Hi I'm Ilse, illustrator and art teacher. Let me tell you something more about myself.
I love making art that tells stories. This can be for example for children's books, games or other short form expressions like cards and wall art.
Hello
I am Ilse Vlastuin, illustrator and art teacher based in the Netherlands. My work explores an intersection between digital and analog illustration, identified by its vibrancy, storytelling and childlike nature.
After getting a degree in Visual illustration and Graphic Design in Rotterdam I moved to Leiden and started teaching digital art whilst illustrating part-time.
In my work as a teacher I fell in love with the organisational aspect of giving my classes and decided to get an Associate Degree in Event Management. This way I broadened my skillset with projectmanagement so that I could organise events in the art sector.
With a passion for structure, planning and organisation as well as creativity I combine my skills in my job as a teacher and my art.
The feeling that drawing gives me...
My favourite past time is sitting in a cozy corner with my iPad Pro in one hand and a big cup of green tea in the other but even artists have to go outside...
I get my inspiration from walks in the woods, visits to musea and my visits to far away cultures like Japan and Norway.
Putting my thoughts and ideas on paper gives me the feeling that everything is possible. Like creating magic form nothing. There is a vast world inside of us all that needs to be visualised, and that's exactly what I love to do.
FAQ
I love illustrations with; Bright & vibrant colours, emotion, storytelling, personality and many little details
How long have you been making art/drawing? I have been drawing for as long as I can remember but I started making digital art back in 2013. To experiment I still use other mediums for personal work such as gouache, felt, paper collage, acrylic and aquarel.
What materials do you use for your work? I enjoy the mobility of my iPad Pro which I use with Procreate and my Pencil 2. Other than that my analog work is made with everything from gouache to pastels and water soluble crayons.
What are you working on at the moment?
(Last updated December 2024)
Right now I'm in the middle of a 2 year HBO (Higher Professional Education) Eventmanagement course (The Netherlands)
Secondly; I'm teaching art courses in Leiden at ARS (Digital Art) and Rijwijk at Amateurspalet (Figure drawing)
This all while freelancing illustrational work on the side.
Places that inspire me
My ideas come from mythology, nature and cultures around the globe. My favourites being countries like Japan and Germany which I have been lucky enough to visit.
I relax while reading fantasy books about distant worlds, needle felting or playing one of many (board)game. But the best time for me is when I go to the nearby woods and take a long walk underneath the tree canopy.
The Japanese Alps (from a trip in 2019)
Photo from my Germany trip in 2022
Photo from my Germany Trip in 2022
People that inspire me
If you like my work I think you would love these artists too. Some have inspired me for years, others I have found just recently.
I fall in love with art that features bright colours, magical and folklore themed subjects and cute critters.
Here's a (not in order) short and not in any way complete list of artists that I love; Maike Plenzke, Ivan Bilibin, Andrew Bosley, N C Wyeth, Rien Poortvliet, Lois van Baarle, Cory Loftis, Maud Bihan and Matt Rockefeller.
While I look for new inspiration through other artist on social media I also mention a couple of old masters below. I think it's important to have a balance of classical and modern artists as your source of inspiration as they can teach different lessons through different types of art as well as different genders and nationalities.
Art by Maike Plenzke @maike_illu
Art by Ivan Bilibin (Russian classical fairytale illustrator)
Art by Andrew Bosley @andrewbosley
N C Wyeth (American illustrator)
Thank you for reading this far, if you have any further questions don't hesitate to e-mail me ;)