Temporary drawings by landscape artist Nico Laan
Landscape artist Nico Laan received perhaps the coolest St. Nicholas present ever from his family: they allowed him to collect his artistic work in a book. With two daughters who are graphic designers, a son who works as a web designer, a text-writing daughter-in-law and a wife who is a great organizer, it was bound to be a success. The family came to us for the printing of Nico's book and we naturally welcomed the project with open arms.
Drawings from a high perspective
Temporary Drawings. The title of the book, but also exactly what Nico creates as a landscape artist. He works with nature to provide different landscapes with beautiful temporary drawings. Then he captures them from the air. Previously with a kite on which he mounted his own camera, nowadays he does this with a drone. "In addition to being a landscape artist, I am also a photographer. I find drawings especially interesting from a high perspective. From the air, I can play endlessly with the lines I have carefully drawn in the sand."
"I used to work a lot with anamorphosis: a trick that makes you see an object only from a certain perspective. Later I started working more abstractly and also allowed the influences of nature. For example, just before the storm, I draw large circles on the beach and then watch what happens. Also the tide can have a great influence on the final result."
Modest
Nico says he was humble throughout the process. "My daughters, daughter-in-law and son were packed with ideas. I didn't always agree immediately, but they managed to convince me well. They know a lot more about design and designing than I do anyway. My wife is also much better at organizing. I'm not much of an organizer. I really see that as a profession in its own right."
Part of that organization consisted of a crowdfunding campaign. Printing a quality book is expensive, Nico knew. In no time they had raised their target amount. When that amount eventually turned out to be too low because of price increases for paper, among other things, the crowdfunding campaign was adjusted. The new amount was also quickly raised.
Paper is important
For Nico, the right paper is essential to the end result. "As a photographer, you want your images to come out on paper as beautifully as possible. Both the designers and I agreed that we wanted to go for uncoated paper. That does have the disadvantage that the ink gets soaked up faster. Fortunately, we came to the right place for this at NPN Drukkers . Because of their LED-UV printing press, the ink dried at lightning speed, leaving it nicely on the paper This made the colors come out beautifully."
Super enthusiastic
Nico is very happy with the collaboration. "Already at the first contact with John I noticed that they were super enthusiastic about our project. The fact that we wanted to go for uncoated paper was a plus. That's one of their specialties John told me, who immediately saw it all for himself. My daughters are often involved in printing, but they really wanted to make something special out of this. Good quality paper, a cover with silver foil printing, it was all possible. I clearly noticed that this project really caught the interest of NPN Drukkers."
Well received
Nico's book had a print run of over 500 copies. By now, he has already lost 470. "My book has been very well received. During the book presentation in The Hague they flew over the counter like hot cakes. The crowdfunding people were also enormously interested in the book. Moreover, I had a nice interview in Trouw. That also generated a good number of sales."
Nico is proud of his book. That's why he decided to participate in a competition held by the Best Dutch Book Designs Foundation. Each year, a professional jury selects 33 books that have been visibly worked on with heart and soul. The jury looks at the design, printing and binding, lithography and commissioning, among other things. Of course, we sincerely hope that "our" book is chosen!
