Editorial illustration
Editorial illustrations help better express the idea and overall mood of your text to the reader. They give impressions of the topics in your text and visually seduce your reader. This is more important than ever given the abundance of information we receive every day.
As an editorial illustrator it is my job to find visual metaphors to summarize your complex text. The usage of visual metaphors often leads to surrealistic images that let your reader contemplate on the topic. Besides drawing and painting, I see collage and three-dimensional work as ways to illustrate. I base the style and material on the meaning of the story and the audience. (Of course you are free to request a specific style or material as well). Working in different styles and mediums makes my work quite versitile. What my illustrations have in common is the spatial appearance, due to my fascination for lighting and perspective.
If you are a blogger, (copy)writer, publisher or editorial team looking for visual enhancement, I love to hear from you! Editorial illustrations start at €200. You can contact me to schedule a (digital) meeting. After having a no-obligation conversation about your text and wishes I will send you a personalized offer.
Collage illustration for a magazine called 'Oelater' about contemporary idealism. Commissioned by Stadsarchief Breda (City Archive of Breda) and Stedelijk Museum Breda.
Digital illustration for a newspaper article about abusive relations based on status and income.
Illustration for website
Editorial illustrations for a blog about car gamification; the usage of game elements to encourage people to have better and / or more sustainable driving behaviour.
The power of socially engaged surrealism
Within my work I combine the view of socially engaged contemporary art with the visual features of the old Surrealism.
In our current era, our media culture has created a new form of engagement in political, social and ideological fields. Artists and designers are looking for contributions to society and legitimacy for their work. I personally like to contribute to society by visually enhancing socially engaged texts, ideas and businesses of other entrepreneurs. I do this by creating surreal images that help communicate your story and grab the attention of your target audience.
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Surrealistic images take longer for your mind to process, so when your target audience is scrolling or turning pages the chances are bigger they will stop to see what is going on in the image and get curious about the text. Given the large amount of information we receive every day, this is a useful strategy to stand out.
When a text is about a heavy topic, surrealism is also a great way to take the reader into a visually seductive fantasy world, before confronting them with the heavy topic.
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Just like with the old Surrealism I visualize associations creating absurd scenes or combinations. The big difference with the old Surrealism is that the focus is no longer on the subconscious mind and the dream world, but on associations with socially engaged subjects. I look for associations that help communicate your story to the viewer (visual metaphors).
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In short, I take you into visually seductive fantasy worlds, in which I use visual metaphors to make you think about social problems. I like to use my work to enhance your text. Are you looking for a socially engaged illustrator? Feel free to contact me for a personalized offer.
A lot of people use free images on their blog or website. Think about photos from Unsplash. Chances are the image you use is used on a lot of other blogs an websites. Of course you rather avoid your reader finding another blog using the exact same image.
A personalized illustration for your blog gives your story more depth and gives you a higher ranking on search engines as well. Search engines like google see visuals, that aren’t used on many other sites, as more valuable content. In short: Original visual content makes both google and your online reader happy!
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Are you interested in an illustration that enhances your story and gives you a higher ranking in Google? Feel free to contact me so we can schedule a no-obligation meeting. I love to help increase your online visibility!
‘Animal lover?’. Collage illustration for the Dutch illustration festival ‘Illustratie Biënalle 2018’. The illustration is a metaphor of the distinction people make between animal species regarding their treatment (pets vs livestock).
Collage illustration for a blog about animal wefare. Orangutans are threatened with extinction and forcibly driven out of the rainforest. This for the creation of palm oil plantations for our products.
Editorial illustration for an article about the separation between male and female ‘laying hens’. The male chicks are gassed after birth, because they are perceived as not productive enough to grow up as a broiler.
Below and in my portfolio you can find some more examples of (editorial) illustrations I made.
'Social mobility'. Illustration for an article about the journey to a better place in a society with high economic inequality or caste systems.
Fictional issue: What if in 100 years income inequality and technological developments increase so far that poor people can be hired as real life avatar for the rich as a game?
Metaphorical illustration for an Instagram post about suffocating beauty ideals in the media.
Illustration for a Dutch article about borderline. Visual representation of the mask towards the environment and the inward anger someone with borderline experiences.