A whole army of inspiring artists, makers, and other experts are ready to host interesting workshops and reveal their secrets in Q&A panels and presentations. Check this page to see in which field you’d like to hone your skills!
Artist Alley panels & workshops
Blood Like Ink: The Comic Career of Michael Gaydos
Who: Michael Gaydos
When:
Saturday: 11:00h – 12:00h
What:
From his underground debut for Caliber to a stint as one of Marvel’s highest profile creators, he co-created one of Marvel’s most recognisable modern characters in Jessica Jones, after all; and there’s a lot more in between! Michael will have plenty to say about an already storied career and whatever his plans are for his comics future.
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
Trek eens aan De Bel: A Writing Masterclass
Who: Marc de Bel
When:
Saturday & Sunday: 12:30h – 13:30h
What:
In 1987, he published Het Ei van Oom Trotter, Marc de Bel’s very first book. Since then, he has written more than 200 books and told countless stories.
During this workshop, learn how Marc works on a story, where he gets his inspiration, how he keeps remembering all the adventures and does not repeat them.
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
Charity event: Art in Public - 1st edition! - A Live Art Jamming Session
Who:
– Elsa Charretier
– Wes Craig
– Michael Gaydos
– Anthony Marques
– J. Bone
When:
Saturday: 14:00h – 15:00h
What:
Inspired by other LIVE jam piece sessions, FACTS is proud to present its first attempt at Blab & Draw. The big Idea is for every artist to contribute to one large canvas following one or more prompts or themes. While this art occurs, questions may be answered, anecdotes shared or histories delved into. See what the result will be!
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
Submerging in the world of Saint Seiya
Who: Jérôme Alquié
When:
Saturday: 16:00h – 17:00h
What:
Japanese comics & animation has conquered the world but Jérôme Alquié was already on it for quite a while. He’s been interested in this art style for years and now works on the comic adaptation of Saint Seiya. Learn what he loves so much in this world and maybe go home with an originale sketch.
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
Graphite & Graphic Novels: The Comic Books of Aimée De Jongh
Who: Aimée De Jongh
When:
Saturday: 17:30h – 18:30h
What:
With each new release, both the skill and the audience for Aimée’s titles has increased exponentially. From her intimate debuts of Terugkeer van de Wespendief to the international success of Days of Sand and her latest adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, it’s become clear that this is a born storyteller. Let’s pick this master’s brain before she’s too big to remember us.
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
The Creative world of Anthony Marques: a drawing workshop
Who: Anthony Marques
When:
Saturday: 12:00h – 13:00h
What:
Anthony Marques has worked for major publishers such as DC Comics and Dynamite Entertainment, bringing iconic characters to life. During this workshop, he will provide insights into his artistic techniques and narrative methods. This workshop promises to be an engaging experience for aspiring comic book artists and you might go home with an original drawing of his afterwards.
Where:
Flex zones (area beyond Hall 1’s balcony)
From recap to Ultimate Recap cartoon
Who:
– Cas van de Pol
– ImaJunation
When:
Saturday: 15:30h – 16:30h
Sunday: 14:00h – 15:00h
What:
Cas Van De Pol & ImJunation have been working together for years and are famous for their Ultimate Recaps on all kinds of pop-culture topics.
During this workshop, discover how they make these videos and the steps they go through to get to an Ultimate Recap.
Where:
Flex zones (area beyond Hall 1’s balcony)
Blazing His own Trail: The Comics Career of Wes Craig
Who: Wes Craig
When:
Sunday: 11:00h – 12:00h
What:
Some artists break their own mould, or don’t actually fit in any. Wes Craig is one of those unique visual masters, who distill a plethora of influences into something new, unique and so exciting. His work has graced titles for all of the big publishers (Guardians of the Galaxy or DC All In, just to point out a few stand-outs) but he really makes his mark with his own (co)creations that find their own lasting & well-deserved appeal, from the modern classic Deadly Class (with Remender) to his latest solo Fantasy project Kaya. We’ll have plenty of great material to discuss!
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
The Delicate Line Panel
Who:
– J. Bone
– Anthony Marques
– Elsa Charretier
When:
Sunday: 14:00h – 15:00h
What:
In a more innocent time, there was an aesthetic, a cultural feel, a style made popular around the world by cartoons and advertising, a design attitude & recognisable line that conjures an age, a feeling (or feelings), an optimism and perhaps a certain naivety? Fortunately for us, this line has such a powerful draw (excuse the pun) that artists keep finding it and make it sing a more modern tune. Jay, Anthony & Elsa will tell us all about its appeal and their work in that aesthetic!
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
Could He Be the One? - Adapting Dune to comics
Who:
– Raúl Allén
– Patricia Martín
When:
Sunday: 15:30h – 16:30h
What:
FACTS’ favourite artist duo is back just in time for the release of their final volume of the Dune adaptation! (this is not true, that volume’s been out for a while, but they’re here now, and so is that volume, so come on, help a hype man out, huh?) Raul & Patricia will discuss their time & experiences on the adaptation now that the work is finished, as well as their previous and future works, life and their place and view on the state of the industry.
Where:
Pen-and-ink Palace: Hall 4
Jommeke en zijn strooien dakje, niet zo eenvoudig als het lijkt.
Who:
– Dieter Steenhaut
– Kristof Berte
When:
Sunday: 12:00h – 13:00h
What:
Discover how to write a Jommeke story and learn to draw the beloved character in our workshop. Learn the secrets of creating exciting adventures and distinctive drawings. With our experts, you will be able to create your own Jommeke story in no time!
Where:
Flex zones (area beyond Hall 1’s balcony)
Writing & fandom workshops
How to draw a fantasy map
Who:
– Robin Rozendal
When:
Saturday: 14:30h – 15:15h
What:
Zilverspoor author Robin Rozendal (Levende steden, Werelden ontwaken, Luguberg: talentenjacht) will show you how to create a believable world with realistic topography and interesting landmarks.
Where:
Flex 1/2 (area reachable beyond Hall 1, beneath the balcony)
Make your own wizard props by The Compendium
📹 The Compendium is back with its DIY workshops! Craft everything a wizard or witch desires:
- Wandmaking workshop
- Spellbook workshop
- Potions workshop
- Scribe feather workshop
and much more!
Place: Fan Village (Hall 8)
Timing: Both days, all day long!
Start to LARP
⚔️ It’s dangerous to go alone, take this workshop! The Live-Action Role-Playing experts of Statera Mundi University will grant you passage into the wonderful world of LARP.
Place: Fan Village (Hall 8)
Timing: Both days, all day long
Gunpla workshop
🤖 Red Comet, a group of experts on Gundam, will show you how you can make your own awesome Gundam mobile suit replica. Warning: once you’re hooked on this ‘gunpla’ activity, you may never view the world the same again!
Place: Fan Village (Hall 6)
Timing: Both days, check for details at the Red Comet booth
Learn how to play D&D
🎲 Being a Dungeon Master for Dungeons & Dragons is a mix of game knowledge, story-telling, and enjoying having counter-spells to an immense amount of funny facepalm moments. D&D Belgium is happy to show you how it’s done. Time for some vitamin D&D!
Place: Spellenspektakel
Timing: Both days, all day long
Historical fencing & lightsaber duels
⚔️ The world’s oldest fencing club, Sint-Michielsgilde De Hallebardiers, will show you how to wield a lightsaber on one stand, and historical weapons in another. Sci-fi and history meet!
Places: Hall 1
Timing: Both days, all day long
Fandom talks & workshops
DINOMANIE:
DINOSAURS IN OUR POP CULTURE
🦖 Whether you drive around in a Ford Raptor or have seen the first Jurassic Park film 17 times: everyone has had dinosaurs in their lives. But what kind of impact have they had on pop culture, in games, movies, series, and comic books? What was the world’s first dinosaur park? And where can you buy dino turds? Speaker Harald Scheerlinck provides a list of interesting insights and did-you-knows.
Place: Cosplay Stage
Timing: Sunday: 12:30h – 13:00h
WORLD-BUILDING TECHNIQUES
Participants:
– Mathias Maho (Ruiters van de Nacht)
– Morgan Blade (Muse Academy)
– Petra Doom (Overstekers)*
– Pen Stewart (As moderator)
Timing: Saturday: 11:00h – 12:00h
What is it about?
Effective worldbuilding can captivate audiences and draw them deeper into the story, making it an indispensable tool for authors, game designers and other creators.
- Workshop: Tegenslag versus conflict in een verhaal
- Workshop: Korte verhalen schrijven
- Workshop: Dieren in een verhaal
- Workshop: De ingrediënten van een goed verhaal
These sessions will be held in Dutch on both days, by Uitgeverij Zilverspoor, in the Workshop area. Check the schedule for time slots.
Even more
40 Years Return of the Jedi by TeeKay-421
Star Wars episode VI: Return of the Jedi turns 40 this year. Leave it up to the experts of TeeKay-421 to gather some interesting trivia and facts about this iconic movie.
Saturday: 12:30h – 13-30h
LIVE PODCAST: The Thompsons Talk Futurama
The Thompsons: A Simpsons Podcast is back with more uncommon trivia and unbridled appreciation of Matt Groening’s creations. Now with special guest Lectrr. Next up: Futurama!
Sunday: 11:30h – 12:30h
Live on the Cosplay Stage
Kids and videogames: guidance for safe and responsible videogame play
David Verbruggen of FLEGA (the Flemish Games Association) is going over the pros and cons of children playing video games at an early age. Will they turn out to be superhumans? Or hopeless gaming addicts? Or something in between? Lets find out at FACTS!
Saturday: 12:15h – 13:00h
Live on the Cosplay Stage
