If you walk past the library in the Oude Boteringestraat, you will see cleanly executed drawings that completely take up the windows and, with their bright colours, immediately demand your attention. If you take a closer look at the drawings, you can see that everything has been meticulously filled in with acrylic markers. At the front, a symmetrical composition is divided into three windows, two of which are prominently signed with a copyright symbol and the name Loes Faber. Clearly someone who is not afraid to stand for something, so we sought out the creator in question.
Loes Faber (1987) lives and works in both Groningen and Amsterdam. Born and raised in the city, she studied Illustration at Academie Minerva after which she moved to Amsterdam eight years ago. Currently she works there as an illustrator and three days a week she teaches at the Academie Minerva in Groningen in Illustration and Artistic Research.
‘I think it's important as an illustrator to have an opinion of your own and that can be done in subtle ways if necessary. It's really interesting and cool that I can deal with subjects like LGBTQ, feminism and related issues in my work, both in commissions and in free work. Precisely because they are close to my personal preferences and interests. It is also very fascinating to engage with subjects that are very far removed from me, because in the process I learn a new point of view myself. I also do work for clients who are more in the sexual diversity area, for example, and education. At Minerva, I teach the students that they need to form their own opinions and also really stand up in the world as illustrators.
Fortunately, there were few conditions attached to my illustrations for the Groninger Forum; only that the Poetry Marathon had to be the theme. The work near the entrance [see above photo 1 and photo 4] was also added fairly spontaneously. First, I made sketches on paper and wrote an alphabet in mirror writing. I then went to work on that. In this case, I first did a colour study. I coloured each sketch in the computer so I know roughly what everything will look like in the end. It was also because I like to work with Posca markers (acrylic markers) and they have limited colors. It all seems to be drawn loosely and wildly, but that’s absolutely not true. Sometimes I do work from memory, but I like to have some frame of reference. Then I know a little about what I'm working towards — especially if it's big — and in this case everything had to be created in a mirror image.
From an early age I have been very interested in native cultures, outsider art, folk art and “naive” art. Things that are not “really” art, but just a way to express yourself. I was fascinated by aboriginal art for a while and then I just drew dots. Then it was African masks that held my interest and like that I went through all the phases. This is how my style was born, from some the shape and from others the colour. The clean design also has to do with the fact that I like clear language.
I really like that these days it's just possible to stick with different styles. I have always felt like a "lesser" illustrator because I was not as explicit in my style. I just think it's important to try something new each time. This is also stimulated by the fact that I can quickly become dissatisfied with my work or get bored. It’s certainly a struggle, but it also provides a lot of freedom in the work. I also tell my students that an illustration doesn't have to be just a drawing. It can be an animation, a structure, a setting or even a smell. You do try to get them to think a little more broadly. Also, in terms of art and illustration, I think the difference is beginning to diminish. At academies the two sometimes seem very separate, while in real life you see more and more hybrids. Fortunately, even at the academies, people are trying to break away from that more and more.
I have always found it difficult to call myself an artist; I work mainly as an illustrator and do a lot of commission work. That's fine, but I also think it's nice and very important to keep creating on your own. For example, I am working on a book in the form of a graphic novel in which I draw all kinds of biographies of interesting women. I started using it in 2015/2016 and since then I have been talking about it a lot with other people, which again is very helpful. I have a rule that, if an idea sticks in my head for longer than a certain amount of time, I have to actually work on it. But I really enjoy commission work, because every time you get a new lump of information and you have to do something with it. Therein lies the similarity with my teaching too: you hear what a student is doing and you have to do something with that as a teacher. As an illustrator, it is fascinating to think about that and then put your own spin on it. How to link it to something new or offer a new perspective on it. What I do in a commission sometimes flows into my own work and vice-versa; it's all intertwined.’
Text: Dinnis van Dijken
Image: Marthe van de Grift