Vincent Bal, a Belgian filmmaker and artist, has captivated audiences worldwide with his whimsical shadow doodles. His unique art form, known as “Shadowology”, involves creating playful and creative doodles by integrating the shadows of everyday objects with hand-drawn illustrations1. Bal’s work is a delightful blend of imagination and reality, where a simple shadow can transform into a story or a character, engaging viewers in a game of visual storytelling.
Bal’s journey into shadow art began serendipitously when he noticed the shadow of his teacup resembled an elephant. This moment of inspiration led to a daily practice of finding new shadows to bring to life through his doodles. His pieces have since gone viral, showcasing not only his creativity but also his ability to find art in the mundane.
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. (…) While I was working on a new script last April (2017), 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.
Vincent Bal
More info: Website, Facebook, Instagram (h/t: Bored Panda).