Wooden Shoes

One of the typical things Dutch are known for are their wooden shoes. Very versatile invention, I must say. Strong, durable and extremely environmental friendly.
I remember my uncle used to walk in a pair of those on his farm. I couldn't walk on them. For a city boy these wooden shoes aren't flexible enough. Like most things you have to learn things at a young age. Luckily enough I was better in drawing then milking cows, so during my stays on the family farm I was mostly allowed to drive their big Ford tractor when harvest time had arrived. Giving me occasionally the opportunity to make a sketch. Unfortenately all those sketches made in my younger days are lost. But I still have nice memories about my vacations on that farm.

Friese doorlopers

With temperatures well below zero the past few days, one can notice the popularity of skating in The Netherlands. It looks like everybody wants to skate the frozen lakes, canals and love being outdoors. From the very young of age to the very young of heart...
The drawing I've made is about skates from the elder days, so called: Friese doorlopers. My father used to skate on skates like these. Nowadays the skates look in many ways very different to these old ones, but the technigue of skating and the joy it gives to people still remains the same.

Update: my technique wasn't as good as I thought it was, so I've had some cripple weeks behind me...

LAX

French illustrator Christian Lacroix (1949), better known as LAX or Christian Lax, studied fine arts in Saint-Etienne. He made his comics debut in the magazine l'Automobile in 1975. His first album, 'Ennui Mortel', was published in 1982.
In the late 1990s, he began working on 'Le Choucas', a satirical detective series based on the French "romans noirs" of the 1950s and 1960s. As a tribute to this wonderful serie, I painted his shirt yellow.
In 2005 Christian published under his artist name LAX 'L'Aigle Sans Orteils'. A wonderful historical story in which he combines his love for the French countryside, its people and his personal passion for cycling and in particular the Tour of France. In 2009 he published the sequel, named 'Pain d'alouette-Premier époque'. Both stories take place around World War I. In my opinion two of the best graphic novels I've read so far. And, according to the last title, at least one more novel is in the making!