In early 2008 we started to develop the story of Tata&Squack - The Big Journey and the characters in word and in design. Questions had to be answered: what would we like her to wear, which colors, what kind of body-lanquage do we want her to display in the illustrations. This development process I loved tremendously; the creation of something new. It took more than a few brainstorms to...
Squack is more than a little chubby creature on a key chain. In the book Tata&Squack the Big Journey, he becomes Tata's friend. Tata's parents are researchers, who studied the migration of the Wildebeest in the Serengeti. When their assignment is over and they fly back home Tata is sad. The flight attendant passes by with a basket full of toys. She picks Squack. Suddenly out of a magic swirl...
Bijna is het zover, op 1 november verschijnt ons eerste gezamenlijke boek, Tata & Squack - De Grote Reis. Ook voor ons was het een lange reis met tegenslagen, opstekers, enthousiaste mensen, maar ook opbouwende kritiek en heel hard werken. Moe waren we, toen we eindelijk de eerste gedrukte pagina's bij de drukker konden bekijken. Achter ons lagen weken van laatste beeld- en tekstwijzigingen,...
We just returned from a great safari to Kenya, where we gathered exciting new raw material for future books! "5.30, good morning, tea is ready", does not sound like holiday for many people. For us it does, but I also call it our field office. Get up early to catch the morning light. Beat the dust and bumpy roads. Be patient and wait for things to happen. Hope for animals to behave in a certain...
Taking pictures in the dark is fun, but it does not give you material to work with for a book. We experimented with flash lights, torches and even car lights. We had a lot of laughs, but the conclusion was that in the bush, with limited equipment, it is merely impossible to light up bigger areas. The lights reflect on the nearest object and will leave everything beyond that point in shades or...
Tata&Squack, The Big Journey will be published on the 1st of November 2011. The Big Journey is the first adventure of Tata&Squack. It tells the story of the Great Migration of the Wildebeest, one of the most impressive events in the natural world. The photographs for the illustrations were taken over a period of 3 years by myself, my husband Willem and Squack Evans in the Serengeti National...
Most of the time I am glued to my computer. Sometimes I need to get my fingers dirty. That's why I look forward to the days when I can go to Irene Velthuis. She runs a painting school in Ottensen, a trendy part of Hamburg. I know her from the days when she helped me to develop my portfolio for Art School. Now I call her my "creative conscience", because critical questions, unsolicited good...
InterRailing during my student days gave me the travel bugs. Together with my boyfriend - by now my husband - we traveled around the world for 6 months as soon as I finished my studies. Patagonia, hiking in the Andes, bungee jumping in New Zealand, diving on the Great Barrier Reef, banana pancakes in Indonesia, ... and we have traveled since. About 15 years ago we went to see "the big zoo", as...
