Wobby #38 is co-curated by Sunflower Soup, a collective that explores collaborative action through art and activism. This issue will have you questioning the place of plants in our so-called ‘natural hierarchy’. What is our role as the human species in shaping nature? Is it hubris to think that we should? Do we think we are above nature, or are we merely a part of this ever-evolving system?

For the first time, Wobby shares its magazine with a guest curator: the Ukrainian illustration collective Pictoric. While the world witnesses significant geopolitical events impacting millions of people, Wobby #37 delves into the meanings of 'home'. Pictoric and Wobby.club selected 12 international visual creators and a writer to produce new work from diverse perspectives.

Meet some of the artists from Wobby #37 - Far From Home: Anna Sarvira (UA/DE) from Pictoric, Marina Sulima (MD/RO/NL) and Khattar Shaheen (SY/NL).

In this interview, we introduce Pictoric, talk about Marina and Khattar's graduation projects, what home means to them, how they've experienced moving to the Netherlands, and of course, we reveal the new Wobby issue.

Illustrator Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva wrote an article about diversity in illustration: “The more different you are from societal expectations and norms, the more difficult it is to find a reflection of yourself in media: a character you can relate to. Moreover, this scarcity underscores the importance of acknowledging the diversity of human identities and appearances.”

“My drawings already look quite medieval, I guess that’s my style. I draw with pencils on paper; I don’t like the computer that much. So, my illustrations always have a specific feeling, sketchier and with a lot of character”, explains illustrator Arthur Devisscher (BE). Last year he graduated from LUCA School of Arts Ghent and now he is fully focused on drawing and made the cover for Wobby #36. Devisscher and illustrator Malwine Stauss (DE), who did the centrefold, talk about work, inspiration and how to live as an artist.

“When I think about ‘courting’, I imagine these mediaeval scenes that fit right into the stories that I like to tell. I love drawing moments from a relationship, tiny moments that show just a small part of the story. A little dance, a courtship; that’s what I like. In the lay-out for the comic for Wobby #36 I played with the colours, lettering, and style”, says illustrator and comic artist Melek Zertal (AL/FR/US). For the newest Wobby she made a short comic. Melek describes for us her inspiration and the way she makes her work.

Earlier this year, Mika Schalks produced a fictional TV guide, Normal Ordinary SIGNAL. During the residency, he continued his graduation work about the queerness of television. The TV channels he created for that work inspired him to dive deeper into the characters themselves, especially the lady in green.

From 9 - 20 October 2023, Make Eindhoven & Wobby.club hosted the fifth edition of the project ‘To Riso or Not’. Six young illustrators and artists spent 2 weeks working in the graphic workshop of Make. In this video three participants talk about their work period: Alejandra López, Bas Steens, Victoria Hoogstoel.

From 9 - 20 October 2023, Make Eindhoven & Wobby.club hosted the fifth edition of the project ‘To Riso or Not’. Six young illustrators and artists spent 2 weeks working in the graphic workshop of Make. In this video three participants talk about their work period: Amber Hyacinth, Jesse Fischer, Hussel Zhu.

Wobby #35 – Crappy Families shows the work of Zach Jansen (NL/ES) and Jo Ruessmann (DE), who were selected from the Open Call 2023. “The comics I made for Wobby are about family constellations, about expectations from society and about your own choices in having a family or not”, says Jo Ruessmann.

“The illustration about the theme ‘Crappy Families’ had to be a fun one for me”, says illustrator and cartoonist Aisha Franz, who made the cover for the new issue. “A lot of things popped up in my head, I clicked immediately with the theme. But I didn’t want to make it too heavy. I created monster creatures that eat the ‘perfect’ family as you see them in stock photos.”

“To create an ideal dreamworld, a utopia in illustration; that is a great opportunity for me as an illustrator” - Melcher Oosterman (NL). For Wobby #34 Melcher created the cover and four illustrations in a really colourful style. We interviewed Melcher about his work and inspiration, along with Loulou João (BE), responsible for the centerfold.

‘In my illustrations I reflect my feelings, it’s a stress-release process.’ The newest Wobby #34 – Designer dreams includes the work of three international and recently graduated artists. Meet Annelies Bollaers (BE), Gyayu Wang (CN) and Yuka Masuko (DE) and their work. They were selected from the Open Call for Graduates 2022 and made completely new work for this edition of Wobby. 

For Wobby, Noa Zuidervaart wrote an article about zines: “Today, artists are creating works that challenge traditional notions of what constitutes a zine or an artist publication. This fluidity allows for more experimentation and exploration of the medium, fostering a dynamic and evolving landscape for independent publishing.”

“I found my own signature in the process of making illustrations“. In the newest Wobby #33 – Extreme, three recently graduated international illustrators show their work. Meet Giovanna Fabi (IT), Merlin Fels (FR) and Amber Pieren (NL), who were selected from the Open Call for Graduates 2022 and made brand new work for this edition.

“I try to make work that people can read in several ways. It has to be accessible for everyone, playful but with depth. My work is the story of my life. It is a road full of bumps, from hell towards the light”, says painter Laurent Impeduglia, who made the art work for the cover of Wobby #33, Extreme.

For Wobby, Joost Pollmann wrote an article about graphic novels: “The ability to speak figuratively is one of the strongpoints of the graphic novelist, who has the freedom to invent his or her own rhetorical tricks and develop a new visual language with its own codes and meanings.“

“The theme ‘Cozy Cosmos’ is well connected with my own work and life. I’m really interested in the way the body relates to the cosmos”, states visual artist Dan Zhu (CN), who made the centerfold for Wobby #32. We interviewed Dan about her way of working, along with illustrator María Medem (ES), who made the cover and a 6-page comic spread.

“My illustrations become piece by piece a whole story”. The newest Wobby #32 – Cozy Cosmos includes the work of two recently graduated artists: Arthur Devisscher (BE) and Rania Esstafa (FR). They were selected from the Open Call for Graduates 2022 and made completely new work for this edition of Wobby.

During Dutch Design Week, the presentation of the results of the fourth edition of “To Riso or Not 2022” could be seen at Make Eindhoven. In this video three participants talk about the work period: Carlyn Westerink, Jiaojiao Li and Kasper van Moll

During Dutch Design Week, the presentation of the results of the fourth edition of “To Riso or Not 2022” can be seen at Make Eindhoven. In this video three participants talk about the work period: Radek Górniak, Mizuki Kimura and Fynn van der Ziel.

Wobby #31 – Good job👍: jobs, insects and being nice to others. Interview with artists Marco Quadri en John Broadley. "When I make comics, rather than having a linear storyline, I try to create immersive scenes. What interests me most is creating a sort of mood that carries along the whole story” states illustrator Marco Quadri (IT).

‘'A part of me is in the drawings I made for Wobby‘'. Wobby #31 shows three participants of the ‘Open Call for Graduates 2020 & 2021’: Jiaojiao Li, Jochem van den Wijngaard en Femke Zwiep

Wobby #30 – Overgown: a botanical revolution in illustration. Interview with artists Chloé Bertron, Patrick Kyle, Jooyoung Kim.

‘'Too much sometimes is just enough‘'. Wobby #30 shows three participants of the ‘Open Call for Graduates 2020 & 2021’: Rachel Cannings, Elijah White, Fynn van der Ziel.

Wobby #29 is all about ‘pumping iron’. Muscular elves grace the cover. Interview with artists Francesc Estrada (ES), Antoine Eckart (FR), Melek Zertal (AL/FR/US)

“It was such a joy to make this work. I wish I could work on a project like this every few weeks”, according to Kyle Canyon. Wobby #29 shows four participants of the ‘Open Call for Graduates 2020 & 2021’.

During Dutch Design Week, the presentation of the results of the fourth edition of “To Riso or Not 2021” can be seen at Make Eindhoven. In this video artist and mentor Koen Taselaar talks about the residency.

During Dutch Design Week, the presentation of the results of the fourth edition of “To Riso or Not 2021” could be seen at Make Eindhoven. This video shows details of the work process of the six participants.

Artist Indrė Svirplytė (LT/BE) talked to Ralf Kokke for Wobby Club Tv #4. Indrė is the second resident of the Wobby Workout, a work period at our studio at NS16 Tilburg.