I Doodle With Shadows

I’ve always been making little drawings, ever since I was a kid. Coming from Belgium -the land of Tintin and Lucky Luke- of course, I wanted to be a comic strip maker. But fate and study (and the attraction of the silver screen) turned me into a filmmaker. As a director, my drawing came in handy for making storyboards and communicating with the crew.

I’ve done four feature films (and several shorts and commercials) and I love directing and writing, but the whole process can be so time-consuming. Sometimes it takes eight years from the first idea until opening night. Very frustrating. While I was working on a new script last April, I noticed how my teacup made a nice shadow on a piece of paper. I drew some lines on it and suddenly the shadow was an elephant.

I took a pic with my phone and posted it on Facebook. Before I knew it, this pic was shared and liked as never before. I was surprised how much people liked it. Since that day I’ve been posting a doodle a day. Sometimes with shadows, sometimes with objects, always with a silly punchline. It’s great. I love how quick it is. I have an idea, make it, and find an audience, all in less than half an hour. I love the freedom. There are no restrictions. I can just watch a shadow and see if I recognize a shape.

More info: vincentbal.com | Instagram | Facebook

#1 Love On Shadow Beach

#2 Escape From Alcaglass

#3 Dinner Music

#4 Doesn’t Want To Draw Attention

#5 Birdy On Shore Leaf

#6 Scissors See Rock

#7 Wood You Like To Confess?

#8 Heatwave In Belgium: We Want A Bottle Of Snow

#9 Tanqueray Blvd

#10 Arty Choke

#11 Tic Tac Train Traveller

#12 Homer Stinkson

#13 Phone Charger Guard Dog

#14 He Was Going To Comb The City For A Better Hairdresser

#15 Saturday. Do Not Forget To Dance

#16 Car Charged Cuisine

#17 Half Normal Glasses, Half Shades, Fully Crazy

#18 Shadow Lady

#19 Cool Camel

#20 Look At The Stars

#21 If My Nose Was The Shadow Of My Sunglasses

#22 Onions Nearly Always Made The Lonely Octopus Cry

#23 Sieve Thief

#24 Nailing It On The Bridge

#25 The Enlightenment In A Book

#26 Looking For Clues In The Blue Sewer

#27 Mysterious Bird

#28 Egg Farmer

#29 The Strawberry Girl

#30 Fellaini’s Yellow Broccoli Power

#31 Noodle Poodle Doodle

#32 The End Of The Hipsterbeards

#33 Food Measurements On The Fly

#34 The Catch Of The Day

#35 Me Before Coffee

#36 Hotel Pool Bottle

#37 Juggling Is Berry Easy

#38 After Shaving, Captain Blackbeard Had Lost Some Of His Authority

#39 Corky Mariachi

#40 What He Did In His Free Time Was His Own Business, Said The Colonel

#41 Colonel Brushtache

#42 With So Many Loose Ends, This Clearly Was A Case For Stapler Man!