Free Projects / Music

Some free projects inspired by vintage sheet music covers. I often see those booklets on the fleamarket and although I don't really play an instrument (except guitar in a punk band when I was 17) I really love the cover artwork. So sometimes I buy them just to look at it. The colors are limeted and the shaped are bold and playful at the same time. The first picture is also a visual joke about detachable collars, which were common in the first half of the 20th century

T-Shirts for Vecona Vintage

Most of you already know I am friends with the people behind the label Vecona Vintage. They asked me to design some T-Shirts aiming at Lindy Hop Dancers. So I took two popular songs and made them into shirt motives. "Straighten up and fly right" for an Aviatrix motive à la Amelia Earhart (even if the lyrics go quite differently) and the chorus of the "Tiger Rag" with some 1930s collegiate figures!

Get them at www.vecona-vintage.com

Swing in Wiesbaden

I love swing music and many of my friends are Lindy Hop dancers. I made illustrations for various swing events.The most current ones are taking place in Wiesbaden this month:
The "decanDance Ballroom" and the "Walhalla Hot Club"

Maybe you have seen the posters or heard about the parties. Feel free to join us to "cut a rug."
Of course I will be there too. :-)

Fashion Illustration for VECONA

Ladies and gentlemen I proudly present to you my new illustrations for VECONA. This time it is a 1930s leisurewear theme. Beach pajamas are wide legged pants that were established in the late 20s as resort wear for glamourous ladies. They soon started a craze and were part of the rise of sportswear to everyday fashion. Along with linen dresses and blouses with puff sleeves they are the perfect choice for warm weather. You can get the oufits at her website and make my illustrations come to life.

Viel zu hot!

It is done. My illustrated book called „VIEL ZU HOT!“ tells the story of three young people who listened to hot jazz and swing music in the late 1930s and early 40s in Wiesbaden, Germany. The text is taken from interviews I have done with contemporary witnesses earlier this year. I feel one could fill many books with the things they experienced. I did choose some of the anecdotes that relate to my topic: Swing music and being young in the Third Reich when almost everything was dominated by the Nazi ideology. In the near future I am looking for a way to publish my work. This pages are a preview of the book.

swing and life

Dear Readers,
for my friends from all over the world I decided to write in english and hope not to make too much grammar mistakes ;-)

I am currently working on my diploma thesis and won't have the time to post every day. But from time to time I will publish pictures from my past projects or sketches that won't be used in the book.

The ongoing diploma project is about Germany in the late 1930s and early 40s. Most people can't imagine how it was to be young at that time. So I did interviews with senior citizens who liked swing music when they were in their teens.
I love swing music and as we know the Nazis din't like it at all. It was never really "verboten" but still there were some laws against music made by jewish and (later) american musicians. Also the young people who listened to swing were accused to have low moral standards and sometimes were threatened by the Gestapo.

I was really impressed by their stories. I hope my book will capture the spirit of them and share it with you.