Welcome to the gallery of Addy Corstiaensen.

My first drawing-lesson came from my mother (horses do NOT have knees in the MIDDLE of their hind legs). And I kept her comment in mind for the rest of my drawing career. If any of my old teachers read this: I've been used to cheat on you by students who handed in that 'very nice!' picture and I'm afraid that I'm not sorry at all... I just love to draw

I remember one occasion when I had drawing lessons on a Christian school. We had to do heads. So I made my version of the medusa. Snakes almost jumping off the paper, the jaws of the medusa wide-spread showing her sharp teeth, shades and all... I really worked on that one. And I gave it to the teacher. The next lesson we would get our grades for the heads. I saw my drawing at the top of the pile. The teacher, behind her desk, folded her hands, and started the morning prayer, her eyes wandered off to my drawing. She stopped, took my paper and put it face-down on the pile, then, she continued praying.

My dad had a secret, kept in boxes and bags. He teaches animalfood-science at the agricultural school and he knows a lot about animals. Once in a while, when we begged for it, he would show us the secret treasure. Animal remains. Seashells andurchins, starfish, teeth, jaws and skulls of mammals. He has donated me a part of the treasure, the perfect reference for drawings. Now and then he gives me a fantastic gift: a dried frog, a dried mouse, a mummyfied dragonfly whenever he finds them.

With two good friends of illustration (academy of arts) I went to Ireland. We made sketches and drawings of people and places. A great time. We used rainwater mixed with aquarel to paint the campsite's surroundings and Guiness mixed with aquarel to paint in pubs. People would come and sit next to us asking questions and commenting. One time we were drawing a drunken bunch when this fellow stepped forward and looked at us working, he said he had something really interesting to draw for us and pulled his pants down ...Slainte.

One of the boys I went to Ireland with, is my boyfriend. He introduced me into the world of AD&D. I was very sceptical just before the game started. Everybody was talking about everything but the game, o boredom, when very slowly I realized that everybody was ROLEPLAYING. A while later I joined in and I have never left since.

I received an email from a certain guy named Ingo who had seen my work on Elfwood and asked me if I would draw for a certain magazine for certain roleplayingfans. I grinned diabolical, don't get me wrong, sceptisism is my middle name, every now and then I receive vague requests by email about my illustrations. But this one didn't ask me for originals, nor did he want money for some strange online gallery, also, the fact you got the issue with your artwork seemed fair. So I asked him to sent me a copy of Tradetalk. I didn't expect much, a smudgy stenciled document sent to me two months later perhaps. Some three days later I got a package from Germany, I opened it and took out a neatly, straight-kept, good designed magazine ...wow. I have done some illustrations in two issues now and Ingo and Dario have guided me perfectly.

Addy Corstiaensen