From 1988 until 2004 I was the "court-illustrator" of a small fantasy family-themeparc, called "het Land van Ooit". In English one would translate this as "the Country (Land) of Ever". This theme-parc presented itself as a country where "children are in charge". It was inhabited by all kinds of fantasy characters like the forest-elf "Sap the Earthroot", a talking horse called "Kos with the Moustache" (who in fact was an enormous Shire-stud), giants with trees growing out of their heads and a variety of knights, sorcerers and vagabonds.
This country was ruled by the Governor, because the heirs of this country - the Count and Countess - were bewitched into black and white swans, which can still be seen in its Coat of Arms. Visitors could only cross its border by first learning its very special greeting-ceremony and by buying a so-called visa.
One of the more rewarding projects I did quite some years ago - at the end of 1989 to be precise - was designing its own currency: the "OoitSenten", which could be purchased at "the Bank of Ooit".
I'm proud to say, that these banknotes were printed by the printing-house, where also the dutch national banknotes and passports were (and are) printed: The Royal Joh. Enschedé in Haarlem , founded in 1703, one of the ten oldest family-businesshouses of the Netherlands.
That's why the OoitSenten look so beautiful (at least in my opinion) with their special iris-print; the gradual change in colour in each note.
This country was ruled by the Governor, because the heirs of this country - the Count and Countess - were bewitched into black and white swans, which can still be seen in its Coat of Arms. Visitors could only cross its border by first learning its very special greeting-ceremony and by buying a so-called visa.
One of the more rewarding projects I did quite some years ago - at the end of 1989 to be precise - was designing its own currency: the "OoitSenten", which could be purchased at "the Bank of Ooit".
I'm proud to say, that these banknotes were printed by the printing-house, where also the dutch national banknotes and passports were (and are) printed: The Royal Joh. Enschedé in Haarlem , founded in 1703, one of the ten oldest family-businesshouses of the Netherlands.
That's why the OoitSenten look so beautiful (at least in my opinion) with their special iris-print; the gradual change in colour in each note.
3 comments:
Great body of work. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
How do you manage to sustain your concentration levels to always produce such detailed work?
Hi guys,
Thanks for your reactions.
Well, Leighton, "mind at zero" I guess!
But seriously, when I'm workimg out my drawings I love to listen to the radio, mostly online by the way, because online the possibilities to hear music to my liking are much bigger.
I also listen to Radio Russia (also online) almost every day for a few hours, because I'm trying to learn Russian now for the last four years and this is a perfect way to hear the language as it should be spoken.
And then I sometimes buy hearing lectures, where I listen to with much pleasure. In Holland there is a company called Home Academy, which publishes - in collaboration with several Dutch universities - all kinds of lectures given by university-professors on CD or MP3. I of course like the history-lectures most.
I'm sure in Britain there must be something simular.
This way it is not so difficult to keep concentrated!
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