twikga Topics...
Wild Picha, more than the photos behind twikga illustrations

Wild Picha, more than the photos behind twikga illustrations

We started taking pictures, when we made a trip around the world in 1992. Since then African wildlife has been the focus of our photography. What started as a means to share our stories with the people back home has become a profession for Tanja. She uses our photos to create illustrations for her children's books. In 2010, she started her own publishing company, twikga. We were lucky to travel...

read more
Momella – Schulen für Afrika

Momella – Schulen für Afrika

Daß man mit Engagement und Durchsetzungsvermögen einiges erreichen kann, zeigt der von Birgit Frosch gegründete Förderverein Momella. Seit fast 20 Jahren reist sie jedes Jahr nach Afrika. Ihr Verein macht durch Neubau und Sanierung von Klassenräumen den Schülern und Lehrern das Lernen und Lehren möglich. Darüber hinaus wird jedes Jahr das erforderliche Lehr- und Lernmaterial bereitgestellt. Die...

read more
Work in progress on Phanhabs Jungle book

Work in progress on Phanhabs Jungle book

We have just returned from a trip to Tanzania and Rwanda, watching primates. The hikes were sometimes long and itchy, because of the vegetation, but we took some amazing pictures of jungle landscapes with chimpanzees, gorillas, and a lot of other animals. It will be a lot harder to fill the pages of this Phanhabs book, because the jungle hides it's inhabitants well. The tracks and the sounds...

read more
Elephant stumbling over three cheetahs

Elephant stumbling over three cheetahs

This page of Phanhabs Savanna was inspired by a rather strange encounter we witnessed on one of our safaris. In the book I moved the scene to the edge of a plane, but in real we were driving through an area of woodland, when we spotted three male cheetahs. Normally these graceful spotted cats, who are known for their impressive speed, prefer open areas where they can easily pic up and pursue...

read more
Phanhabs Savanna living in a box

Phanhabs Savanna living in a box

Wir haben unsere Box neu eingerichtet. Somit schmückt Phanhabs Savanna, jetzt auch die "lebendigen Boxen" in der Blankeneser Hauptstraße. Unser neues Buch wird dort umgeben von den Tieren der Savanne, aber auch von Balletschuhen, den schönen Frauenbeinen eines Künstlers und Schmuck. Was als witzige Aktion begann ist inzwischen ein enormer Erfolg. Die 9 Holzboxen von Living in a Box sind sehr...

read more
twikga launches Phanhabs Savanna

twikga launches Phanhabs Savanna

Today twikga launches it's second book in the Phanhabs series: Savanna. Phanhabs stands for "phantastic habitats". They are creative impressions of the habitats of wild african animals. This book illustrates the change of seasons in the african savanna in nine colorful plates. The first plates illustrate the dry season, with dusty planes and golden light. In this harsh environment a lot of...

read more
Sneak preview Phanhabs Savanna

Sneak preview Phanhabs Savanna

The new Phanhabs will illustrate the change of seasons in the african savanna. Savanna stands for rolling grasslands dotted with thorny trees, where seasonal rains bring life and abundance. The first plates will illustrate the dry season, with dusty planes and golden light. In this harsh environment a lot of animals are dependent on permanent water-sources and waterholes are small oases in the...

read more
Phanhabs Savanna wird gedruckt

Phanhabs Savanna wird gedruckt

Der Andruck ist immer ein besonderer Moment. Trotz Farbproben bleibt  es spannend ob die Farben im Offset so werden, wie ich sie vor Augen hatte. Die afrikanische Savanne ist Goldgelb, das Gras muss leuchten. Beim Andruck des Covers war ich mit dabei und war sehr zufrieden mit den Farben. Den Rest des Buches überlasse ich gerne den Druckermeistern. Phanhabs Savanna wird am 16. Mai 2013 beim...

read more

Have a look at Wild Picha Stories…

The stories of Willem & Tanja Dekker Photography, far away and close to home. Books, awards, events and other stories…