Meet Lien Geeroms

Who is Lien Geeroms?

I am an illustrator who lives and works in Leuven, where I was born and raised. Only for my higher studies I went to Gent for a while. I almost stayed there, but the love of my life attracted me to Leuven.

What gives you energy?

First of all: the moment in the whole drawing process when I completely lose myself in creating and working out an illustration. It’s what they call a state of flow – a great feeling! It gives me tons of energy. In addition, we have – in random order: happy tunes, beautiful books, documentaries, comics, trips to the theatre or museum, a good conversation with someone who understands me, walks (a moment AWAY, but also the way to get ideas), drawing on a coastline – preferably a rough one – while travelling with my family, playing (building sandcastles for example), the first cup of the day, … In short: things that inspire and relax me.

What takes away your energy?

An overloaded agenda (even ‘of the good’).
Chronic complainers.
Running out of coffee (but I do not complain about it ;-)).

What does ‘Love. Cherish. Connect.’ mean in your life?

Love
Love makes me think of my family in the first place, and of all the people who care for me. First of all my sons! Motherhood overwhelmed me with an unseen love. So strong!

Cherish
‘Cherish the little things in life’ is a motto, especially since I am a mother. I never saw things big, but the older I grow , the more I get convinced that the basics (good health at head) and the small things really matter. A hug, one’s typical greeting at breakfast, a magical coincidence, …

Connect
I see my work as a way of connecting with others. A good drawing speaks and seeks contact with the audience.

What did you think of the assignment?

It’s an honour for me to work for Fulardo. I love scarves, so I grabbed the chance to design a high quality silk scarf with both hands.

Tell us all about the making of this wonderful design, and the translation of the theme ‘Love Cherish Connect’.

I received a lot of freedom and trust. This isn’t always obvious for a client, so thank you! My working day usually starts with a walk. Then most ideas arise. That is how I conceived these fragile forms – branches? or scarves? – populated by birdish figures, with a central nest.

The ‘woodpecker’ was the first one. Inspired by the green woodpecker that I’ve been sharing with my neighbours for years. Then the other figures followed. Each one carries out the key words in his own way.
I make my drawings with a Wacom tablet and pen. You actually do that directly on the computer. I could totally lose myself in the styling of the birds.
We soon decided to go for an authentic printing process for the square scarves: screen printing. You are limited in colour use; a restriction I love! It sharpens your creativity and makes designing a challenging search for balance and harmony.

Which of the four designs is your personal favourite?

The scarf with the pink background.

Do you have someone in mind who would be happy with your creation?

My mum. My biggest fan and a scarf adept! We’re celebrating her birthday in December.
And the yellow twilly is really something for my niece Hasse!

 – October 4th 2017 – 

www.vogelsiteharen.nl