Sławomir Kiełbus

• born 1969
• born in Strzelin
• he lives and creates his works in Łódź
• he specializes in comics and illustrations

“Learn from those who are better than you but compare yourself only to yourself”.

He is a natural artist. Since the 1990s, he has drawn press comic strips (including for “Angora” or “Super Express”). He created Gwidon and Milkymen. He is also the author of art for new adventures of Kajko and Kokosz, the continuation of the series by Janusz Christa. He has taken part in individual and group exhibitions in Warsaw, Łódź, Bydgoszcz, Biała Podlaska and Rzeszów.

The most important publications: “Gwidon”, Westa-Druk, 2003; “Milkymen”, Westa-Druk, 2000‒2002; “Historia Polski” Vol. 1, “Szara Drużyna” (art), story by W. Birek, Vol. 3; “Drzewo Peruna” (art), story by W. Birek, Mandragora, 2005‒2006; “Zaczarowana Altana”, Vol. 1‒4, MAAR, 2008‒2010; “Między dniem a snem w Wilanowie”, Vol. 1 and 2, MAAR, 2010; a series of comics for “Salamandra” (since 2017, story by M. Kur), PTOP “Salamandra”, 2010‒2018; “Kajko i Kokosz: Nowe Przygody”, Vol. 1 and 2; Egmont, 2016‒2017; “Kulty cargo PRL” (art), story by P. J. Olszewski in “Praga Gada. O pokoju”, “Walery Wątróbka ma głos” (art), story by P. J. Olszewski in ‘’Praga Gada Wiechem. Raz!”, Fundacja Animacja, 2014‒2018.

The most important awards and distinctions: Grand Prix at the International Comics Festival in Łódź (“O tym, jak chłop baby szukał”), 2002.

Sławomir Kiełbus’s most favourable techniques include ink, pen and watercolour. When writing about that artist, it is difficult to avoid comparisons with Janusz Christa, with whom he shared many elements of style, such as characteristic elegant strokes, non-aggressive contours and a certain roundness of characters. However, what makes him different is dynamic panelling.
When he decides to use more angular strokes, which can be observed in his later works in particular, Kiełbus achieves an effect of roundness, a certain three-dimensionality, one which is typical for his drawings and which is the result of skilfully placed colours. Kiełbus mentions “alive strokes” as an essential element of his comics; there are few static characters, as most of them are in constant motion.
Regardless from the selected convention, i.e. realistic, humorous or even a parody of comics about superheroes, the artist always depicts landscapes full of detail.
Kiełbus’s works involve a specific sense of humour, which is demonstrated not only in the verbal layer but also in the use of the possibilities provided by the visual layer, which brings him close to Christa’s comics as well as to works by other older Polish artists.
The artist draws his solutions from the tradition of the genre (multiple onomatopoeias) but he often experiments with comics formal boundaries as well, e.g. he resigns from closing a panel with borders or marks the order of reading the speech balloons by arrows; he introduces plays with the borders separating two neighbouring panels which are a single image in terms of content.

Sławomir Kiełbus Gallery

More information about the artist: kielbus.pl