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The artist continued: “Now 8 years later, these shadow doodles have changed my life completely! I share my work almost daily with more than a million people who follow me, I have had exhibitions all over the world, and above all: I still enjoy finding new landscapes and creatures in the shadow of everyday objects.”
When asked to describe his creative process when starting a new piece, Vincent responded: “The nice thing about making these images is that you don't need any preparation or inspiration beforehand. You can just play with the shadows and see what images pop up in your mind. It's a bit like cloud watching. The only thing you need is some paper, a pen, and a relaxed mind. I have noticed that it doesn't work if I am stressed, so I usually do to relax; I listen to music.”
The illustrator shared more insights with us about the music routine that helps him get into the right creative mindset: “Prince, The Beatles, James Brown, music that I like and that I know very well can keep my left brain busy, so it doesn't keep saying things like 'do you think this is a good idea?' feeling my hands are doing the thinking, that the images create themselves. It’s a real treasure hunt, and most of the time I’m surprised myself of what came out.” Lastly, he added: “In my office, I have a table with three lights on bendy arms, and I just start toying around with the objects and the lights until I see something.”
Next, we wanted to explore how the Belgian artist selects which objects or scenes to incorporate into his shadow art. Vincent explained that, given the limited space in his office, he prefers to work with objects that can fit on his table. He shared: “For the image to work well, it's best that the object is an easily recognizable one, it should feel constructed. Besides that, everything is possible. After 8 years, I have tried every small item in my house, so occasionally, I'll go and look in thrift stores to find something that catches my eye. The good thing is, it's impossible to predict what kind of shadow an object will make or what I will see in it.
Glasses are great to work with, because the shadow can look like a whole world, like a decor where you only have to put some actors in to make a small movie.”
We were curious to know if any artists or influences have shaped Vincent’s style and approach to art. He shared that: “Coming from Belgium (the birthplace of Tintin, Lucky Luke and the Smurfs) I’m influenced by artists like Franquin, Willy Vandersteen and Morris. They have shaped my way of drawing. But as a filmmaker, also directors like Billy Wilder and Hitchcock are inspiring in the way they tell visual stories.
A French cartoonist I adore is Jean-Jacques Sempé, he has such a nice way of looking at all the stupid things we humans do.
What I like about the way social media works is how it brought me in contact with talented artists like Helga Stentzel and Javier Jaén. I like people who look for some sort of poetry in everyday life.”
Finally, we asked Bal to share which specific piece he’s created holds special significance for him. The artist responded: “Of course, ‘elephant starts with tea’, the very first one, is very special to me, because that image changed my life. But there are others that I really like. ‘Love on Shadow Beach’ was the first one where I realized that I could use the shadow as a backdrop, as a scenery.
‘Tea is for timing’ is one of the first videos I made, and I discovered the power that the soundtrack could add to the shadows. But I really consider all the images my children and so you understand it is very difficult to choose a favorite…”
