Snow White teaser CJ education

CJ education, South Korea, released a teaser for their fairytale series. Some of my illustrations for Snow White are shown in this animation. Try to spot them!

Artist page on Facebook

Follow me on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/SebastiaanVanDoninckIllustrator

Het Rarebeestencarnaval.

iTunes.

First book on iTunes available from this summer (august). Cowboy Boyd & Mighty Calliope, to be published by Random House as both digital and as a paper hard back version.

Magnus in stores now!

Magnus has arrived. That means a party... Bring out the Champagne. Here's a preview on the book. From now on available in Belgian bookstores. :-)

The best Hotel

I loved reading 'The best Hotel', a story about child labour in India, written by Sonia Faleiro. I was looking for the right atmosphere and indian inspired colors. It reminded me of my trip to Pakistan, the neighbor country of India where I saw similar practices where little children of 5 year old were stitching our footballs in stead of playing with them.

First review in the states!

Happy news! My first critic in the states is a fact. On kirkus reviews from the 1st of june.

Cowboy Boyd & Mighty Calliope, Random house. Publish date August 27, 2013.

A cowboy and his rhino (yes, rhino!) defy convention in this fresh and funny tale.
Van Doninck and Moser transport readers into the American West as their heroes—silhouetted by the rising sun—ride toward the Double R Ranch hoping to find work and a home. Yet something about this idyllic picture is amiss. Calliope, as the ranch hands invariably note, is different. Unfamiliar with rhinoceroses, everyone mistakes her for a horse, leading to some misplaced expectations. Boyd, however, is an ever-faithful friend, always noting his four-legged pal’s positive qualities. His one-sided view and her different skill set cost them their jobs one by one, until the cattle get loose and Calliope saves the day. Digital illustrations feel handcrafted, and the details offer a tactile sensibility that gives the animals weight and warmth. The characters are also loose and spontaneous, and a warm palette echoes the desert setting. Visuals perfectly match text, and adult readers may find a Sam Elliott lilt inflicting their voices. Phrasing and use of onomatopoeia also contribute to the story’s comedic moments, accentuated by a design that integrates images with text. The silly situation bolsters the themes of kindness, friendship and acceptance, as the characters learn to have a strong belief in each other.
A ten-gallon hat full of fun, with a heartfelt message to boot. (Picture book. 3-7)

Tobin Tax.

illustration for a belgian financial magazine called 'trends'. With an article about the european Tobintax.

Cyprus banking crisis.

De gelaarsde Kat. Work in Progress

Character design for 'de gelaarsde Kat' or 'Puss in Boots'. Still looking for the right cat. Smart & charming, but also very sneaky.

Q&A for illustration Mundo.

Have you ever thought about quitting illustration? Why?

Yes I did! Off course. Who doesn't? Sometimes it gets more difficult on the way. Sometimes I start questioning everything I do and doubting about proceeding. But in the long run, I always come back quickly. It's stronger then myself. So far, when I'm unhappy with what I do, I will change something within my work, I will not quit being an illustrator, I will become a different illustrator.

Want to read more?

Here.

One hour of work in 60 screenshots.

Stichting Lezen Belgium asked me to register an hour of work for the flemish week of children's books. While finishing the cover of my newest children's book 'Magnus cannot sleep', I took a schreenshot every minute of progress. You can take a look here.

L.A. lecture.

I was invited by Otis, college of Art & Design to give a lecture and work/discuss with students illustration. It was a fantastic and inspirational experience, a highlight in my career. Once there, I saw this poster, made by the college, to announce my lecture. Beautiful! :)

Psychotic youth

This illustration was made for the Belgian Magazine Humo. It's used for an article about the parents of psychotic youth.

Magnus!

I proudly announce the birth of the first Magnus book with text by Kim Crabeels. There's much more to come with the same protagonist. This book is about Magnus, a little boy who cannot sleep. His head is filled with sounds, made by different animals... His mother searches together with him a way to make the animals go to sleep. It's about to be published in may 2013 in dutch by Lannoo Publisher, Belgium.

Pantone cyclists.

More material for the city guide of Antwerp and Gent. Soon to be published by Thames & Hudson. Huge fun doing Pantone colors... :)

Landmarks from the Belgian cities Gent and Antwerpen for Thames & Hudson..

Magnus

sneak peak into a new book called 'Magnus cannot sleep', in dutch 'Magnus kan niet slapen', with text by Kim Crabeels, to be published by Lannoo in Belgium this summer.

Italian press

Following on my presentation in Rome, Italy, the Italian press published some articles about it. Here's 2 of them.

ROMA, TI AMO.

I'm writing this message from the magnificent city of Rome, Italy. To be more specific, from my room at the Academia Belgica. I'm very excited and gratefull to be invited to give a lecture about my illustration work. The focus of the presentation was about the elements of fairytales in my contemporary illustrations. The work I did for Cinderella published by Lannoo publishers was showed at the national Library of Rome. Both the book and a big blow up of the illustration were exhibited. I think I might be going back soon... it's difficult not to fall in love for this monumental and vibrant city, altough it seemed mousson rains finally arrived in Italy. Arrividerci!

Below some pictures, sorry for the poor quality, it was taken from my phone.

Breaking free.

After almost a year of digital work, I got into my inks and pencils again. I feel completely refreshed, it's so different from the computer. Somehow the magic of the drying ink and structure of the paper and pencils puts a spell on me. It gets me back to a long time ago. I can't sleep, I should do more of these... :)

My working studio.

I want to ride my bicycle!

While I was making these different animal characters for the Storybird update, I felt like drawing every character on a bike. Each bike would match the character of the animal. Slowly a story is growing. I love this kind of working, just start making images and something will always eventually pop up. A story is born....

Storybird, the next generation.

More than 2 years ago, Storybird launched there site. Since then, my work on this site has been looked at for more then 314.000 (!) times and I got hundreds of comments on my work from english speaking children around the globe. Every day, I'll find a 'like', 'hearted' or comment in my mailbox, heartwarming. It's about time I'll do a big update. I'm working on animal characters in different moods, especcialy for the Storybird fans. A preview!

The Cat & the Oger.

One year ago I started working on my version of the infamous 'gelaarsde Kat' or 'Puss in boots'. I'm taking it back to the french classic and original by Perrault. My adaptation will be more contemporary and a personal view on the story. After one year of doing other projects, I will pick up where I left and start again on this personal book. The illustrations are going to be made by hand and the book will be published in spring 2014 by Lannoo. I'll keep you closly posted on this one, my favourite for the next year.

Snowwhite & the blue apple.

I just finished Snowwhite for Blue Apple books, USA. At the same time, it will be published as a translation for the korean market. Also, it will be distributed as an Ipad application. My very first digital book. Exciting!

Korean Merchandise.

Within a not so far future, some of my illustrations will be merchandised for the korean market. The same company who merchandises Elmer, The Moomins and the Jim Henson characters for the koreans. Not in bad company at all! I'll keep you posted about my very first merchandise....

Sneak peak

...into my new storyboard for an upcoming book. Meet Firefish Fred!

:)

Biennale illustration Bratislava, Slovakia.

A selection of my illustrtations for the book 'Goodnight everybody' was selected for the BIB 2011.

Groot van Liefde, Korean style! :-)