Gijs Henselmans’ illustrations: absurd, gruesome, but always hilarious

Date
26 October 2016

Gijs Henselmans is a freelance illustrator based in Amsterdam. The brilliance of Gijs’ work is born out of a developed perky and playful style. In the illustrator’s own words he has tailored a “sweet and disarming style posing a harsh contrast with the subjects of my work, often absurd or gruesome, a combination that results in humorous imagery.”

This absurd narrative of Gijs’ illustrations is evident across projects, from drawing an alternative Seoul with illustrator Levi Jacobs, or creating pieces influenced by city nightlife. A larger project that encompasses the illustrator’s talents is Barry Baldadig en zijn moelijke matties which translates as Randy Rascal and his horrible homies, a comic book depicting “modern children punished for their misbehaviour in horrific and outlandish ways”. Emulating a style from 19th Century children’s books, “the book serves as entertainment to parents of rebellious children”. In this sense Gijs has created the ultimate children’s book for parents, it’s frightfully entertaining for the children and comical for the parents reading it with them.

With his jagged lines or curved creations Gijs creates an alternate reality for which the medium of illustration is ideal. “Illustrating offers me the chance to translate reality to a different world with my own rules.”

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Seoul, made in collaboration with Levi Jacobs

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Seoul, made in collaboration with Levi Jacobs

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Barry Baldadig en zijn moeilijke matties (Randy Rascal and his horrible homies)

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Barry Baldadig en zijn moeilijke matties (Randy Rascal and his horrible homies)

Above

Gijs Henselmans:

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Asians and Aliens

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Koude Kikkers

Above

Gijs Henselmans: Koude Kikkers

Share Article

About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.