Day 31 of #inktober is “award.” With this final illustration, Coen and I wrap up a month of adventures with August & Suzy, and Mrs. Donderhuys & Co. We loved doing this together, sometimes creating almost the same drawing independently. See them side by side on my blog: bit.ly/inktober25

Day 30 of #inktober is ‘vacant’. So my husband and I drew empty houses in different styles. It's almost the final day of inktober!

Day 29 of #inktober is 'lesson', and August the Fox is showing how to fold paper planes. Can you do it better than Suzy Squirrel? Coen drew his comic character 'Willem', who is teaching August and Suzy.

Day 28 of Inktober is ‘skeletal’. The wolf, salamander, and the mouse are dressed up for Halloween, though some might already say they're spooky enough without a costume. In the mean time, Coen's character, Mrs Donderhuys, dances with a very scantily dressed partner. #inktober

Day 27 of @inktober is ‘onion’. Cutting an onion is enough to make you cry, but August the Fox found a solution. Wana, the witch, from Coen’s story says she never had that problem. Strange. 🧙‍♀️ This October I’m joining inktober for the first time with Coen, drawing something new every day.

Day 25 of #inktober is 'puzzled', and many things in the world feel confusing. I wish they were as easy to fix as for August and Suzy. My husband, Coen, drew Mrs. Donderhuys in quite a tight spot. I hope she’ll find her way out.

Day 25 of #Inktober is Inferno, a tricky one to draw since I’m doing Inktober with my usually cheerful kidlit characters, August and Suzy. So I drew August in a situation that would be hell for him (and for me), while Coen drew Mr. Donderhuys giving Officer Postema a tour around the inferno.

Day 24 of Inktober is ‘rowdy’. I drew a pillow fight between August and Suus with a smile on my face. It was fun to capture their expressions, especially August’s mix of joy and “EEP!”. Coen drew Mrs. Donderhuys, ignoring some rowdy teenagers. #inktober

Day 23 of inktober is ‘firefly’. It’s funny how Coen and I, independently of each other, ended up drawing the same thing. 😊 It’s our first time joining the Inktober challenge, and my husband and I both make an ink drawing every day based on the daily theme. #inktober

It looks like I've forgotten to post Day 20 of #inktober. The theme was rivals. I drew August and Suzy playing chess, and my husband Coen drew Miss Donderhuys and her rival Kleng.

Day 22 of Inktober is “button”. Mister Wild Boar lost one, while my husband Coen's character, Agent Postema, is about to push one. #inktober

Day 21 of inktober is “blast”. I don’t think I have to explain the illustrations, right? 😊 I'm joining inktober, together with my husband Coen. Every day we both make an ink drawing based on the daily prompt. #inktober

Day 19 of Inktober is ‘Arctic’. Suzy Squirrel makes a new friend from the far, far north, while in the drawing of my husband, Coen, Mrs Donderhuys and Co. go on an icy walk and receive an unexpected visitor. #inktober

Day 18 of #inktober is “deal”. August and Suus are trying to handle a rather wet situation, and Coen gave it his own twist again. It’s October, and this year I’m joining the inktober challenge, together with my husband Coen. We make one ink drawing each day, inspired by a new theme

Day 17 of Inktober is ‘ornate’. The hare is working on a lavishly decorated cake, and Coen drew August and Suus, richly adorned with all sorts of crazy frills. #inktober

Day 15 of #inktober is ‘ragged’. Oops, it’s probably not the first time Suusje had to mend her dungarees. Coen drew something swinging for today. It's ragtime baby!

Day 14 of Inktober is ‘trunk’. August gets quite a scare! What’s that trunk doing there? Coen took the prompt in another direction and drew a surprise for Mrs. Donderhuys. #inktober

Day 13 of inktober is ‘drink’. I’ve been craving hot chocolate lately, but not the fancy kind like in my drawing. I prefer a simple mug with whipped cream myself. But Suzy loves what I drew for her! My husband Coen’s characters, Mr. Donderhuys and Agent Postema, chose beer instead. 😁 #inktober

Day 12 of #inktober: “Shredded.” August and Suzy are brewing a witch’s soup with grated porcini mushrooms. Fun fact: in Dutch it's called eekhoorntjesbrood (squirrel bread). My husband Coen drew Agent Postema shredding secret documents. We’re joining the Inktober challenge together

Day 11 of @inktober is “sting”. August had a bike accident, while Coen’s Mrs. Donderdhuys is fighting off a swarm of giant wasps. This month, my husband Coen and I are both joining @inktober for the first time. #inktober

Day 10 of @inktober is 'sweep'! 🍂 The autumn leaves are falling fast, so August the Fox sweeps his way through the fallen foliage. Coen drew two characters from his comic story 'Mrs. Donderhuys': Wana the Witch and her crow. #inktober

Day 9 of @inktober is 'heavy.' I had fun drawing the bear, who often appears in my books. I call him 'Coen the Bass Bear,' as he's secretly based on my husband Coen, who used to play bass in a band. Coen drew Mrs. Donderhuys, showing off her powers, while Suzy is playing some heavy metal. #inktober

Day 8 of @inktober is 'reckless.' “Something wild and impulsive.” Would Suzy Squirrel ever do that? (You'll find out by reading my books). Coen drew Mrs. Donderhuys. She’s clearly not afraid of a little danger! #inktober

Day 7 of @inktober is 'starfish.' It’s almost Halloween, so… costumes! right? What if August and Suus dressed up as starfish? Coen drew an action scene inspired by old American comics. #inktober

Day 6 of @inktober is “pierce.” Those poor marshmallows didn’t stand a chance! Coen drew several versions, but I’m only posting one of his. #inktober

Day 5 of @inktober: ‘deer’. I drew a forest friend for my characters August and Suzy. Coen’s version turned out a bit darker. #inktober

Day 4 of @inktober is “murky.” Coen drew cloudy water with something vague living in it. August and Suus are also in murky water with something vague living in it 😂 (maybe frogs?) Btw, August hates getting this dirty (and so do I, brr!) #inktober

Day 3 of @inktober is “crown.” I thought of a tree’s crown, so that’s what I drew. Coen drew a royal crown instead. It’s our first year joining the challenge, and every day we both make an ink drawing based on the daily prompt. #inktober

Day 2 of Inktober is “weave.” By coincidence, my husband, Coen, and I both had the same idea, although we both worked it out a bit differently. He drew his comic characters, Mrs. Donderhuys and her husband. I drew my characters August and Suzy. #inktober

It's October, and I'm joining Inktober for the first time, along with my husband, Coen. I'll draw something small each day featuring my characters August and Suzy, sometimes with their forest friends. Today I used bottled ink and fineliner. It's so much fun doing this together with Coen. #inktober

Remember, I recently posted a cat illustration that was based on a vintage cat sculpture? I turned it into a ‘get-well’ illustration, and after creating it, I thought it needed a dog pal. So I created another ‘get-well’ card, in the same style, but based on those vintage Staffordshire Dog figures.

Wow, it's been such a turbulent couple of weeks. But I'm back at work in my renovated studio with *drumroll* proper insulation! I'm so happy about that. So I'm hoping working in my studio in wintertime will be less frosty from now on! Now it's time to get my butt back into gear! Haha.

Let’s make some art!!! This Wednesday at 2PM Eastern, on insta, I’ll be joined by the super talented Miriam Bos @miriambos.com #kidlit #kidlitart #illustration #kidlitillustration #kidlitillustrators #childrensbookstagram #kidlitartists

With these hot days we've been having in the Netherlands, I'm craving for some fresh summer fruits. Here is an abstract illustration I made. 😁 Wishing you a great weekend! #fruitart #foodart #illustratedfruit #illustratedfood

I’m sharing another cat design today. This one I created for Dear Stella Fabrics. It’s part of last year’s Christmas-themed fabric collection featuring magical creatures. In this pattern, a bunch of pixies are busy decorating for the holidays while dodging (and sometimes annoying) the cats.

Missed International Cat Day due to family health matters. So I'm sharing this cat illustration. I’m sure no company will license it because it may be a tad bit too weird for their audience. However, it didn’t stop me from painting it 😂 It was inspired by a vintage cat sculpture I found at a museum.

Stormy days outside, but my desk was all sunshine & summer fruit! 🍋🍊🍉🫐 I’ve had fun exploring different materials while illustrating the same theme today. The piece with different fruits was done in watercolor & gouache, the other with Copic markers. #foodillustration

I’m currently working on a new (Dutch) picture book with my characters August the Fox and Suzy Squirrel. Here’s a sneak-peek close-up so you can see part of the process. And if you look veeery carefully, you can see a tiny part of August too. 😂

Today, I’m sharing a cheerful mix of reality and imagination. Can you guess which part is real and which is a mock-up? The tin can and mug are from my illustration, but the bird-shaped planter on our kitchen windowsill is a real one. It's the first planter I ever made in ceramic class!

Because sometimes I feel like losing them. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday evening.
 #beautifulthings #artcollage

Ahhh, that wonderful moment when you can finally take off your shoes and socks!! 😮‍💨☺️ Last week, I was away from my studio and social media, because I walked the 4-day March of Apeldoorn (NL) together with my sister-in-law. It was really nice doing the march with her. miriambos.com/blogen/caugh...

How was your weekend? I had a wonderful time at a fantasy festival with my family. I feel a bit hungover, but it was definitely worth it! It’s Monday, and I have a ton of things to do. If I could, I’d curl up like a cat on the sofa. But I’m super grateful for it all, nevertheless! #recharging

Here's a card design I drew for Father's Day. And, in case you’re curious, it was done in pencil for a change. 😊 Happy Father’s day! Fijne Vaderdag! ..to all the best daddies in the world! (Though there can’t be a better dad than mine, of course. Sorry everyone! ) 😄

I don't often draw beer, but when I do, it's beerely beerable. Yes, yes. I do Dad puns. 
My dad taught me well…. (cough) Happy weekend dear reader 🍺

Today is World Pet Memorial Day. We had 2 cats, and they're both still dearly missed. When our white cat passed away, I made this illustration of him. A card company licensed it for greeting cards with a request to add a dog. I love to think that our goofball cat comforted people, even after death 🐱

It’s #WorldOceanDay Raising awareness about how we treat our planet feels important to me. Small actions, like being careful to throw away our litter in a trash bin instead of the streets and gutters, may seem tiny, but can make a huge difference for our oceans and the environment in general.

For Friendship Day: All kinds included 💕 #loveislove #friendshipday #allkindsoflove

The strawberries in our garden are growing fast. I can't wait to try them if the birds and other critters don't beat me to it. 😅 I painted this some time ago, as an exercise. Have a lovely Saturday! #strawberries #strawberrypainting #artexercise

I adore robins. Yesterday, one sat right by my feet while I went for a walk in the park. I didn't see it at first, as its brown feathers blended perfectly in the background. I only spotted its red breast hopping around my toes! Then it swooshed off with a neon-green caterpillar in its beak. So funny

Today’s illustration is an image from a big acrylic painting I made a couple of years back. The original is 1x1 meters ( 39x39") This image popped into my head, made me laugh, and I simply had to paint it. 
(I realize it may also have potential for a children’s book) 😂 #illustratorslife #bigcanvas