Flying with birds

One day she flu into a group of birds. Th e birds didn't seem to mind and they flu together for a while, the birds and the plane. Marga was ecstatic.
I'm not sure what kind of birds, but for the sake of a picture I choose swans. They only fly about 35 knots, which is very slow for the plane so it's very unlikely. Call it artistic freedom …

Marga at the Wolga

Part of the journey, from Nishi Novgorod to Kasan, she had to follow the Wolga, this was not an easy way to fly. The Wolga is immense and the branches are as big as lakes, they were easely mistaken for the main stream.

Bullfighter Julio Aparicio spiked

In Madrid at the Fiesta de San Isidore is bullfighter Julio Aparicio spiked by the bull. The horn went in to his throat and came out through his mouth. Julio Aparicio survived, the bull did not.

Don't put your bets on one horse

Although I'm still searching for her biografie [Kiek in die Welt, Berlijn 1933, Union] I have started with 'sketches' for the novel about the Trip Marga von Etzdorf made in 1931. So I'm not only bussy with 'Pedro el Cruel' or 'Madame Butterfly'. The risk is, that none of hese will ever finish.
The number of Junker A 50 juniors I have drawn is countless, but I'm still not satidfied. The corrugated duralumin is typical, but hard to express in my style.
Landscapes not so difficult. During the long hours of flight Marga von Etzdorf red German poets like Heinrich Heine or Joseph Eichendorff:

Arthur Rimbaud

The news paper published a 'new' picture of Arthur Rimbaud that was found at some flea market. There very little pictures of Rimbaud.
One that turns up all the time is a beautifull picture as a 17 year old. He was already known for his arrogance and his temper. And this picture shows it all. I think I have captured it …

Marga von Etzdorf

This silly looking women quickend the hartbeat of every aviator back in 1933. She flew in an open plain, a Junker A52 junior, from Berlin to Tokyo in 11 days. Wearing an overall with oil stains, the smell of gasoline there was nothing heroic about her looks.
She made several long distance trips.
Her last flight was heading for Australia, but she damaged her plain with thhe landing in Allepo, Syria. Half an hour later she shot herself. Want to know more? Read Uwe Timm's 'Half shadow'.
I'm tempted to make a graphic novel out of this true story, but I have a few others to finish first.

The way I work

I call it sampling, like in the music business. I surf the web for images that fit my ideas. This is a time consuming activity.
Then I import it into Adobe Illustrator and draw lines & facets to my liking. For the lines I use a brush, so they are more lively. Somtimes I mirror the image.

So this drawing …


















… came from this picture