in some medieval depictions those make them look like tusks sometimes.

Marcel's Intro

Hello to all.

A few words about myself: I have been drawing comics as long as I could write a little (age 7). As the typical art school drop-out, I started self-publishing in 1987, inspired by the DIY wave of the punk era (although I wasn't into punkrock musically). Contributed to numerous fanzines and the like. I am proud to be with the Le Dernier Cri family, with two silkscreened books, a poster and a Tarot card set. My style has changed a couple of times through the years. My current art is a lot lighter, inspired by medieval imagery. I did two graphic novels in this style, Sine Qua Non and Inferno (the latter is a playful adaptation of Dante Alighieri's masterpiece) which met with some success in Holland, France and Hungary. At the moment, I am working on a follow-up, based on the lives of saints. Please note that I am not religious nor a lapsed catholic with a grudge. History fascinates me and when dealing with the Middle Ages, religion comes with the territory.
I hope to share some neat off-beat artwork on this blog. This picture is from my latest LDC book, Bestiarium. Thank you.