As an illustrator, I have taken a somewhat unusual route. Unlike many of my colleagues, I don't come from graphic design or directly from illustration, but from art. I studied fine art in the painting department at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and only later switched to the applied art of illustration. My intensive involvement with painting and art, both in practical and theoretical matters, still characterizes my illustration today. In the meantime, painting has taken a back seat in favor of drawing. An important tool here is the pencil in all its variations, but also drawing with ink. If the drawing is to be colored, I like to add watercolor or gouache. In the case of commissioned work, it is usually not an original that is required, but a digital graphic that can be reproduced. Then I usually work with Photoshop on the graphic tablet. Stylistically, I stay as close as possible to the analog drawing.
One of my strengths is dramatic pictorial narratives with a focus on the
portrayal of people. I am therefore often commissioned by newspapers or magazines
to illustrate for reports. Other areas of application include posters, storyboards, character development and animations. The demand for moving images has also increased considerably for me in recent years. For example, I have created several animations for documentaries for German television. One very special project was an animation for a permanent exhibition in the Munich Palace of Justice. It tells the story of a trial against members of the “White Rose” and their brutal conviction by the National Socialist justice system.
Occasionally, my skills as a classical draughtsman are in demand, for example, I am booked for corporate events to draw portraits of customers or perfume bottles.