In school Willy got punished quite a few times because he was drawing instead of paying attention to what was going on in front of the class. It did not prevent him from graduating with honors in mechanical engineering. Out of school he aspired to become a comic strip artist in his native Belgium but getting a foot in the door at the renowned comic strip houses Kuifje and Robbedoes wasn’t as easy as he had hoped. There was simply no room for an aspiring newcomer. But, determined to not let himself be discouraged he started practicing. ...more

Eventually, in 1995 he left his roots behind to move to the USA to start a scale model business with his closest friend. When the hobby suffered greatly from the poor economy they decided to close it down instead of continue to struggle. The year was 2000.
But Willy had found his new home and has lived in America ever since. He got married and moved to Dallas in Texas where he still resides. He recently was accepted as Artist member of the prestigious American Society of Aviation Artists and his aviation cartoons are well esteemed in his new home country where he earns a living as a graphic artist and book author.