Welcome back to the All Jigsaw Puzzles blog. Today we pay a visit to Artist’s Corner and talk to Bart Slyp, the illustrator behind ‘Big Flop Circus’ and ‘Christmas Street’
Hi Bart, how did you become an artist?
I never really considered myself as an artist. For as long as I can remember I have always been creative, even as a toddler I was a talented mural painter with mom’s lipstick on the master bedroom wall!
How did you progress into making the hilarious scenes that you’ve drawn for us? Have you always been interested in comics and cartoons?
The way I remember it, I started drawing funny pictures and comics at the age of 7 or 8 until now where I ended up making crazy jigsaw puzzle scenes.
Making such scenes requires tons of fun and there are a few steps from the initial sketch to the finished work, but there is a continuous process going on in my mind which I call creativity.
Where do you get your inspiration for all your characters – are they real people that you walk past in the street?
I get inspired when we go for a walk in the promenade along the sea where we live, sitting on a beach and observing the people walking by. It is fun and an incredible source of inspiration!
What is your creative process?
Creating puzzle scenes is a long process, more than 2 months, from basic shapes to the final artwork.
Luckily I have my associate, Elvira Errico, who colours the drawings so I can fully focus on sketching and drawing; she is a real colour magician!
My favourite parts would definitely be the easter eggs and when ideas begin to take shape and come to life.
Do you have any exciting projects for the future you can tell us about?
Currently I have just finished the crazy Big Flop Circus scene and I am now working on some new puzzle projects that you will soon discover. These puzzle scenes full of intertwining and overlapping stories are a lot of fun.
We hope that you enjoyed discovering more about the fabulous Bart Slyp. You can check out the Christmas Street….
And Big Flop Circus jigsaw puzzles on our website now.
We have a wide range of jigsaw puzzles for adults, click on Jiggy to discover them all.