Papermaking in Plantin-Moretus museum Antwerp

Photos by Gert Van Gelder / Plantin-Moretus Antwerp

Dolls from paper and love

Dear friends,

I'm still alive, still.

These months I'm feeling like doing the best to not drown in the bath of work and deadlines. I'm doing the best I can, I'm enjoying the work I do but my mental mood and spirit is suffering a bit.

The best thing is that I really love my different jobs, just combining all of them can take sometimes too much energy. Look, I'm drawing paperdolls inspired on images made in the 17th century. Love to do that and sure  if you know that soon kids will can take their piece of paperdoll-paper in the museum and go colouring and cutting the dolls designed by me. Soon more, and also about that globe of Mercator.

Promise you to don't stay away too long from my beloved blog. Have to tell so much more!

Don't forget this place, I'm still here on the globe :)

You too I hope!

♥

Kathy

The giant letterbook : FINISHED!

 Remember some months ago? When I started cutting linoleum for this project. 

Almost 30 lino-plates later the book is ready!!! I will didn't count my tears while binding this book.

Recently I'm following a course about bookbinding and all the related things, but binding a book of this size (A3) isn't even a command in the first year of the course. So I illustrated the text of Barbara Vanden Eynde and finished the prints as one enormous book. The book will be used in a guided tour for toddlers and it has even the size of a toddler. Hope they will love it!!!
Funny detail : 3 more books like this to finish :) Wish me luck!

Handmade in Belgium

 Lovely things, handmade (or usefull to make things by hand :) in Belgium were brought together in an incredible old abbey close to Hasselt. (east of Belgium). I went with a friend of me and her two daughters and we were very happy to spent our sunday in this place! Full of creative energy, inpspiration and creations. I wanted to bring all my little things together I buyed, so here is my list of 6 artists/shops :

1. ARTEMYSIA / Photography, paintings and brand new badges. The one I choosed has a picture of an old cinema seat, love it!

2. HILDE GROVEN / Illustration and jewelry. I'm a big fan of her work. I bought this time a set of postcards with her illustrations. Earlier this week I couldn't resist to buy a ring from her in a very lovely shop near Gent -------- >PETIT BAZAAR

3. KARLITA / Jewelry and scarfs. Last week I was one of the winners of a giftcard for the fair. I was free to choose some prducts in her shop. I felt in love with 2 badges from felt and a badge and necklace with japanese paper
4. BABS RAEDSCHELDERS / Design, illustration & animation. :) that badge is me!

5 & 6. PAPIERMIER / Lovely webshop with paper goods. I bought some new washi-tape and a very usefull wooden mold to make envelopes out of all kind of papers. FUN!

Ooooh this was a nice afternoon. Now back to monday and all the work! Have a nice week everyone!

El gato Frank

 Last week I joined a workshop 'making your own puppet' in the workplace of Theater Froefroe in Antwerp. First I thought to make a girl like those ones I'm used to draw but suddenly she turned out into a cat and she became more HE :) With a block of foam, scissors, cutters and strong glue we started creating our 'thing'. Yesterday I took my creation to the kids of my saturday-class and they gave him the name Frank. Why Frank is a very good question! Zappa? Stella? Ghery? Anyway...don't try to guess. There are kids for! :) I will try from now to use our 'Frank' to tell them about painters, artists and creators from all over. :) When Frank is talking they are so quiet ;)))

Pillows around the world

 Always nice to see my drawings in other hands!

This pillow travelled to Chadia and she was immediately inspired to make a 'real' Cupcake-cat!

When I made this drawing I dreamed to eat one like that someday...and look!

Nice to see how are people are moved by my little drawing!
The pillow you can find in my SHOP
♥
Altijd super om mijn tekeningen in andere handen te zien!

Dit cupcake-kussen  inspireerde Chadia onmiddelijk tot het maken van zo een echte Cupcake-cat!
Toen ik deze tekening maakte speelde ik met het idee om zo'n cupcakes te maken, maar zie!
Heerlijk om te zien hoe mijn tekening vanlles in beweging zet!
Het kussen is te koop in mijn SHOP
Met dank aan Ilse Craeye voor de sfeerbeelden

Photos: Ilse Craeye

ABC - book in progress

I'm cutting and cutting, my back is hurting a lot...but I'm close to the finish and my own creations keep me going on. This viking turned out even more sympathic then I wanted, soon I fall in love with him :) Love the proces...colouring is so much fun!

B

The second one. Don't search for a link between the animal and the letter. The illustrations are going together with a text about letters and the magic of it. In this one it goes about the b that can form glasses together with his broter d...and so on ;) I know the owl doesn't need glasses but he was the right animal for this one I guess.

Olimpia & Dounia

Remember Olimpia, the cat of my friend Laura in Madrid. Laura wanted her four cats portraited by me as a gift on her wedding for all her family and friends. One year later Dounia, one of the girls from the fotoshoot I did tuesday, see picture down, dreamed of a pillow with the drawing of Olimpia. I designed one for my Envelop-shop, especially for her and everyone who loves this drawing, and so to thank me for all that she made this drawing inspired on my work. I truly LOVE this so much. It's so touching! Her mom started immediately to make a whole lay-out for tea-bags and cookies with her design. See her blogpost about it for more details HERE.
Such a funny and special gift!!! I went crazy for it and I stay crazy I guess! :)
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Dounia, ik wil je nog een keer extra bedanken voor deze supertekening!
Je maakt me zo gelukkig en ik smelt als een koekje met veel chocolade bij het zien ervan.
Tot een volgende keer, dan tekenen we samen ;) Liefs Kathy

Klapdorp - workshop

Dit was de tweede Klapdorp-workshop georganiseerd op het jaarlijkse straatfeest hier in Sint-Pauwels. Ook met deze kinderen wou ik eens t-shirts drukken d.m.v. sjablonen...en dat lukte aardig. Ik had heel jonge deelnemertjes en die vonden het eigenlijke drukgedeelte met inkt het allerleukste. Ik kreeg zelfs een boel ouders in beweging!
Dat smaakt alleen naar meer en nog en beter ;)
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This was the second workshop I organised on our yearly 'streetparty' in the village where I live. I wanted to give it a try to print shirts like I do sometimes in the museum and the results are stunning! There were a bunch of very young children (2-3 years old) and they loved the 'ink-part' of the workshop more then anything else. Also I could move a dozen of parents working with their kids.
It tastes so good, I want more of this and even better :)