What If?

Born in 1970, Tom Schamp grew up in and around Brussels. He now lives in the suburb of that same city. After graduating from the Applied Arts department at the Sint-Lukas Art School in Brussels, he spent an additional year studying Graphic Design in Poznan (Poland). Tom has a long track record. His illustrations are aimed at both adults and children. He receives assignments from an international mix of customers, from the very commercial commissions over magazine illustrations to picture books. Over the past twenty years, Tom has published thirty-five picture books, many of which have been translated in different languages. Tom has a 'complex-naive' style, often spiced with a touch of humour. Over the past decade Tom has painted the different elements of an illustration separately on cardboard, which he later scans to make digital compositions. This technique allows him to find the right rhythm more easily and offers Tom the right balance between craft and technology. Tom's later work is far more detailed than his older illustration up to the point that his illustrations need a trained eye to catch every subtlety. He has a fascination for strange objects, little hand painted boxes, stamps and animal-shaped coffeepots.