Jan Bosschaert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jan Bosschaert
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| Born | 15 December 1957 |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | comics artist, painter, illustrator |
Jan Bosschaert (born December 15, 1957) is a famous artist from Belgium. He is best known for creating comics, paintings, and illustrations. Many people know him for his fun adventure comic series Sam and Jaguar. He also created the drawings for many popular children's books by author Marc De Bel.
Contents
Early Life and First Comics
Jan Bosschaert was born in Borgerhout, a part of Flanders, Belgium. He grew up in a town called Wijnegem. His house had a big garden and was near a forest, which gave him a lot of space to imagine and create.
From a young age, Bosschaert loved to draw. He spent most of his free time creating art. When he was about 10 years old, he made his very first comic book. He continued to make comics about all sorts of things, from stories like Sherlock Holmes to his own version of the famous comic Lucky Luke.
Learning from the Pros
As a young artist, Bosschaert looked up to other comic creators. He once showed one of his comics to Eddy Ryssack, a well-known artist. Ryssack gave him an important piece of advice: always research and make sure your drawings are based on real things.
When he was 14, Bosschaert discovered the work of André Franquin at a comic fair. Franquin's art became a huge inspiration for him. During his teenage years, Bosschaert focused on his art and listened to music from artists like Tom Waits. He also had a chance to meet another comics author, Pom, which was an important experience for him.
Developing His Style
Bosschaert went to the Sint-Lukasinstituut, an art school in Brussels. There, he was inspired by the illustrator Ever Meulen, who had also studied at the same school. Another major influence was a comic called Arzach by the French artist Moebius. This comic was special because it had no words, only pictures.
The music and styles of his youth, like new wave music, also shaped his art.
Career as an Artist
In 1982, Bosschaert published his first comic album, called Ikarus. His big break came in 1983 with a comic strip called Pest in 't Paleis (Pest in the Palace). It was a comic that made funny comments about politics and appeared in the magazine HUMO.
A Focus on Illustration
After his early success with comics, Bosschaert spent many years working as an illustrator. He created drawings for different magazines and authors, including Hugo Claus. He did a lot of work for the Flemish television network VRT.
He is especially famous for his illustrations in the children's books of Marc De Bel. Bosschaert felt a strong connection with De Bel and saw him as a friend and mentor.
Famous Comic Series
In 1990, Bosschaert returned to making comics with the series Sam. The stories were about a teenage girl who works in a small garage. Later, he worked with writer Jean Dufaux on a fantasy series called Jaguar. This series became popular in other countries.
In Flanders, he became very well-known for working with comedian Urbanus on a series called De Geverniste Vernepelingskes. This comic humorously pokes fun at famous Belgian people, including Bosschaert and Urbanus themselves.
Other Creative Work
Besides comics and books, Bosschaert has also created paintings. He is a figurative painter, which means his art clearly shows people and objects as they look in real life.
He has also used his artistic talent in the world of fashion and music. He created a special comic book catalogue for fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck. He also designed album covers for musicians like Plastic Bertrand and Jan De Wilde.
Awards
Bosschaert has won several awards for his work:
- 1983: Provincial Award for Painting from the province of Antwerp, Belgium.
- 1991: Bronzen Adhemar, a major Belgian comic award.
- 2003: Best Author (Dutch language) at the Prix Saint-Michel in Brussels.
