'Wibo Werkt'. Wibo is advised to take a holiday to cure his "winter depression", but even on vacation he still hates the "bad weather."
Pieter van Cleef is a Dutch comic artist, illustrator and editor, who was active in the Dutch comic industry between 1994 and 2015. His comics and cartoons have appeared in Leeuwarder Courant, Gaykrant, Computable, Kek Mama and the Dutch edition of MAD Magazine.
Pieter van Cleef's design for the 'Gouden Alf', depicting Mad Magazine Alfred E. Neuman in a parody of the Dutch film award Het Gouden Kalf ("The Golden Calf"). This mock award was created to "honor" the worst Dutch movie of the year.
Early life and career
Pieter van Cleef was born in 1971 in the Frisian capital of Leeuwarden. His interest in comics was fuelled by Franco-Belgian comics and newspaper strips. After an education in business economics, he spent four years working as an editor with the Dutch Disney weekly Donald Duck (1994-1998). After that, he began a career in public relations and publicity in the fields of theater, television and artistic education, while additionally working as an independent graphic designer, illustrator and cartoonist.
Gag comic by Pieter van Cleef. Translation: "In times of recession, norms and values fade away. Company theft rises. I advise everyone to think up a solution and put it in the idea box... that used to hang here a moment ago...".
Cartoonist/illustrator
Often based on current events and the news, Van Cleef's comics, illustrations and cartoons have appeared in various Dutch business, trade and public magazines. Among his clients have been Leeuwarder Courant, Computable, Kek Mama and the Dutch edition of MAD Magazine. In October 1997, he began making comics for the LHBTIQ+ magazine Expreszo, playfully dealing with topics like coming-out, identity, sexuality and friendship.
'Gaylisabeth De Stripmusical' (from 'Stoere Jongens, Slappe Handjes', 2002).
Between 2000 and 2004, Van Cleef appeared with similar work in De Keerkring, and made the more campy strip 'Camphanen' for Gay Krant. A compilation of his work for these magazines appeared in the self-published comic albums 'Stoere Jongens, Slappe Handjes' (2002) and 'Camphanen' (2002). In 2014, he made the illustrations for 'The Mama Match', a book about motherhood by Tanja Jess and Anousha Nzume, published by Luitingh-Sijthoff.
Promotional strip in the style of Albert Uderzo's 'Tanguy & Laverdure' for Ger Apeldoorn's book 'De Jaren Pep' (2014).
Further career
In addition to his work as an illustrator/cartoonist, Pieter van Cleef was also active as an editor/reviewer for Stripschrift, a Dutch trade magazine about comics culture. Between 2013 and 2015, he was president of the Association of Dutch Comic Artists (Beroepsvereniging Nederlandse Stripmakers, BNS), which was later incorporated into the Association of Dutch Designers (BNO). For the BNO, he was a member of the Supervisory Board within the field of comics and illustration (2014-2019). By 2015, Van Cleef had largely left the world of comics, focusing on a career in marketing and communication.
Illustration by Pieter van Cleef.