My Arbeitsplatz

Last year comic artist Wittek called out on his blog to "Show us your Arbeitsplatz". 'Arbeitsplatz' being the German word for 'working place'. This was his call last year. And this year he did it again: Wittek.
A number of artists followed suit like Ulli Lust who posted her Arbeitsplatz on the Electrocomics blog. Or  Lilli Loge, she presented the naked truth of her art on the 'Where They Draw' blog.
What I also enjoyed was 'From The Desk Of-' of 'Pizza Island' in New York. Comic artists like Julia Wertz or Kate Beaton posted pictures of their drawing tables along with hilarious texts.


I decided that this year, it was about time I finally revealed my four walls.

I work in a very small space I share with 2 other comics artists in a former factory building. The heating works exceptionally well, although it's either 'on' or 'off' because it's impossible to regulate the eager bastard. We've each got a corner. The rest of the space is hogged by a pretty large sized window. The view is lined by a group of poplars who keep me company and who I turn to for advice when I hit a difficult spot.

The wall over my desk is presently covered in photocopy images of cars, bikes, motorbikes and houses. Because these are the things I don't do a good job at when I have to 'imagine' them. I also try to get it right because the right set of houses or vehicles tells everything about the setting of a story. Or to put it differently: get it wrong and you really fucked up. Especially because comic readers are such nerds and always notice when you mess up on the details...

I keep my favorite pens and pencils in a Spiderman case I once bought in a comic store in Buenos Aires. I have a small triangle plate with a picture of a cross between an elf and Wonderwoman on rollerskates. My boyfriend was going to give it to a friend for their birthday but luckily I saw it in time and could intervene. Now it's mine and it's where I sharpen my pencils. (With the speed of lightning.) Then there's the feathers held together by some silver tape. I bought it about a decade ago in an art supply store in Holland- when it was still held together by wax. I don't know if it's a Dutch thing to do, but it's certainly not a German thing to do, because every German that's seen it has shrieked or fallen over or something else to show their remorse. Anyway, it's used to wipe the paper clean after erasing.