Illustration starts beyond the edges of a white 350gr sheet of Canson.

Some interviews conducted by students from various art schools.

By Illustrator Henk Willems

August 18^th, 2024

Why did you choose this profession?

As a child, I loved nothing more than drawing and painting. If I wasn't playing outside with my friends, I would sit for hours bent over sheets of paper. It was my greatest waste of time. Nothing was so much fun like making up stories and drawing them. A trip to the art supplies store Schleiper was a thousand times better than a trip to the toy store. I drew on everything I could find, papers, back of tickets, posters, ... and in the youth movement I was also allowed to paint the walls with my drawings. From the age of 12 I knew for sure that one day I wanted to do a creative job, and preferably as an illustrator. I never saw myself doing anything else.

“Nothing was more fun then making up little stories and bringing them to life through drawings.”

Illustration starts beyond the edges of a white 350gr sheet of Canson.

What does an average working day look like for you?

I roll out of bed around half past seven, to step into my office an hour later. I have a sort of fixed ritual whereby I first feed the birds in the garden (my desk is in the middle of my garden). Afterwards, Spotify is always the first programme to start. After all, a selection of the right playlist is a must for a successful day. I only start with the real work around 9am and then usually continue until 1pm. The work involves answering emails, telephoning clients, arranging and organising things and of course designing. In between I also video call large part of the day with my colleague Jelena to discuss our work.

Then I always take an hour's break to eat something and read the newspaper (or watch a Rick and Morty episode on Netflix. Around 2pm I fly back in again usually until 6 pm, after which I have to hurry to the shop and cook for my family. After 8 pm I start illustrating because I like to do this when nobody disturbs me.

“Just me, my pencils, paper and some great music.”

What did you study in higher education?

I originally went to university after secondary school to study biology. I was completely convinced that this would be something for me. But after a few months I knew for sure that I had to leave as soon as possible. And then I went to Sint-Lucas (Luca Arts now) to study Graphic Design. I chose this course because the combination of text and image always fascinated me. I often drew posters for parties and friends, so I was actually always designing, even before I knew that I wanted to be a designer.

Do you work in a team or independently?

At the moment I combine two jobs. One as a lecturer graphic design at Arteveldehogeschool Ghent (Bachelor programs) and another as a freelance designer. When I am teaching, I am of course always in a team with other teachers. When I work as a freelancer, I work together with my creative partner in crime Jelena Peeters, with whom I run the Studio WillemsPeeters agency, specialised in branding and design. Before that, I have worked in various design and advertising agencies in Ghent and Antwerp.

Where do you work?

When I am not teaching at school, I always work from home. Since a year or two, I have an office in the middle of my garden. Surrounded by light, air and greenery is where I like to be. My ark shelter was installed 2 weeks before the first COVID lockdown. Talk about perfect timing. Nothing more inspiring then seeing the seasons turn into each other, something I never experienced before.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get most of my inspiration from books. I am really addicted to books. Art books, comics, graphic novels, illustration books, design books... you name it. Of course the internet is also a big source of daily inspiration. Fortunately, I have a good 'bulshit' filter that can distinguish all the nonsense from the good stuff. So you can often find me on blogs about branding, graphic design, architecture, fashion, art and music. But perhaps the greatest source of inspiration is the music that I am playing at the time, The rhythm of it also determines my design in a way. I design differently with classical music, than with disco. It all comes down to connecting the right genre to the right client.

“I am terrified of having my own typical style.”

Do you have your own style? How would you describe your illustration style?

I am terrified of having my own typical style. As a designer you should never have a fixed style. After all, clients pay you to always make something different and unique. Whether I also succeed in having 'no style' I do not know. I think it is easier for an outsider to judge that. I only know that I have a reasonable 'no-nonsense' style, a style that everyone understands and that is also very widely applicable for all my clients. My illustration style is a bit more defined. I like solid shapes and hard contrasts. I am a big admirer of Permeke and his hard and simple chequered figures.

What ambitions do you still have with your illustrations?

I have no great ambitions. After I graduated from art school, I actually stopped illustrating for more than 20 years. By teaching students at Arteveldehogeschool myself nowadays, my enthusiasm returned. It felt like coming home to the dream of that young boy of 12, who wanted to become an illustrator. Telling stories is what I like doing best, and with a few pencils, crayons and markers, I can do that better and better on paper. I also still prefer to work analogue. I spend enough time behind a screen for my job. Illustrating offered me the opportunity to get away from that. Just a white sheet of paper on which anything is possible, that's all I need.

Of course, I hope to make a few more books. My first book, 'Return of the Giants', already became reality. Afterwards, I had also planned to stop doing this for a long time because it takes up so much energy and time in between my normal work. I was completely exhausted after the first book. But blood runs thicker than water. And that is why I am already working on the second book now. A good friend and former colleague, Gert Mahieu, is now writing the story around it. That's how I like to work.

“After graduation from art school, I actually stopped illustrating for more than 20 years.”

How do your stories come to life?

Very atypical really. I usually start by drawing, a small idea, around which I make some prints. If it's good, other drawings follow very quickly, if it's not good, it disappears into a big drawer. The best ideas are developed further and further until I suddenly see a vague storyline. Once I have about 20 images, I call in an author who tries to tie it all together. So it's the world upside down. Normally an illustrator starts working on a story, I prefer to do it the other way round because then I don't have to do any compromises. I want to keep illustrating as a kind of 'freetime thing without a briefing' and I certainly don't feel ready yet to start drawing an existing story. For that, I still need to gain lots of experience.

There is, however, one story that I would like to tackle one day, something I have been striving for since my training. Namely 'The Happy Prince' by Oscar Wilde. That story touched me so much then and it still blows me away. I have no idea if I will ever succeed in creating the right images for it, but it is something I dream of.