Poster babes

 

These girls were made for two seperate poster designs I was comissioned for recently. The bottom one was for a dance afternoon featuring oldies hits and her name is Veronica (she's also my submission for this week's Illustration Friday prompt 'red'!)

The top one was for an announcement for a billiards tournament and she doesn't really have a name yet (open to suggestions :))

Pot o' Gold

It's March, which means it's time for another playlist and we're going green! Belgium doesn't really have a particular connection to Saint-Patrick's Day but wherever there's an Irish pub, the holiday gets celebrated. Belgium has a lot of pubs, and quite a few of them are Irish, so there ya go. That's really all the encouragement I need to get into it :)

The playlist will feature our (that's me and my brother, who does the majority of the work in assembling these lists, for those of you who are wondering) favourite songs from Irish bands. We're going countdown style again, so a song gets added to the list each day.

You can follow along on [Youtube], [Spotify], or my [Facebook page]

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

Pop the cork

Yep, it's that time of year again. "The Big Champagne Tournament" is a bumper billiards tournament in my town for which I've designed the poster for the third year in a row now. I don't think I'll ever get tired of drawing pinups. They're fun, light-hearted, flirty, sexy and just make me smile every time I draw them. And they work really well on posters IMHO so that's what I went for. 

This one's got a bit of an edge to her though! I've been reading a lot of comic books recently and something about those graphics must have lodged itself in my brain because when I went to draw her arms they came out quite muscular. I took it from there and then after a while this tough cookie emerged. I love her hair! Here's the finished poster.

100!

ONE HUNDRED BLOG POSTS! 

Woop woop! Thank you for taking an interesting in my work. Wether you're just passing by for the first time, or you're one one of the people who follow and are so generous with comments (don't think I haven't noticed you people, I have!), I'd like to give you a great big hug. Being able to share is what keeps me going. Now, on to the next hundred!

Happy B-day Brother-in-Law

I've got a brand new brother-in-law. Actually, he's been around for quite a while but him and my sister recently made it official, got hitched, tied the knot, jumped the broom,... I'm running out of ways to say he finally made an honest woman out of her (last one, I swear) so in short: they got married!

Now that it's in writing he qualifies for on of my special custom made birthday card illustrations. I'm kidding, off course, you don't have to be legally related to me to get one of those. It depends on the time and inspiration I have available at the time of your birthday so it's basically a lottery. Some get lucky, some don't, and this year brother-in-law is getting lucky! (wait, did I just come up with another one?)

He plays pool and he's a man. Hot pool playing chick with a bow around her neck seemed appropriate.

Cancer

When I think of Cancer (the zodiac sign obviously) I think sunburn. Me and sunburn go waaay back, since I am blessed/cursed (still not sure, after 28 years) with very pale and above all extremely sensitive skin. So a heartfelt shout out to all my fellow summertime lobsters out there!

This one is sort of an elaborate version of a sketch I did over a year ago, you can see it HERE. Although Belgium has a beach, going there is currently not an option. Because another thing Belgium has is rotten weather. Nature is not without a sense of irony, after all. This summer has been particularly depressing so far with lots of rain and little sun. I do hope for my mental health's sake that it'll change around at some point. *crossing fingers*


Cancer
You like to know what's going on in the lives of everyone in the galaxy. However, you tend not know know what's going on in your own. If you are lucky, your friends will tell you. Cancerians only get dressed because they have to, and their fashion sense can only be described as "erratic." You are more likely than any other sign in the zodiac (except Pisces, who does not iron) to iron your clothes by sleeping with them sandwiched between the mattress and box-spring. Likewise, you can stretch one pair of underwear out for almost a month. Your home is like your very own Biodome, and you can remain indoors for months at a time. Despite your need to be everyone's savior, you need no social interaction. SWAT teams often show up, mistakenly thinking there's a hostage situation. A Cancer is like a walking Ladies' Home Journal, quick on the draw with shortcake recipes and helpful hints on how to talk to your teen. Whether they know it or not, they are all born with an exceptional talent for cross-stitch. So much for buying the world a Coke - they would breast-feed the world if they could. This trait is not gender-specific. You will never excel in sports because you have to rest for fifteen minutes every time you breathe. You do not mind, since you plan to conduct your career from the comfort of your own bed. You maintain your questionable health through a steady diet of Ho-Ho's and beer. You also imbibe a great deal of Pepto-Bismol in order to confuse your numerous ulcers. People walk on you often. Actually, not often - all the time. If you think someone is screwing you, you're probably right. The most entertaining thing about this is that you like it. You strive to be a doormat. Cancerians coin their own words to describe philosophical concepts. This is why it is no surprise that George W. Bush is a Cancer. Cancerians have minimal influence over their friends, even though they show up with homemade soup to remedy every minor or major tragedy. However, they wield their power through the fact that they know what everyone is thinking at any given time. This is why they are never invited to parties. Cancerians claim to be "tactful". The word for this is actually "shiftless". Cancerians are always appointed to take their drunken, drooling friends home. These friends are usually Pisceans.

Gemini

Poor Gemini, they had to wait quite a while for their pin up representation. But if it's any consolation I'm now  so behind that every zodiac sign from now on will probably be a bit late. Only three more days and it's already time for the Cancerians to take over! 

Enjoy the time you have left Gemini!

Gemini
Everyone loves a Gemini because everyone loves a schizophrenic. You like to think that you are a half-and half mixture of Socrates and Michelangelo, but in reality it's more like Prince and Bea Arthur. You are progressive, outgoing, and one of the most popular rides at Cedar Point. However, you can and will negate all of this by the time you're finished reading this sentence. Geminis drive funny cars. They often drive them into trees or buildings. Geminis are pushy and overbearing. They pick fights with small children and moon people at weddings. They like to use Libras as punching bags. A bisexual Gemini is a walking double date. The rest are hermaphrodites. Geminis vandalize their own houses. Geminis use far-fetched analogies to describe philosophical concepts. Geminis rarely compete in the Olympics. When they do, it is usually pool or air hockey. Frogger turns up as well. Geminis are always on some sort of medication. This medication is not always legal. Gemini is Latin for "I'm okay, I'm okay." Geminis speak very loudly in order to be heard. This is unfortunate as they are nearly always talking to themselves. In fact, they often pick animated arguments with themselves in the bathtub. The most famous Gemini in history is Orville and Wilbur Wright. Geminis are frequently abidextrous, which means that they can pick both sides of their noses at the same time. The Gemini is essentially nothing more than a paranoid Aquarius.

Taurus

Howdy! Taurus has always been one of the easier ones of the zodiac for me, I've had the idea in my head since I started the series. Taurus makes me think of bulls, obviously, and bulls make me think of catlle herding which brings us to ranchers and the whole wild wild west theme. I don't get that excited about cowboys (it's the spitting I think. Cowboys always seemed to do a lot of spitting in those old western movies. Personally, I like a man who can keep his saliva to himself). But cowGIRLS... Now, they're something else! They're totally badass, as proven by Elizabeth Taylor in 'Giant'.

I think I'm mostly in awe of how she could pull of wearing a cowboy hat and still look cute, while I look like a total idiot when attempting that same look (For Halloween or a dress-up party or something, I'm not strolling around the streets in cowgirl getup, just to be clear). I convinced myself it's because we only have knockoffs over here. I mean, the hats are an American phenomena and thus all such items that are sold outside of the US of A are just not the real deal. And that's why said hats refuse to sit on my head in a fashionable, or even acceptable, manner. Yeah.... That must be it... It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm not, to my dismay, Elizabeth Taylor...

Anyway, moving on! :D

Taurus
You are brooding emotion incarnate. One minute you're up, the next you're down, the next you've shot your favorite newscaster in the kneecaps, "just 'cuz.". You're very earthy, which may mean that you don't shower as often as most people. Or it may just mean that you like to roll around with your nose in clover and sigh. Taureans love happy movies where everyone is jolly and having fun, but they fight with waiters and get upset with billboards. They like to psychoanalyze their friends but have no real experience with life in general. Taureans mumble while describing philosophical concepts. The Taurus is a strange bird because he or she holds grudges about things that never actually happened. This may stem from the feelings of inadequacy resulting from being beaten out for first in line in the zodiac by Aries. That is the Taurean self-image, always second best. However, they are undoubtedly the best at feeling like second best. All Taureans want to be God. Unfortunately, God is an Aries. You are generally tough to figure out because you answer every question with a question. Also, you won't come out from under the bed. Most Taureans love conflict. If nothing is wrong, then that in itself is something wrong. Some especially like bar fights. If they can't get into an actual bar fight, they will make up interesting stories about them which they can tell their friends right before they psychoanalyze them. If it weren't for Bazooka Joe and The Family Circus, Taureans wouldn't know what to do. You feel that you are going nowhere in life. You are probably right. Taureans are impatient and pushy. They are in a tremendous hurry to get to the nowhere that they intend to go to. They make little dioramas of their homes, complete with tiny effigies of the people they know, and act out scenarios of the way things would be if they were God.

Aries

The year is just flying by it seems, it's already time for the next zodiac sign in the series. Aries, please step unto the podium! I thought a feisty pool-playing bonde bombshell would be apropriate to depict this headstrong fire sign. :)

And as before, here's another funny characterisation of all you Aries out there. If you're wondering, here 's where I'm getting those.

Aries
Aries have ramlike eyebrows and smug expressions. They should not be quite so smug because they are constantly clunking themselves in the skull. Cat Stevens' "Hard Headed Woman" was probably an Aries. Aries rarely say one thing and do another. They usually do the wrong thing and don't discuss it. Never point this out to an Aries unless you want your kidneys pulled out through your sinuses. Aries folks love Pisceans because Pisces people make them feel well-grounded. Aries love to laugh at the funny moon-people who suck their thumbs at age 35. Aries use guns to describe philosophical concepts. Whether you live in a palatial estate or a cardboard tepee, you will insist until death that it is exactly what you always wanted. Most Aries were concrete parking bumpers in at least two of their past lives. Aries are never born. They skip gaily from their mothers' wombs. This may even involve rollerblades. The Aries makes life decisions as a toddler. Aries marry several times for funnies but never divorce. Their spouses have many freak accidents resulting in death or crippling injury. Being infallible, God is probably an Aries. This would make Satan an Aquarius. Aries always hold management positions. If one is assigned to clean toilets, he will form a one-man union. Then he will go and picket in the parking lot. All of you think you're Lech Walesa. People run away when an Aries comes around. They know that if they do not, the Aries will set them on fire. Aries hate listening to Scorpios talk because they take pride in being even more self-centered. In fact, much to the Scorpios' dismay, you are the biggest pricks in the zodiac. Your rams' horns are in everyone else's asses.

Saint Patrick's Day

The greenest of all holidays is quickly approaching!

I'm not Irish, never even been to the country. But because the Irish and their descendants are so spread out all over the world, this holiday is truly an international one. There are parades all over the place in many different nations and anyone who has ever had the privilege to walk into an Irish pub that day (privileged because you were then apparently able to squeeze yourself in, they tend to be jam-packed!) will certainly know what I mean when I say there's really no other colour to paint the town but green!

These designs are available as cards in my Etsy shop.