JASPER VAN GESTEL on Colours, Tattoos and Selling Mouse Mats.
“The world is becoming a grey and over-regulated robotic place. Illustration brings colour.”
The fusion of geometric shapes and animals (in a playful sense) has been the predominant element in your work, where do you draw inspiration?
I think animals are great metaphors for human behavior and emotions. The geometric shapes in my work often are minimized symbols like a moon & stars, a vase, a face, spots in the fur of an animal, they can be anything and I love them because of their timeless simplicity.
When was it you developed an interest in illustration and animation?
I liked drawing since I was a kid but the first time illustration and animation really got my attention was as a student in Antwerp, when my wife (still my neighbour back then) showed me her books and DVD’s from Pictoplasma, Taschen, and yes, also Stickerbomb That’s about ten years ago. I didn’t know a lot of good artists and references before, coming from a small village where all dudes played soccer and drank beer. I only did the last part. Then I moved to Antwerp and never went back.
And do you remember your very first paid job?
Yes, it was for a bike store from Antwerp. Made a little hand-drawn stop-motion animation for them. I remember I animated it on my floor with a camera I borrowed from my art-school.
Aside from illustration, animation, and painting, you are now tattooing. Can you tell us a bit more about it and why?
I’ve been in love with tattoos since the day I can remember – I used to stick these fake ones on as a kid. In high school all I did was draw on arms.
When I was 17 I took the train to Antwerp and got my first tattoo. Many tattoos and years later Nathalie, my wife, traded her LP decks with Younes from Brabo’s Hand Tattoo and gave me a backpiece tattoo as a gift. Yes, Nathalie is very nice. During these long tattoo sessions Younes and I got along well – the guys at the shop also seemed to like my illustration work and Younes offered me an apprenticeship at Brabo’s Hand in Antwerp.
I thought I was too old, but he convinced me and taught me all the stuff. Together with the other tattooers at the shop, I got great tips and advice on this craft and it’s the hardest skill I ever tried to learn and the first steps were pretty nerve-wracking. But today I’m in my second year as an apprentice, tattooing 1 day per week at the shop, which has a great creative vibe to it. And I like it a lot. We’ll see what the future brings.
What is your favorite piece of (commissioned) work you’ve done and why?
I tend to always like my recent work the most. So right now I like the stuff I did for the Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp. The 2 new books I made for kids, editorial illustrations for the English Fare Magazine and the illustrated/animated campaign I got to do for the city of Antwerp.
What is the most difficult part of being an independent artist?
Looking for the balance between the stuff you want (and need!) to make and being able to pay your bills while doing that. For me personally, that has been a struggle since the day I came out of art school.
Sometimes I wish I could just be happy with working a 9 to 5 at some multinational company selling computer mouse mats or something. It would make things easier. But I can’t.
