For my amazing mom, to whom I owe so much. Of course, this boasting design is a spot of fun. Happy Mother’s day! (This is a card design I licensed some time ago :D ) #mothersday #moederdag #myamazingmom #amazingmomsday #geweldigemamadag

I’m so honored to be part of @Estemacleod’s Colori Flori Summit! It’s my first time creating an e-course on video. The summit contains 14 lessons from different artists. Would you like to paint sunflowers with me? Follow this link below: courses.estemacleod.com/a/2148264498...

If you have followed me for some time, you may remember that I loved the idea of collaborating with a company to create a funny line of tea tin cans (like this mocked-up one). It's still a dream of mine to this day to work on this series of naive styled illustrations with funny+relatable quotes 😁

Here’s another pattern design I made. I’ve been inspired by the wonderfully glazed ceramics you see a lot lately. So I made a design of these painted cups and mugs. It’s available in my Spoonflower shop, in case you’d like to purchase it. www.spoonflower.com/profiles/mir...

It's an oldie by now, but I fondly remember when I illustrated this one. I should try another quote like this sometime. Any suggestions? #booklover #lezenisleuk #quoteoftheday

This morning I got up early to hear the dawn chorus. It's this incredible burst of birdsong that you only hear in the very early hours of dawn. For me, it’s definitely worth getting up early for. Especially on a Sunday, when there's less traffic. 💕 #birdsong

Teapots and coffee pots, teaspoons, sugar cubes, & fresh, colorful pieces of fruit... Just a table filled with lovely eye candy. I really enjoyed working on this artwork. It's a bit experimental, and I loved combining gouache, ink, and watercolor in this piece. #illustration

Two days of sunny weather in the Netherlands, and I'm already channeling summer vibes. I didn’t need much encouragement, haha. This is an illustration of the dunes and the sea that I painted with acrylics and gouache and crayons.

A black-and-white cat, sitting on a bicycle and dozing comfortably in the sunshine. This illustration is part of a card folder from the beautiful Dutch brand Bekking & Blitz. I wish you a few warm rays of sunshine on your face as well.

Looking forward to seeing colorful flowers again soon. I finally made time to create some artwork, just for fun and for myself to play with colors and shapes. Of course, it’s available for licensing. 😁 I'm thinking of making this into a pattern design.

This morning, I discovered a small winter aconite in a large flowerpot in our garden. I planted it several years ago, and I did not anticipate it to emerge again. But lo and behold, there it was! Poking through the snow. The artwork is a mix of paper collage and acrylics I made in 2022. 😁

Happy Valentine to all who celebrate it! Here’s a little constellation of love for you. Happy Weekend! #constellationoflove

Let's say this to our loved ones more often. Sometimes we forget to tell them, and take their presence and the things they do for us for granted. #booklover #valentine #loveisloveislove

Vorige week leverde ik de illustraties in voor Bijna Gevonden!, het nieuwe prentenboek avontuur met August en Suus. Het boek verschijnt in mei bij Lemniscaat en ligt straks voor €2,99 in de winkel als onderdeel van het 'Geef een (prenten)boek cadeau' evenement. Lees meer erover: geefeenboekcadeau.nl

A sunny studio update from the Netherlands ☀️ I’m proud to share a fun project with the Rotterdam Public Library. August and Suzy are part of a lovely new membership for little readers, featuring items I illustrated. Peek here: bit.ly/library-Augu...

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.