'De Zwartepinken en de Moderne Zeerovers'.
Leo Loedts is a Belgian painter, advertising illustrator and former comic artist, who has worked as an assistant for the comic creators Berck, Jef Nys and Jean-Pol. With Berck and scriptwriter Maurice Renders, he notably worked on the kids' gang adventure comic 'De Zwartepinken' (1965-1972) for the children's magazine Zonneland.
Early life
Leo Loedts was born in 1941 in Schaarbeek, a town in the Brussels-Capital Region. He got his artistic education at the Sint-Lukas School of Arts in Brussels, and also attended the Academy of Leuven/Louvain. For most of his life, Loedts has lived in Heverlee, one of Leuven's boroughs. The comic artist Arthur Berckmans, AKA Berck, lived in the same neighborhood, and helped the young Loedts with securing his first job at Publiart, the advertising agency of the publishing house Lombard. Under supervision of studio chief Guy Dessicy, Loedts worked on 1960s campaigns for BP petrol and Dinky Toys cars. He quickly stood out for his technically and realistically rendered illustrations.
Studio Arle
While still working for Publiart, Loedts also began a collaboration with Berck, collaborating from 1963 on with the inking, coloring and background art of 'Strapontin' and Berck's other comics for Tintin magazine. Leo Loedts and Willy Ophalvens were the first of many assistants of this productive comic artist, but Loedts was the only one who was ever credited for his work. For their joint productions for the Catholic publishing house Altoria in Averbode, they used the collective pseudonym (Studio) Arle, a contraction of their first names, Arthur and Leo. Most of Berck's Averbode work was handled by Loedts, who produced the finished art based on Berck's rough sketches.
' De Zwartepinken en de Regendief'.
Zonneland
Between 1963 and 1972, the Arle duo made illustrations, cover drawings and comics for Altoria's children's magazines, most notably Zonneland. Their first serial was the stand-alone story 'Wim en Eric: De Verdwenen Sloep' (February-September 1965), about two righteous boys who visit their uncle Walter in an English coastal town. It was followed by the adventures of 'De Zwartepinken' (1965-1972). Eleven serials of this kids' gang were made in cooperation with scriptwriter Maurits Renders, which were also published in Zonneland's French-language counterpart Tremplin. The magazine's edifying and pedagogically justified tone was strongly reflected in the stories. The main heroes Marleen, Erik and Hugo were presented as average kids with normal parents and normal homes. The publisher emphasized that their unusual adventures certainly cannot happen in real life.
'De Familie Nopjes' ('t Kapoentje, 2 March 1966)
Other Arle work
Between 1965 and 1970, many of the "Arle" illustrations for the Altoria magazines are believed to be largely solo work by Loedts. For Zonnekind, Arle made the serial 'De Vliegende Schildpad' ("The Flying Terrapin") in collaboration with scriptwriter R. Staelens. Loedts also made drawings for Zonnekind's short stories, the so-called "Opstel-Filmpje" ("Essay-Film", 1969). For 't Kapoentje, the children's supplement of newspaper Het Volk, Arle made the humor comic 'De Familie Nopjes' (1965), written by Leo's brother Jos Loedts.
Work with Jef Nys and Jean-Pol
In the late 1960s, Loedts was also one of the earliest assistants of Jef Nys, along with Edwin Wouters. Since Nys didn't credit his assistants, it's difficult to pinpoint most of their work. Loedts is believed to have worked on the backgrounds in the 40th 'Jommeke' album, 'Anakwaboe' (1969) and a couple of gags with 'Jommeke' characters for the children's magazine 't Kapoentje.
By 1972, Loedts' collaboration with Berck had ended, and he began working with Jean-Pol, another artist from Leuven. He initially assisted on 'De Lustige Kapoentjes' and 'Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke' (a series originally created by Marc Sleen), and later became the colorist of Jean-Pol's signature series about the baker's assistant 'Kramikske'. He also painted 'Kramikske' art on showcases and vans for local bakeries.
The 1969 'Jommeke' episode 'Anakwaboe', probably with background art by Leo Loedts.
Later life and career
Loedts worked with Jean-Pol well into the 1980s, but was additionally building a career as an advertising artist. Together with photographer Pol Leemans, he started his own advertising agency, through which he worked on campaigns for Grand Air clothing, Chateau Grand-Jour wine, Sopa animal feed, De Kempenaar licor, Leuvens Nootje gin and Ruwet cider. Loedt's keen eye for detail was often required for technical illustrations. In 1982, Loedts painted the Antwerp art tram, which drove the city for three weeks as a publicity stunt for the local book fair.
As a painter, he has been working with acrylic, making magical-realistic works that strongly showcase his love for nature and ecological themes. His paintings have been exhibited on several occasions, several times in the Leuven art shop/gallery TABLOO. Later in life, Leo Loedts has been living in the Edouard Remy retirement home in Leuven, where he has continued to draw and paint. On 29 November 2024, the 83 year-old artist came back into the spotlight when the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported about a mural he was painting on one of the home's walls. Because the artist's physical condition left him unable to continue the work, the home placed an acouncement for a younger artist who could finish the project in his honor.
Cameos of Jean-Pol, Leo Loedts and inker Dirk Stallaert in the 'Kramikske' album 'De Kastarrally' (1987). Artwork by Jean-Pol.