Illustrations for Deutsch Perfekt magazine
Boah so gut! For Deutsch Perfekt magazine, part of Zeit Sprachen, I was asked to illustrate the cover and five inside illustrations. For this special edition about everyday language I drew dogs, cats, plants, take-away coffees and books. My favourite subjects. Or should I say Lieblingsthemen? 😍️
Das wirklich Deutsch verstehen is available here.
Kisses YDNEW
Personal work
What a good day. I was 11, and P. and I were officially dating. Years earlier, I had sent him an anonymous letter telling him I was in love with him, signing off with ‘Greetings, YDNEW’. The giggling that erupted from the school desks later that week told me I was no longer anonymous. P. knew I was in love with him, and so did the entire class. The news that we were officially “a thing” reached me via his friend R., who had cycled by my house especially to tell me.
My sister and I were drawing at the kitchen table. Our tongues clenched between our teeth, the markers moved vigorously across A4 sheets of paper from the fax machine. I sang a Spice Girls hit, softly at first, then belting it out. I had a boyfriend and was in an excellent mood.
“Could you please stop that?” my sister snapped at me. I looked up from my drawing and tilted my head slightly back. “Why?” I asked. “Because you’re singing off-key.” I had never heard my own voice before; back then, it was still rare to have video recordings of yourself. Until that moment, I had believed I was blessed with a golden voice. The drawing session came to an end. Upstairs, I lay on my bed and thought about my boyfriend, whom I hadn’t seen in four weeks because it was summer vacation.
What a good day. I was 11, and P. and I were officially dating. Years earlier, I had sent him an anonymous letter telling him I was in love with him, signing off with ‘Greetings, YDNEW’. The giggling that erupted from the school desks later that week told me I was no longer anonymous. P. knew I was in love with him, and so did the entire class. The news that we were officially “a thing” reached me via his friend R., who had cycled by my house especially to tell me.
My sister and I were drawing at the kitchen table. Our tongues clenched between our teeth, the markers moved vigorously across A4 sheets of paper from the fax machine. I sang a Spice Girls hit, softly at first, then belting it out. I had a boyfriend and was in an excellent mood.
“Could you please stop that?” my sister snapped at me. I looked up from my drawing and tilted my head slightly back. “Why?” I asked. “Because you’re singing off-key.” I had never heard my own voice before; back then, it was still rare to have video recordings of yourself. Until that moment, I had believed I was blessed with a golden voice. The drawing session came to an end. Upstairs, I lay on my bed and thought about my boyfriend, whom I hadn’t seen in four weeks because it was summer vacation.
Book illustrations for ‘Heb jij HET al gedaan?’
After weeks of hard work, I felt pure joy as I pulled the freshly printed book by Uitgeverij Snor out of the tissue paper. I ran my fingers over the pages: in my hands I had a book with 164 pages of story and my illustrations.
In this sex-positive book you will find testimonials from different people about their first time having sex. Because how do you prepare for the first time? Do you know your body and do you know what you like? For young people aged 13 and over - but definitely also for adults. Written by Susan ter Horst and Maja Wannet.
Illustrations for EO Magazine
Two illustrations I did for an article in the EO magazine special Ondersteboven, about how quarreling can be constructive in a relationship.
Poster Javastraat Shopping Night
They’re one of my favourite clients, @javastraatamsterdam.nl. This shopping street in the east of Amsterdam is a cultural mix of stores and their entrepreneurs. For this year’s pre-Christmas shopping night they asked me to design a poster and a map with participating stores. A night with hot chocolate, art made by kids and a choir giving an outdoor concert 🎄💜
All images, prints & illustrations © Wendy Denissen