The fact that you can experiment a lot with the materials and develop your own way of using them is very interesting too. There is something very special about original prints, with the inked line coming slightly out of the paper and the nice grey tones and structures - it has a visual expression that most people aren't used to anymore. And using the same method of printmaking Rembrandt, Leyen and Goya used hundreds of years ago is a bit of a weird, romantic thing for me, I guess.

What elements do you consider most important in creating your illustrations?

Time to let a project come to existence is very important. Good coffee too. A certain mixture of seriousness and taking things easy is a pretty good combination for me. Oh, and people, who tell you what they think about your work, even if it's uncomfortable, are very important.

In your experience, were there moments that you have struggled or had difficulty in coming up with a concept? If there are, how did you overcome/cope?

Well, I guess struggling and having doubts about a project or a concept is normal or even important for me. The failures you experience are an essential part of your artistic development. If there are no questions or ups and downs in the process of creating something, the result won't be good - at least that's what I believe. Most works I really like now have been a pain in the ass at one point or another!

As Samuel Beckett would say, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

What is your design process?

If its personal work, I spend quite some time on collecting pictures in journals or newspapers, reading and thinking about the subject, until there is a concrete idea of what I want to make and what I want it to express. Once I start, its like being in a rush, eating and sleeping becomes unimportant and there is not much space in my head for other things until the work is finished. I love to loose myself in details and also to draw directly with ink, without doing any pre-sketching with pencils.

As long as I have the time to experiment, I want to start every project as if it would be the first one and try new things and media, instead of falling too much into confirmed habits.

You create images that are visually stimulating and at times very moving, especially your entries on "Japan" and "Haiti". Is it safe to say that your illustrations, in general, convey social awareness?

I am not interested in producing nice pictures. It would feel ignorant to me, regarding all the mess that's happening "around us". I think everyone has a certain responsibility and for me as an illustrator or artist, that means dealing with these things through drawings or creating images. I am keen to use my skills to support companies or media that deal with sustainability and are not only focused on maximum profit.