The Best Illustrator You’ve Never Heard Of: An in-depth interview with Belgian illustrator Jan Van Der Veken

The Best Illustrator You’ve Never Heard Of: An in-depth interview with Belgian illustrator Jan Van Der Veken Share The first time I had the pleasure of writing about Jan Van Der Veken’s work there was little information available about him online or in print. I’d come across a poster of his while browsing at Nobrow’s shop in east London – a screen print entitled City Lights that depicted a man gazing wistfully at an autumnal evening, the soft glow of neighbouring tower blocks illuminating a solitary tree in front of him – and I was immediately drawn to his agile lines, classically-styled characters and subtle use of colour. Although Nobrow described Jan (now 38) as “one of the leading Belgian illustrators of today” and Drawn and Quarterly had long been utilising his trademark style to define their online presence, I was perplexed by how hard it was to find anything more about him. But hopefully that’s all about to change. My own understanding of Jan has developed since those early days of ignorance and through a prolonged period of badgering him via email for continued updates on his progress, a couple of interviews and innumerable hours staring at his images, I’ve come to know him and his work much better; certainly enough to confirm Nobrow’s appraisal. Like many of his contemporaries Jan’s first brushes with illustration came from the greats. “Being Belgian I grew up with comics like Tintin and Blake and Mortimer by Edgar P. Jacobs – the really traditional stuff,” he says. “The Yellow Mark (one of Jacobs’ most celebrated works) in particular was a great influence. It’s like Tintin but more detailed and the atmosphere and the quality of the images are really great, the storylines too. I was really influenced by that kind of thing and eventually started to draw in that way.” In spite of having this rich source of imagery at his disposal during his formative years, it wasn’t until later on that Jan was inspired to put pen to paper, and the impetus came from a much less respectable place. “The first thing that really got me into drawing was Iron Maiden. I bought a small cassette in a local music shop even though I didn’t know the music – I just really liked the cover art. It was Powerslave with the Egyptian drawing on the front by Derek Riggs, and it just made me think ‘Wow!’ Then of course I listened to the music and really liked it, but it was the cover that made me want to buy the cassette. So I copied it with all the things I had at my disposal at the time. I just redrew it literally again and again and that was the first thing that started me off.” In his mid-teens Jan was able to channel his interest in drawing within an educational environment, taking formal lessons in place of scribbling in his free time. “I studied arts at a technical school where we had lessons in printing techniques and silkscreen, learning how to make the artwork. Studying very early graphic art made my world a bit larger. Then we had lessons in aesthetics and I started to develop my own way of making work, but the main focus was always on technique. Later I went to St. Lucas in Ghent and the focus was on being an author – a creator of images rather than a reproducer – so I had both the technical qualities, the technical understanding of how to print a book, and the understanding of how to make a proper drawing. “In that way I had an advantage because I knew both sides of image-making and it’s important to have those technical skills. We illustrators have to make illustrations to go into print or out onto the net, and once you know the rules you can work out how to bend them because you understand how things have to be done.” This attitude can be traced back to Jan’s early education in graphic design. Before he’d purchased his first tube of gouache he was studying grid systems and typographic theory at St. Lucas, gaining an understanding of layout and space that’s prevalent throughout his work and differentiates him from most of his contemporaries. “I studied graphic design because I thought it wouldn’t be so easy to make a living from illustration. I wanted to make typography together with illustrations, so I thought it would be better to study graphic design and have a proper job, and in the evenings I could focus on drawing. In the end, instead of creating graphic design that included photographs I made everything with drawings.” It was through this developing interest in image-making that Jan came to meet his mentor, Ever Meulen, or “Eddie” as Jan refers to him. Eddie taught an illustration class at St. Lucas and although Jan was not enrolled, he would turn up weekly to show his drawings. Eddie was supportive of Jan’s work from the start and encouraged him to do more with his illustration. “After four years of graphic design I learned I was quite able to make drawings and I really enjoyed it – perhaps even more than graphics, though that was my first love. In the end I thought, what the hell, I’m going to be an independent a