Thanks very much for your interest in my website. I’m an illustrator and comicbook-artist from The Netherlands who specializes in editorial illustrations and comics.

The clients I work for (mostly art-directors and magazine-editors) seem to share a taste in illustration that avoids mainstream. Their publication is very dear to them and they want it to stand out from the crowd. By hiring me they know I will do my best to make this happen. I like to draw about archaeology and history in general but I'm happy to use my skills on every other subject.

As I did for (amongst others): 'De Telegraaf', 'De Volkskrant', 'Archeologie Magazine', 'Zeeuws Museum', 'Hartpatienten Nederland', 'Provincie Zeeland', ‘Nationaal Historisch Museum’ and lots more.

I studied at the 'Willem de Kooning-academie' in Rotterdam for five years and I took part in an exchange program in which I was able to study in Paris for a few months.
Although trained in illustration I consider myself being self-taught for an important part. However, my education at art school has been, and still is very important to me.

Whilst still in art school I was hired by a major newspaper (‘De Telegraaf’) to do a weekly cartoon on their science pages.

My style is rather difficult to put in a box but it is certainly rooted in the European way of doing comics. The way I draw is easy recognizable.

I hope you like it.

Ben Vranken

Comics I did can be found in the highly regarded French anthology "Comix2000" (published by 'l'Association', Paris) and in "The SPX2004 Anthology" (published in the US by 'The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund').

My work also appeared in Dutch magazines like 'Zone5300' and 'Zozolala'.

Sofar 4 graphic novels of mine have been published:
-"La Raie des Sables" (2000) by 'la Cafetiere editions' (a small french-speaking Belgian publishing house)
-"Kustbewoners" (Coastal-dwellers, 2001) by 'ZetEl' (a Dutch publishing house run by the people behind Zozolala-magazine)
-"De Suikeroorlog" (The Sweet War, 2005) by 'CBK' (arts-council in Middelburg)
-“Schroot” (Scrap Iron, 2010) by 'Xtra' (an outstanding publishing house from Amsterdam