Happy news! I am one of the winner of this years LeadAward! Last night at the event’s gala I was honored with the Bronze Award for the best illustration feature 2010.

I am very happy and proud of receiving this prize for a piece of work, which – for me personally – has been one of the most important ones last year: For Neon, together with author Patrick Bauer, I spent much time researching into a heroin network where kids are exploited as drug dealers – entirely run inside the Berlin tube network. As disturbing the research was, as interesting was the process of producing on location observations and sketches in trains, stations and asylums, in advance to returning to my studio to produce the final artwork.

Even greater that this process of producing illustraions has been honored with such an award:

„In contrast to other competitions for creative professionals, you cannot enter the LeadAwards yourself. An independent jury of experts combs through the entire year’s issues of around 400 German magazines and picks out prize-worthy articles. A high-profile jury then judges and evaluates them, ensuring a completely independent and truly comprehensive judgement. Those awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze awards can rightly claim to be among the best of the best.“ (source: Deichtorhallen’s press release).

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Thanks to my best artdirector Jonas Natterer, the Neon Crew and the LeadAcademy.

It’s Pictoplasma Festival in Berlin. A conference about character design and illustration. Strolling around on the Character Walk with my students I popped into a workshop of the 3753%_tordal-crew from Norway. I designed the box of Papp, a little robot. Here it is: a green troll from the woods.