Hi I'm Ilse, illustrator, digital artist and art teacher. Let me tell you something more about myself.
I love to make art for; Children's books, Stationary & Birth(day)cards, Boardgames, Kids wall art, Fabric patterns, Cookbooks & Food Magazines!
About Ilse
I've got a passion for the woods, fairytales with magic and stories about far away cultures. Drawing gives me the feeling that everything is possible. 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.
After my education focused on graphic design and illustration at the Grafisch Lyceum in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) I've started freelance illustrating next to my part time job.
Art is the thing that makes my heart beat faster so after working a couple of years in retail I decided to save up to put more time in growing my business.
Now I teach digital art classes in Leiden. I love teaching others and supporting other creatives. It's often the most fun part of my week because I can help other people do what they love.
Besides that I've set up a shop on Etsy on the side selling stationary and digital or downloadable items.
Right now my biggest wish is to illustrate a children's book. I love to visualise characters and fantastical worlds or cozy environments and it would be an honour to work together with a publishing agency and author to make something amazing that kids can hold in their hands that they want to look at over and over again.
FAQ
I love illustrations with; Bright & vibrant colours, emotion, storytelling, personality & 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, wool, aquarel & charcoal.
What materials do you use for your work? I used to work on my Wacom Cintiq 27HD with Adobe Photoshop. But right now I enjoy the mobility of my iPad Pro 2015 more which I use with Procreate and my Pencil
Are you free for work at the moment? Yes, see the "Work with me" page. Please don't hesitate to contact me for a free chat about your creative ideas or a personal quotation
What are you working on at the moment?
(Last updated May 2023)
Right now I'm working on my Etsy shop which includes making more downloadable illustrations. You can find the shop here
Also I'm sending my work to publishing agencies to see if they find my work suitable for their books.
Lastly I'm creating new educational material for my art classes in Leiden which start again in September
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 & 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 ;)