Illustrations
If the bulk of my illustrations are in my published sketchbooks I have over the years, been asked to illustrate other author’s books, postage stamps, nature trail panels and more recently, a publicity campaign for the candidature of the (now) UNESCO GEOPARK, Mëllerdall. I have also illustrated books on Luxembourg‘s wild orchids and 12 stamps for Luxembourg including 2 Europa Stamps, in 2011.
As I prefer to work in situ or “en plein air”, my illustration work is done in ‘real time’ but most commissions are all too often at too short notice to allow this way of working. If I prefer illustrating my own ‘one-man books’ I do enjoy illustrating other publications… I just need plenty of advance warning!
ACTES-SUD /Conservatoire du littoral, published in: 1997, 2007 and 2010.
90 illustrations commissioned by the French editors “Actes Sud/Conservatoire du Littoral” for 3 little books on the Conservatory’s sites on the French coast: CAP GRIS NEZ ET CAP BLANC-NEZ written by Benoit Lobez. LE DOMAINE D’ABBADIA written by Jean-François Terasse and LA BAIE DE SOMME, MARQUENTERRE written by Jaques Béal (also in English).
For these books I was on site and the illustrations are field sketches or copies of my field sketches ‘worked up’ in the studio. I had a particularly good working realationship with Jacques Béal in the BAIE DE SOMME, MARQUENTERRE and Jacques decided he would describe the Bay in real time too, in that very cold winter of 1997, when part of the sea actually froze! These illustrations were re-published in 2007 in a larger format as a compliation of all books in the series in the ENCYCLOPEDIE DU LITTORAL by Actes Sud in 2010.
UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK Mëllerdall, Luxembourg. 2016–2018, 2023 and 2025
A series of 50 illustrations of views of the villages and towns in the then Nature Park Mëllerdall in the renowned “Petite Suisse “region in eastern Luxembourg. This commission was for me as a wildlife illustrator, a real challenge with an obliged baptism in “urban sketching”.
This was followed up in 2018 by a second commission to illustrate the aspiring Geopark’s 12 GEOSITES which were reproduced as XXL posters for bus shelters in the 12 communes of the park but also on beer mats and plate mats (Design by Ka Communication, Echternach).
Sketching the Geosite’s rocks and cliffs were a great follow-up to urban sketching not only for the geometrical forms and multiple viewpoints in perspective but also for the sculptural effects of lighting. For the rock stack at “Hëlt” in a dark wood, the lighting was optimal for only two hours a day as the setting sunlight illuminated the rock!
Many thanks to Claude Petit the Geopark’s Director, Dr. Birgit Knausch, GeoPark Geologist and Susanne Pauli of Ka Com, for a great synergy on this one.
THE CORNYLLISMILLEN NATURE TRAIL at Troisvierges, Luxembourg. 2021-2022. 43 illustrations for 17 printed panels.
This nature trail is in my well-worn ‘patch’ described in my books “IN BLACK STORK COUNTRY” Gallimard. Paris. 2001 and THE WET MEADOWLAND OF THE EISLEK Hëllef fir d’Natur/Natur&ëmwelt Luxembourg, 2016. Most of the illustrations were especially drawn on site but some were finished or coloured from my own reference photos.
A commission from the Troisvierges Municipality in cooperation with The Naturpark Our, Hëllef fir d’Natur and Graphic designer Lyz Differding/Lys.illustrations, Liège (B).
THE “ARNIKA WEG” at Weiswampach, Luxembourg. 2021-2025. 63 illustrations in all
In collaboration with LARDOGRAPHIC DESIGN, the design and Illustrations (63) for 9 Nature trail Panels and 9 interactive Wooden posts for Weiswampach Town Council In synergy with: Lardographic, Gruen Signalisation, CNDS Troisvierges and Binsfeld, Admin. Communale de Weiswampach
3 panels were illustrated by the pupils of Classes C4A and C4B of the Weiswampach Primary School as a result of on-site sketching Workshops I led in cooperation with teachers Alexandra Haas and Manuela Rodgrigues.
Illustrations for AN ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA FGIL, Luxembourg. 2021–2023. 80 illustrations
In all, 80 illustrations for the Primary School French primary program’s FGIL ONLINE DICTIONARY on the theme of “ANIMALS”. this is a commission that snowballed from a few test illustrations in 2021.
This was a challenge, getting me to sketch in zoos animals previously unfamiliar or less familiar to me like Lion, Rhino, Polar bear, Snow Leopard, Bactrian Camel and Orang utang, to name a few. Other species were drawn from my sketchbook archives and updated with research of photos and films and the same goes for species that I could not see or sketch – I did a fair amount of sketching from videos, too.
I opted for a traditional illustration technique: developing roughs from sketches and working up on tracing paper to transfer on to paper and finish in fine liner and watercolour – in souvenir of the coloured engravings in an old LAROUSSE encyclopedia which I liked to leaf through as a child! If I was making illustrations to teach, I myself learnt much about “ANIMALS”, too and it was a real pleasure to be able to contribute to school education in another way from teaching or teacher training.
