Spookie durft alles! or Spookie be brave! is a picture book about conquering your fears and experiencing growth, filled with colorful animals as told through the tale of an anxious cat called Spookie. I wrote and illustrated the picturebook on my own with the help of many picture book makers.
Story: Spookie the cat enjoys her safe life within the comfort of home with her owner Bianca and Tommie the cat. One day her life is disrupted by the disappearance of her precious food bowl. Conquering her fear of the outdoors, she goes on a journey to retrieve it. She first asks the smallest animals she meets, before eventually asking Wolf to help her figure it out. As she grows braver she realizes that she is maybe even braver than Wolf! And as it turns out the thief has been close-by all along. As Wolf is scared of the thief too, Spookie understands that fear is something we all deal with. It’s okay to be afraid. Conquering fears helps us grow. Spookie persuades Tommie, who stayed at home, to join her in a new adventure in the great outdoors. Spookie’s bravery is enough to convince Tommie that he too can be fearless!
A full PDF-file of the picturebook including the text is available upon request. Let me know by using my contact form. The full twelve illustrated spreads can be viewed below:
let's go on an adventure! - mixed media pieces
Picture This! - Lemniscaat - contest Entry 2021
In 2021 I decided to participate in the anual contest hosted by the Dutch publisher from Rotterdam: Lemniscaat. Each year they request illustrators from all over the world to illustrate three pieces that tell a story together. For my entries I decided to work digitally, using tradional textures I made by hand. My tale tells a story of a cat that leaves her house after an argument and finds a fun new world full of new friends in the forest… or does she?
Applied illustration work
PRAXIS BULLETIN - MALMBERG PUBLISHING
During my internship with Lobke van Aar I was asked to illustrate two different covers for the Praxis Bulletin magazines. A monthly magazine for primary schools. The illustration on the right has been created using traditional handmade textures in a combination with digital elements. The magazine is created for teachers and holds an informative function. Praxis Bulletin is published by Malmberg publishers in the Netherlands. These illustrations have been made for educational purposes and have not been commissioned by Malmberg publishers.
Character design
BOOK COVER & ILLUSTRATIONS - PLOEGSMA PUBLISHING
During my two month internship with Ploegsma publishers I had the opportunity to make my own version of the cover for ‘Billy Extra Plankgas.’ I also got to illustrate 15 illustrations for inside. I created my version of the characters based on the story written by Yorick Goldewijk. The fonts for the title and author have been designed by me. These illustrations have been made for educational purposes and have not been commissioned by Ploegsma.