object(WP_Post)#339 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(11491)
["post_author"]=>
string(1) "1"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2016-09-08 13:32:19"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-09-08 11:32:19"
["post_content"]=>
string(3046) "Dad's glory(story taken from Date in the forest 1)My little Benjamin and I, (who’s getting less little by the day, actually) love spending quality time together.
I’m fascinated by his world: Did you know that the best armor is forged in dragon scales? (and that the dragon always has a few gold coins on him – weird, isn’t it?) Well, rest assured, the dragon in question is not one of his class’s teachers but is in a game...(But you never know, perhaps I’ll come across one some day…) Beneath the starsWe also like having cartoon-watching evenings – just the two of us - it’s so awesome to huddle up on the sofa with a world-exclusive home-made shake and plenty of snacks (the unhealthier the better!)
We have filled our heads with dreams watching Japanese animations, then laughed out loud at others, but also lost ourselves in our very own philosophical reflections. We often recall the best of these moments when we’re lying on our backs, staring at the imaginary stars on the ceiling! It’s like we’ve been through all sorts of adventures together.
I love my son, and I feel so lucky to be able to spend this time with him. Every time I see him, it makes me so happy, in fact, I’m his number one fan … And God, it’s a bit the same with you...My first “Oscar”This evening I show all of my little family the cartoons that I am ‘author’ of. (OK, it’s mainly the Moondog Animation studio that made them, but never mind...)
I see something in my child’s eyes that shines brighter than any medal of honour of the greats of this world: he is proud of me…
The reflection of the cartoon in his eyes is so much more beautiful than all the HD screens. In my father heart the jackpot signs lit up!
This is what God (our heavenly Father) must feel when we are proud of Him.Your Father likes being with you…Now, three years later, this cartoon has been watched on facebook over 36 millions times.
"
["post_title"]=>
string(11) "Dad's Glory"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(19) "la-gloire-de-papa-2"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-09-09 15:19:12"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-09-09 13:19:12"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11491"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Dad’s glory (story taken from Date in the forest 1) My little Benjamin and I, (who’s getting less little by the day, actually) love spending quality time together. I’m fascinated by his world: Did you know that the best … More…More…
object(WP_Post)#340 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(11421)
["post_author"]=>
string(1) "1"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-05 15:38:12"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-05 13:38:12"
["post_content"]=>
string(7044) "Mais allo quoi ?!
C'est lundi matin, et comme à mon habitude avant de me plonger dans la mêlée d'une journée de travail intense, je passe d'abord dans la quiétude de la forêt,
(ils n'ont pas encore branché de fax sur les arbres, c'est pour ça !).
Je parle de différents trucs avec Dieu et aussi parfois pour qu'Il me guide dans mon travail. Mais apparemment aujourd'hui mon cerveau n'est pas au courant de mes belles résolutions... En effet, des tas de pensées hors sujets, (une rencontre de famille, le film d'hier soir, un papillon) me coupent constamment la parole. Au point que parfois, je ne me rappelle même pas du début de ma propre phrase.
- Halala! Quel piètre interlocuteur je fais... Désolé Seigneur.
Et prout la poésie !
Une légère vapeur s'élève du sol. L'air est doux. Un rayon de soleil ayant réussi à se faufiler dans l'abondance des feuillus me caresse chaleureusement la joue. D'un seul coup, toute la multitude des feuilles de la forêt se met à chuchoter un chant à l'unisson, obéissant au doigt et à l'oeil au signal de départ précis d'un chef d’orchestre invisible qui n'est d'autre que le vent. Les feuilles sont parées de perles d’eau qui étincellent soudainement au contact de la lumière, (comme le ferait la nitro dans les mains d'un gars atteint de Parkinson). Je ne saisis pas toutes les dimensions subtiles de l'hymne de ces feuilles, mais néanmoins j'en perçois vaguement la splendeur (bon, certaines d'entre elles postillonnent un peu).
Allo ?
Quoi qu'il en soit ce vent a d’un coup balayé mes neurones encombrées par la culpabilité pour mettre à jour une idée nouvelle:
Et si ce qui me déconcentre était une tentative désespérée de mon Interlocuteur pour me répondre...? Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Ça me semble d'un farfelu... mais ok, essayons: je me tais (ce qui est déjà un exploit en soi) et voilà la première pensée qui me vient à l'esprit:
- Tu as une histoire pertinente de Willy Grunch qui fait 5 pages (c'est d’ailleurs à ce moment-même, la seule histoire en tiroir avec ce nombre de page), traduit-la en anglais.
- Pfff et ensuite, j'en fais quoi...? Je ne connais ni journaux, ni éditeur anglophones, mais bon okay : défi accepté !
A peine arrivé à mon atelier, je contacte le pote à qui j'ai pensé durant la balade pour traduire (qui lui en contacte un autre qu'il estime plus doué que lui). Les jours suivants, je m'applique à courir après mes traductions et leurs corrections pour finalement les appliquer dans les bulles (un travail plus fastidieux qu'il n'y parait).
Et maintenant ?
Du haut de la forêt, j'ai une vue panoramique sur mon village en contrebas ainsi que sur ma semaine si vite écoulée. Ma BD est prête okay, mais qu'est ce que je vais bien pouvoir en faire...?
Je suis encore perdu dans la brume amazonienne de mes réflexions lorsque que je m'assois machinalement à mon bureau. Tout à coup, la pile de courrier posé en vrac devant moi attire mon attention (sensible augmentation du suspense ambiant). L'adresse sur l'enveloppe me fait l'effet d'une détonation dans la jungle (et le ciel vide s'emplit d'oiseau qui fuient !): elle provient des USA !
De surprise, je saute de ma chaise et me mets au garde à vous. J'ouvre fébrilement l'enveloppe avec les doigts tout en ayant soin de ne pas déchirer l'adresse (purée ça aurait été plus rapide de l'ouvrir avec le tire-bouchon de mon couteau suisse!)
De jeunes américains m'écrivent ni plus ni moins de leur envoyer 5 pages dessinées pour leur collectif BD!
Les jambes sciées, je suis abasourdi et relâche d'un coup la pression me laissant retomber de tout mon poids sur ma chaise de bureau. Cette dernière, tout autant surprise du choc, accuse le coup en provocant une petite échappée d'air imitant à merveille le bruit de pet inopiné.
Drôle de résultat
Plusieurs semaines plus tard, je reçois la BD imprimée. Oh !oh ! les autres participants ne sont pas des pro. Ce livre n'est qu'un projet de jeunes débutants... Si j'étais prétentieux, je dirais que leur oeuvre à au moins l'avantage de mettre en valeur ma BD (oups ! Je l'ai dit !) Quoi qu'il en soit, c'est mal barré pour « percer au USA »: un tel ouvrage ne dépassera jamais le cadre familial (Les parents étant les seuls à trouver ma-gni-fi-que l'oeuvre de leur progéniture, fut-elle aussi laide qu'un étron qui vient de naitre*).
Le clin de lune
Alors pourquoi fallait-il que j'y participe ? Si seulement cela pouvait impacter un lecteur ou encourager un auteur (ou un parent !) en herbe... Bah, je n'en saurai jamais rien. Mais qui sait, si un jour je suis bien luné, j'entendrai Dieu m'en toucher un mot. De toute façon, je le crois capable de cacher quasi l'entier d'un astre aussi gros que la lune juste pour faire un clin d'oeil à l'un de ses amis... et pour moi, ça vaut bien tous les rêves américains de la terre.
Justine
Quelque temps plus tard, lors d'une balade forestière, j'ai pensé à Justine. C'est une copine que je n'avais plus vu depuis des années. Au lieu de passer à autre chose, je lui ai immédiatement envoyé l'SMS suivant: « Salut, je suis dans la forêt avec Jésus, et on pense à toi ».
Quelques temps plus tard, elle m'a confié qu'elle s'était éloigné de Dieu, mais que mon petit message est arrivé pile-poil et à point nommé pour la ramener à Lui. (Enorme!)
La révélation ultime !
Néanmoins par souci d'honnêteté, je me dois de rajouter que je ne compte plus le nombre de fois où j'ai franchi la porte de mon domicile une lueur fanatique dans l'oeil, bombant le torse pour mieux clamer en triomphe:
- Cette fois, ça y est ! Je crois bien avoir compris un signe divin signifiant que mon art est sur le point de percer ! Fini les pâtes au quotidien, à nous la grande vie ! Chabalabalatatam Carlapatata pifpafpouf ! (c'est du parlé-en-langue et cela doit probablement signifier : « t'inquiète Seigneur, j'ai à nouveau pris des vessies pour des lanternes »)
Sans que cela ne provoque aucun émoi chez mon auditoire familial habitué aux fausses alertes. Heureusement pour moi, j'ai beaucoup d'enfants et donc toujours un cadet sensible à mon effet de scène.
Je dirais même plus
Quoi qu'il en soit, « l'anecdote des 5 pages » a sensiblement amélioré ma manière de communiquer avec Dieu et les gens. Je reste pas mal dur de la feuille, mais j'entends de mieux en mieux la musique. Mais que je sois inspiré ou non, il est un fait indéniable :
Plus on prie, plus il y a des « coïncidences ».
En bref :
Un malentendant se converti avec ma BD!!
Un tout petit échange de courrier vraiment encourageant, je vous laisse le découvrir :
http://www.auderset.com/blog/echange-fb-avec-helene
Kids game Genève
Du 18 au 20 août, je parlerais à pleins pleins d'enfants ! Je l'avais déjà fait l'année passée, c'était tellement fort en émotion de voir comment Dieu agit en eux... La plupart découvrant Dieu pour la première fois..."
["post_title"]=>
string(21) "(FR) Mais allo quoi?!"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(14) "mais-allo-quoi"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-12 10:27:01"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-12 08:27:01"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11421"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Mais allo quoi ?! C’est lundi matin, et comme à mon habitude avant de me plonger dans la mêlée d’une journée de travail intense, je passe d’abord dans la quiétude de la forêt, (ils n’ont pas encore branché de fax … More…More…
Posted inBlog|Comments Off on (FR) Mais allo quoi?!
object(WP_Post)#341 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(11401)
["post_author"]=>
string(1) "1"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2016-07-27 08:44:44"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-07-27 06:44:44"
["post_content"]=>
string(5282) "Hi Alain,In my church we have a deaf Christian I have been helping for almost three years now.
Yesterday we were at my home with another deaf gentleman who wants to know more about Jesus. We explained the gospel to him in sign language but it honestly wasn’t easy to explain spiritual ideas.I was going on about sin, repentance...Then I went to get a little booklet that you made, it explains the gospel just with pictures.Straightaway that spoke right to him, and he kept on asking questions as he went on in his ‘reading’.
Then, when he saw the ‘clean’ little guy and the cross covered in blood on the ground, he went, ‘Oh! The sin isn’t there any more, it’s on the cross!’ Little by little he really understood, and he summed it up ‘So Jesus saves us from our sin.’He wanted to receive Jesus too, but, because of his reserve, preferred to do this on his own at home.
So we explained to him how to do it and went on to share our testimonies with him.
All of that was to encourage you and thank you for your pictures which really are tools to the glory of God.
Your little booklets speak to the deaf, and I think that they can also speak to children.
God bless, Alain!
HélèneYour message is terrific!!!
What an encouragement for me and all who work with me in the studio!
Would you mind if I published your message just as it is? It would be such an encouragement for all those who support me too…AlainYes, no problem, go ahead!
Pleased that it’s an encouragement for you.I am going to order several of those little booklets – they’re so convenient. Thanks for your giftHélèneA cartoon book without wordsFacebook page
"
["post_title"]=>
string(34) "Exchange on Facebook with Hélène"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(22) "echange-fb-avec-helene"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-12 13:33:58"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-12 11:33:58"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11401"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Hi Alain, In my church we have a deaf Christian I have been helping for almost three years now. Yesterday we were at my home with another deaf gentleman who wants to know more about Jesus. We explained the … More…More…
Posted inBlog|Comments Off on Exchange on Facebook with Hélène
“Images are a universal language everyone can understand”
Swiss cartoonist Alain Auderset on how his ‘Willy Grunch’ animation video went viral on Facebook. His new project, a “book without words” to share the gospel.
Alain Auderset lives with his family in a typical Swiss house, and loves to be surrounded by nature. In the last years, the artist's comic stories have had a significant impact (110,000 books sold) both in his country and beyond: France, Germany, USA... A part from his designer facet, Alain plays rock music with the Saahsal band and speaks about arts, life and God at schools, cultural associations, churches and any other places he is invited to.
A 2-minute animation film he created 3 years ago his character Willy Grunch suddenly became viral on Facebook in March when an unknown Russian Facebook page posted his video. After some days, 3 million people had seen it. Auderset explains the details of the story in his Evangelical Focus Magazine section: Buzzzz. In this interview, we also asked Alain about his new project to share the Bible message through drawings, his project “Heart”.
Question. Your Willy Grunch video suddenly went viral. How many visits has it? Did you expect something like this? Answer. What is amazing about this buzz is not only that it has been seen 3.7 million times on the Russian site, but the fact that the same cartoon started to appear on other sites which are not connected to each other. Theen they told me about the video being posted on a site in Egypt, where it had half a million views in only two days. On another site from Venezuela it had 1.7 million more. It also appeared in France, and many other places. Right now we have surpassed the 28 million views, and it continues. So no, I did not expect this. And yet, it all began exactly the same day I asked God for this project. On March, the 5th.
Q. Has this opened new doors for you as an author?
A. Yes, the 20 Minutes newspaper in Switzerland wrote about the video, and 2 million readers could read that God listens to our prayers. But more things are coming. The Moondog Animation Studio, the people with whom I did Willy Grunch, have started to search for the funds to create new episodes. Everyone can participate (here!) and help that new cartoons in the same line become a reality. I wrote two scripts which I think can touch a lot of people, at least as much as the first one!
Q. Speaking of your other new project, “Coeur”. In the whole book there is not one single word, but the message is very easy to understand and is presented in a funny way. What audience were you thinking about?
A. What is great about this is that images are a universal language everyone can understand. From children to adults (although older people are less used to understand visual contents). We are a generation that has grown up surrounded by images from the television, from films, cartoons and comics. So, the book is addressed to everyone, be it Westerners, Asians, Africans… It’s the ‘magic’ of image.
Q. What we do find turning the pages of the book is numbers (1,2,3…) which are connected to Bible verses at the end. Did you build the whole story on biblical texts?
A. In this book I wanted to summarise the essence of the Gospel, which consists in the gift of the life of the Son of God given for us, and salvation by Grace. The blood of Jesus washes us clean. So yes, in the book one finds a concentrated message of the Bible.
Q. Do you think people can identify with this ‘dirty heart’ in your book? Do people see themselves as lost and in need to be cleaned?
A. I think people do not admit their weaknesses in front of others, but when they are alone and honest with themselves, they realise that they have needs. At the same time, most people lie to themselves about their condition. Somehow we all believe we are better than others. Even us, the Christians, isn’t it true? So we need the action of the Holy Spirit to convince people where they really are. If we want this book to be efficient, we should distribute it with the complicity of the Holy Spirit, because it is only Him who touches the hearts.
Q. One part of the story is when the King harms himself to let something new out. What did you want to communicate with this part?
A. The fact that God gave his Son brought great suffering to Him. Jesus is the most important 'thing' God the Father had. Glory and honour, gold, silver and other things he created, he could re-create whenever he wanted to. But giving his Son for us, who did not deserve it all, must have been terrible. So here we have the most beautiful proof of love one could imagine.
Q. A question you may have heard other times. Does your faith make you a “Christian artist”?
A. I consider myself to be a friend of God and it turns out that I also draw.
Q. Finally, if anyone wanted to get some copies of the book, how can they contact you?
A. Very easy, just write me an email to this address: atelier@auderset.com
to read the original interview, click on the logo Evangelical Focus
“Images are a universal language everyone can understand” Swiss cartoonist Alain Auderset on how his ‘Willy Grunch’ animation video went viral on Facebook. His new project, a “book without words” to share the gospel. Alain Auderset lives with his family … More…More…
Posted inPress|Comments Off on Interview on A cartoon book without words
object(WP_Post)#372 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(11140)
["post_author"]=>
string(1) "1"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-02 13:23:59"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-02 11:23:59"
["post_content"]=>
string(1091) "
Leaving the house this morning, I had the impression of being entwined in an entanglement of roots of insoluble problems… I take the path which goes inside this huge temple that is the forest and which leads me to the feet of its God.
“Lord, I no longer see any way out of my situation, other than simply trusting you…”
I must have taken a different track from usual as I find myself in a wonderful meadow at the top of a verdant hill. From there, I admire in the distance the sun filtering a new day through the mists rising up from the vast fields of the valley (it’s beautiful, huh?).
It dawns on me that all around me nature is sprouting hundreds of thousands of new shoots.
A peace like the dew settles gently on me…
Good news: Peace does not depend on circumstances…
"
["post_title"]=>
string(15) "The morning dew"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(21) "el-rocio-de-la-manana"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-03 14:57:53"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-03 12:57:53"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11140"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Leaving the house this morning, I had the impression of being entwined in an entanglement of roots of insoluble problems… I take the path which goes inside this huge temple that is the forest and which leads me to the … More…More…
Dad's glory (story taken from Date in the forest 1)
My little Benjamin and I, (who’s getting less little by the day, actually) love spending quality time together.
I’m fascinated by his world: Did you know that the best armor is forged in dragon scales? (and that the dragon always has a few gold coins on him – weird, isn’t it?) Well, rest assured, the dragon in question is not one of his class’s teachers but is in a game...(But you never know, perhaps I’ll come across one some day…)
Beneath the stars
We also like having cartoon-watching evenings – just the two of us - it’s so awesome to huddle up on the sofa with a world-exclusive home-made shake and plenty of snacks (the unhealthier the better!)
We have filled our heads with dreams watching Japanese animations, then laughed out loud at others, but also lost ourselves in our very own philosophical reflections. We often recall the best of these moments when we’re lying on our backs, staring at the imaginary stars on the ceiling! It’s like we’ve been through all sorts of adventures together.
I love my son, and I feel so lucky to be able to spend this time with him. Every time I see him, it makes me so happy, in fact, I’m his number one fan … And God, it’s a bit the same with you...
My first “Oscar”
This evening I show all of my little family the cartoons that I am ‘author’ of. (OK, it’s mainly the Moondog Animation studio that made them, but never mind...)
I see something in my child’s eyes that shines brighter than any medal of honour of the greats of this world: he is proud of me…
The reflection of the cartoon in his eyes is so much more beautiful than all the HD screens. In my father heart the jackpot signs lit up!
This is what God (our heavenly Father) must feel when we are proud of Him.
Your Father likes being with you…
Now, three years later, this cartoon has been watched on facebook over 36 millions times.
"
["post_title"]=>
string(11) "Dad's Glory"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(19) "la-gloire-de-papa-2"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-09-09 15:19:12"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-09-09 13:19:12"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11491"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Hi Alain,
In my church we have a deaf Christian I have been helping for almost three years now.
Yesterday we were at my home with another deaf gentleman who wants to know more about Jesus.
We explained the gospel to him in sign language but it honestly wasn’t easy to explain spiritual ideas.
I was going on about sin, repentance...
Then I went to get a little booklet that you made, it explains the gospel just with pictures.
Straightaway that spoke right to him, and he kept on asking questions as he went on in his ‘reading’.
Then, when he saw the ‘clean’ little guy and the cross covered in blood on the ground, he went, ‘Oh! The sin isn’t there any more, it’s on the cross!’
Little by little he really understood, and he summed it up ‘So Jesus saves us from our sin.’
He wanted to receive Jesus too, but, because of his reserve, preferred to do this on his own at home.
So we explained to him how to do it and went on to share our testimonies with him.
All of that was to encourage you and thank you for your pictures which really are tools to the glory of God.
Your little booklets speak to the deaf, and I think that they can also speak to children.
God bless, Alain!
Hélène
Your message is terrific!!!
What an encouragement for me and all who work with me in the studio!
Would you mind if I published your message just as it is?
It would be such an encouragement for all those who support me too…
Alain
Yes, no problem, go ahead!
Pleased that it’s an encouragement for you.
I am going to order several of those little booklets – they’re so convenient.
Thanks for your gift
Hélène
A cartoon book without words
Facebook page
"
["post_title"]=>
string(34) "Exchange on Facebook with Hélène"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(22) "echange-fb-avec-helene"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-12 13:33:58"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-08-12 11:33:58"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11401"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
“Images are a universal language everyone can understand”
Swiss cartoonist Alain Auderset on how his ‘Willy Grunch’ animation video went viral on Facebook. His new project, a “book without words” to share the gospel.
Alain Auderset lives with his family in a typical Swiss house, and loves to be surrounded by nature. In the last years, the artist's comic stories have had a significant impact (110,000 books sold) both in his country and beyond: France, Germany, USA... A part from his designer facet, Alain plays rock music with the Saahsal band and speaks about arts, life and God at schools, cultural associations, churches and any other places he is invited to.
A 2-minute animation film he created 3 years ago his character Willy Grunch suddenly became viral on Facebook in March when an unknown Russian Facebook page posted his video. After some days, 3 million people had seen it. Auderset explains the details of the story in his Evangelical Focus Magazine section: Buzzzz. In this interview, we also asked Alain about his new project to share the Bible message through drawings, his project “Heart”.
Question. Your Willy Grunch video suddenly went viral. How many visits has it? Did you expect something like this? Answer. What is amazing about this buzz is not only that it has been seen 3.7 million times on the Russian site, but the fact that the same cartoon started to appear on other sites which are not connected to each other. Theen they told me about the video being posted on a site in Egypt, where it had half a million views in only two days. On another site from Venezuela it had 1.7 million more. It also appeared in France, and many other places. Right now we have surpassed the 28 million views, and it continues. So no, I did not expect this. And yet, it all began exactly the same day I asked God for this project. On March, the 5th.
Q. Has this opened new doors for you as an author?
A. Yes, the 20 Minutes newspaper in Switzerland wrote about the video, and 2 million readers could read that God listens to our prayers. But more things are coming. The Moondog Animation Studio, the people with whom I did Willy Grunch, have started to search for the funds to create new episodes. Everyone can participate (here!) and help that new cartoons in the same line become a reality. I wrote two scripts which I think can touch a lot of people, at least as much as the first one!
Q. Speaking of your other new project, “Coeur”. In the whole book there is not one single word, but the message is very easy to understand and is presented in a funny way. What audience were you thinking about?
A. What is great about this is that images are a universal language everyone can understand. From children to adults (although older people are less used to understand visual contents). We are a generation that has grown up surrounded by images from the television, from films, cartoons and comics. So, the book is addressed to everyone, be it Westerners, Asians, Africans… It’s the ‘magic’ of image.
Q. What we do find turning the pages of the book is numbers (1,2,3…) which are connected to Bible verses at the end. Did you build the whole story on biblical texts?
A. In this book I wanted to summarise the essence of the Gospel, which consists in the gift of the life of the Son of God given for us, and salvation by Grace. The blood of Jesus washes us clean. So yes, in the book one finds a concentrated message of the Bible.
Q. Do you think people can identify with this ‘dirty heart’ in your book? Do people see themselves as lost and in need to be cleaned?
A. I think people do not admit their weaknesses in front of others, but when they are alone and honest with themselves, they realise that they have needs. At the same time, most people lie to themselves about their condition. Somehow we all believe we are better than others. Even us, the Christians, isn’t it true? So we need the action of the Holy Spirit to convince people where they really are. If we want this book to be efficient, we should distribute it with the complicity of the Holy Spirit, because it is only Him who touches the hearts.
Q. One part of the story is when the King harms himself to let something new out. What did you want to communicate with this part?
A. The fact that God gave his Son brought great suffering to Him. Jesus is the most important 'thing' God the Father had. Glory and honour, gold, silver and other things he created, he could re-create whenever he wanted to. But giving his Son for us, who did not deserve it all, must have been terrible. So here we have the most beautiful proof of love one could imagine.
Q. A question you may have heard other times. Does your faith make you a “Christian artist”?
A. I consider myself to be a friend of God and it turns out that I also draw.
Q. Finally, if anyone wanted to get some copies of the book, how can they contact you?
A. Very easy, just write me an email to this address: atelier@auderset.com
to read the original interview, click on the logo Evangelical Focus
"
["post_title"]=>
string(41) "Interview on A cartoon book without words"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(32) "interview-sur-la-bd-sans-paroles"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-19 14:49:12"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-19 12:49:12"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11196"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Leaving the house this morning, I had the impression of being entwined in an entanglement of roots of insoluble problems… I take the path which goes inside this huge temple that is the forest and which leads me to the feet of its God.
“Lord, I no longer see any way out of my situation, other than simply trusting you…”
I must have taken a different track from usual as I find myself in a wonderful meadow at the top of a verdant hill. From there, I admire in the distance the sun filtering a new day through the mists rising up from the vast fields of the valley (it’s beautiful, huh?).
It dawns on me that all around me nature is sprouting hundreds of thousands of new shoots.
A peace like the dew settles gently on me…
Good news: Peace does not depend on circumstances…
"
["post_title"]=>
string(15) "The morning dew"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(21) "el-rocio-de-la-manana"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-03 14:57:53"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-05-03 12:57:53"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(32) "http://www.auderset.com/?p=11140"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
