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here to learn more about Alex de Wolf (Windows media player required).
I was born in 1958 in Nieuwer-Amstel, better known today as Amstelveen, just south of Amsterdam. My father was an architect, so there was
always plenty of paper around the house for drawings. My father regularly took me to the museums as he found classic art appreciation
very important. I, however, found comic books much nicer…
As I collected hardback comic books, my pocket money ran dry. I traveled often to Belgium in order to complete my collection. My plan was
also to become a comic book author. For a high school project, I researched Hergé, the illustrator of “Tintin”
(known as Kuifje in Holland), in Brussels. Hergé made a lasting impression on me.
Continuing my art studies, I attended Vrije Academie in The Hague, where I had courses in drawing models and in technique. After a year in
The Hague, I was accepted at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, an art school in Amsterdam.
Following the first year of general studies, I chose to major in Illustration, inspired by the example of Carl Hollander, who famously
sketched “Pippi Longstocking” and the “Little Captain.”
I also took lessons from well known Dutch illustrators, The Tjong Khing and Waldemar Post, who took us to the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam.
I was crazy about drawing the zoo animals, and to this very day they are among my favorite subjects.
By the time I completed my final examinations in 1982, I already had designed two book covers to my credit.
Following graduation, I shared a studio with a fellow illustrator. Later, I met a publisher, Martine Schaap, whose
name I found irresistible… (Our names mean “wolf” and “sheep.” Who can deny such poetry?) And now we have two sons,
Doeke (1991) and Christian (1994). It was while reading to my children that I noticed how much young children enjoy drawing. These days, I
no longer share a studio, but have an atelier at home, overlooking the rooftops of Amsterdam.
Following visits to the Bologna Children's Book Fair, I received commissions from other countries, and also had several books translated
to Korean and Japanese.
And, finally, an old dream was realized when an American children's magazine asked me to create a comic strip for them! This strip,
“Mop and Family” has been published by “Ladybug” magazine for 10 years.
Nowadays, I find myself doing a lot more landscape painting. And my mind wanders back to the many museum trips I made with my father!
Central Library, Amsterdam 1995, 2006, 2007
Dutch Picture Books Exhibition, Japan, 2007/2008
Bratislava International Biennale of Illustration, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2007
Bologna, International Children’s Book Fair Exhibition, 1992, 1997, 2002
Dutch Oranges, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Bologna Italy; and Jakarta, Indonesia, 2001
As I read a story, I see it as a series of pictures in my head, like frames of a film. Sometimes it is difficult to
illustrate a scene for the reader without giving away too much of the plot. Then I start sketching to see what the best
illustration should be. Sometimes when I'm drawing, I use a mirror to capture the right posture or attitude.
On a light table I draw the outlines with pen and ink. Sometimes I use a pencil for a stronger and fatter line.
Later I add colours with gouache (poster paint)
Then I take the drawings to my publisher. The layout designer carefully positions the text and illustrations so they
will appear precisely on the published pages. Finally, the publisher ensures that the book is printed as laid out and
delivered directly to the book shops.
Below you can see different stages of an illustration, from rough sketch to its final form in a book.
