Sandra Apperloo usually blogs about her love of illustration on her own website, but this month she’s sharing her pretty pictures and favorite artists on our blog, and she’ll also tell us more about her special experiences and encounters in Japan. In her first post, Sandra gives us a taste of the things that appeal to her.
My name is Sandra and I live in a beautiful old school building in Utrecht. I’m a homebody; I love messing around, making things cozy and having friends visit me to pass the time. But as much as I love being at home, I’m also very fond of markets and festivals in distant lands. I really like to travel! I started my blog on illustrations two years ago, because of my love for pretty pictures. I work on it every day, always featuring a different artist and I still do it with great pleasure.
My blog is a place where I can store all the works that have struck me, like a digital scrapbook I suppose. I really like to share my taste and enthusiasm with other people. Sometimes I get messages from people who have visited my site, telling me how my blog inspires them. I once even received a thank you from someone who, via my site, had finally managed to find a beautiful prayer card to hang above their sofa, which was so lovely to hear!
Another reason I blog is because I’ve always had a great deal of admiration for those who create. Making beautiful things is not as easy as it sometimes seems. Especially when it comes to developing artistic talents; it takes a lot of patience and perseverance. As I’m rather an impatient person, I often find it difficult to spend my time doing things like painting, handicrafts and embroidery. Which means I can sometimes get quite jealous of those who can.
Last year, I attended an illustration course held by Kim Welling. That helped me dedicate more time to drawing, which means I’m a lot better at it than I used to be. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even become good enough to be able to include my creations on my blog at some point.
Here’s a small taster of the things that I find beautiful. I find it hard to describe my style, so I use these key words instead: playful, romantic, cheerful, friendly, colorful. And a little magic! And i think these these images really fit:
There are so many people around the world who make beautiful things! I like going to exhibitions, galleries and events for inspiration, but I also have a number of places online that I like to visit. Here are a few golden tips:
- Illustrator Sarah Barnes always shares wonderful illustrations on her blog Brown Paper Bag. So colorful and cheerful to look at!
- The Jealous Curator, of which I have to admit I am a tad jealous. Author Danielle Krysa shares wonderful finds here and always describes everything in such a smooth way.
- Artist Elsa Mora is a star when it comes to paper designs, and on her community, Art is a Way, she shares creations made from of all kinds of different materials such as wood, clay and textiles.
- Amy Ng from the website Pikaland doesn’t inspire with illustrations, but with workshops, competitions and other projects that will leave you wanting to work with your hands a great deal more.
Social media is also a great way to find inspiration. Go to Pinterest, for example, and check out the delightful illustration board of Papiermier, or this beautiful collection of ceramics from Sara Harvey. And what about these pictures from pattern designer Femke Veltkamp? So beautiful! What I love about Instagram is that you can often come across very talented illustrators who aren’t so well known on the Internet yet. That’s how I recently discovered these paintings by the South Korean artist Somyeong Lee. Gorgeous, right? And if like me, you love animals, then the Animalarium Facebook page is a must: they post a great animal picture every day!
Next week, more beautiful things, with works from (among others) my ten favorite illustrators.
