Collaborations
The city landmark illustrations from our 'Classic Catalogue' are created by professional designers who have themselves experienced life in that city first-hand. Under this catalogue, there are different collections that cover detailed artistic illustrations of Leuven landmarks on different products.
A long-term cooperation model has been defined in order to guarantee sustainability.
Beside this, 'Creative Catalogue' emerged through the idea of collaboration with like-minded artists. Who are they? All local professional illustrators, young talents, or amateur artists.
They are like-minded because they feel part of Leuven and use their talents to capture daily moments from Leuven.
The "Creative Catalogue" provides inclusive diversity by involving new talents and ideas that experience the city in all its aspects. With this diversity, the Catalogue aims to capture creative interpretations of life in Leuven with an emphasis on personal styles and candid drawings.
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Every sculpture tells a story...
Sculptures represent many aspects of society and are thus excellent for symbolism. They not only inform us about the details of that region but also reveal the historical and cultural importance of that place. Also, there is no doubt that they serve as additions to the beauty around us by transforming a space into an art scene.
Story of Collaboration, from Aslı..
Linda Lim, Maireyee Bhattacharya and I met each other at an Art-Meetup in the beautiful botanical garden in Leuven. They both had very impressive drawing skills and this gave me the idea of a cooperation. Then we started sharing ideas over cups of coffee, or while walking around the city. We are connected by our love for Leuven, enthusiasm for designing simple and creative things that carries a personal touch, and a passion to share it with everyone out there.
Thank you Linda for valuable contribution to this project and thank you Maireyee for the very lovely illustrations!.
From Maiyere..
“Making art and crafts has always been a source of joy for me. As an artist, I keep on exploring. I like to doodle on memories and that is how I was first attracted to the ‘Story of Catchy’. It was a great pleasure for me to be a part of its projects. We worked on four elegant lady-statues of Leuven. With their graceful appearance, they enrich the beauty of the city and attract the attention of any passerby. I wanted to recreate that feeling in the illustrations. Linda and Asli encouraged me throughout this journey. They both shared their views and concepts which I admire a lot. Linda guided me, and Asli offered freedom. Well, we worked as a team, and it is now more than a collaboration.”
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An urban sketch is a spontaneous drawing of buildings, streets, marketplaces or monuments based on the impression they leave on the artist. Leuven has been an inspiration to many sketchers and Leen is one of them. Her style and competence impress us. Therefore, we decided to do a collaboration to design special products with her illustrations.
Thank you Leen for sharing your beautiful Leuven sketches with us!
From Leen;
"Being able to collaborate with Catchy and capturing the beauty of famous landmarks in Leuven is my personal love letter to a city I fell in love with many years ago. Learning about Catchy's vision and mission, I couldn't be more excited to share my passion for the vibrant university city I decided to work and live in. Not only does Catchy prioritize eco-friendly and sustainable products, they also promote collaborations with young, female artists who have themselves experienced life in Leuven first-hand. Meeting Asli and her team have been an amazing opportunity for me to develop my skills as a local urban sketcher and to get to know my beautiful city on a microscopic scale - being amazed by every brick, roof tile and sculpture."
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My surroundings are my inspiration for my daily drawings...
Leuven is a student city. Students working in the library, students taking a lunch break in the park, students trying to catch up with their bikes. etc, all of them are common sights in this city.
While collaborating with Seren, we asked her to make drawings inspired by these landscapes. And, she conveyed her own unique perspective in her drawings and created illustrations called 'On the Move' and 'Mindful Pause' .
We love the outcome and we hope you will love it too!
From Seren...
“As an illustrator, my surroundings are my inspiration for my daily drawings. Because I lived and studied in Leuven, it was nice to make illustrations about Leuven as a background. As we decided with the Catchy team. I prepared two illustrations which depict snippets from the students' daily routines. I am very curious about the product. Thank you Catchy very much for this pleasant cooperation!”
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Etching passion for more than 50 years...
André Wellens is a famous Belgian etcher for more than 50 years, originally from Antwerp. His speciality is printing etchings on paper and the theme of his artwork is based on architectural scenes from Belgian cities, including Leuven.
His journey began with him attending the academy in Berchem. Then, he studied for another five years privately with the well-known artist Colpin. This allowed him to master graphic art and eventually open his studio in the Beguinage in Diest to create his own printed graphics.
To create his artwork, he uses the acid etching technique which is the printmaking process in which lines are incised using acid into a metal plate. After printing the etchings a set number of times, the original plate is destroyed by the artist himself, preventing further printing. He proceeds to work along with his colleagues to produce his own printing paper through fabric scraps and finalize his printed graphics. He can be considered one of the few artists in Belgium to use this method.
All of the printed artworks are limited editions and each is accompanied with a signed certificate.
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I wanted to bring some of my favorite Leuven moments to life on the block...
For this collaboration, we will be using Mary's linocut prints based on her perspective of Leuven in our upcoming products. As it is mentioned, the prints will be presenting her favourite moments of the city such as snacking on fries, eating waffles with friends etc.
From Mary Cate
"Four years ago, I spontaneously bought some linocut materials from my local art supply store and began to teach myself the craft of stamp- and print-making. I quickly fell in love with this medium and the possibilities that it offers. These blocks can be used to capture meaningful moments, explore new feelings and ideas, or to play with new designs. In the series that I created for Catchy Sights, I wanted to bring some of my favorite Leuven moments to life on the block – from peaceful walks through Sint-Donatuspark or the Grote Markt, to snacking on frites and Luikse wafels with friends. Like the blocks, these memories were often replicated (I enjoyed many a wafel and walk in my time) but also unique. That's one thing that makes block-printing so special – it duplicates without taking away from the originality of each piece you create. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed creating it! "
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Who is Hannah Davidoff?
"I reconnected with my artistic side a few years ago when I decided to try something new and add a little colour to my typically monotone pen drawings. Since then, I pick up my pens and brushes when the beauty of the world inspires me or when I decide the world needs more beauty."
What is the collaboration?
This collaboration between Catchy and Hannah derived from the shared interest in the creation of Leuven landmark related products. Hannah's original drawing on her souvenir cards which depicts some of the most known places in Leuven such as Great Market Square, City Hall, Old Market created a huge interest in us. Therefore, we took the step to share her talent with our customers by putting her work on our website.
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Who is Lieve Koch?
Lieve is a clinical psychology student at the University of Leuven with a passion for creative journaling. With her colourful drawings, she hopes to inspire a little joy in the spirit of Leuven.
What is the collaboration?
We designed bullet journals that carry the spirit of Leuven city. Small surprises will reveal themselves as you turn the pages. This Bujo is named 'Student Life' as it is based on the perception of Leuven from Lieve's eyes. Her drawing can be found on some pages besides the book cover. Her drawing are consisting of Groot Begijnhof, Grote Markt (side with the cafe Het Moorinneken, which is the most left one on the picture) , Ladeuzeplein (the insect statue) ,Bondgenotenlaan ,Café Onan (Parijsstraat) and Agora Study Centre (Edward van Evenstraat).
