Brilliant Failures

Last autumn I was asked to make illustrations for an article with a very imaginative theme: Brilliant Failures.

It was featuring failures in science that had lead to brilliant outcomes.

I loved the opportunity to fill so many pages with clumsy little lab rats.

Can you find the ‘brilliantness’ in the scene below?

 

Wonderful art direction by Birgitta van Langeveld.

 

Brilliant Failures - illustration on failures in science - by Ellen Vesters

 

Brilliant Failures - illustration on failures in science - by Ellen Vesters

 

Brilliant Failures - illustration on failures in science - by Ellen Vesters

 

Brilliant Failures - illustration on failures in science - by Ellen Vesters

 

Brilliant Failures - illustration on failures in science - by Ellen Vesters

Honey, I’m home!

Sooo this kitty has been on a huge adventure this past year!

This kitty has been a-round.

Smelled all the grasses we could get our noses on, sniffed some delicioso petrol, rolled in the most prettiest amazingest sands.

 

And, now that I’ve seen the world, it is time to get back on the blogging track again and get out my BFF’s: Miss Pencil and Miss Paper.

 

Honey, I’m home!

 

Gif cool kitty

Gif via Catleecious

Should I work for free?

We all know this fantastic poster Jessica Hische made.

And now one of the Netherlands’s funniest illustrating ladies, Maaike Hartjes, is working on a book about the illustration business! According to her too many illustrators don’t bother reading business books because they tend to be too boring. That’s where Maaike comes in: she won’t be writing boring stories on how to do business… she will DRAW them!

The book is aimed at starting and wannabe illustrators but she hopes professional illustrators will pick up a few tips as well.

 

The title will be ‘Tekeningen, Rekeningen’ (drawings, bills’).

 

Because of the growing enthousiasm for her book and it’s facebook page (where she shows finished comic pages of the book) she decided to translate her business comics in English!

 

Here’s number one:

Maaike Hartjes Pitches from the book Tekeningen Rekeningen

 

I am also so in love with the badge she made for illustrator’s websites (see below).

As Maaike puts it:
“One of my colleagues got an assignment for a comic this week.  Though well, assignment…
There was a tight budget so she was asked to work for free!
Somehow it didn’t occur to them to ask the printer or designer to work for free.
After all, those are REAL jobs  and drawing is just a fun hobby, right?! :-/

So here’s an answer you can tell your ‘clients’ when they ask for freebies!”

 

Maaike Hartjes If you want someone to work for peanuts

 

Maybe for some of you this badge still doesn’t do the trick?
Then check out the website of Mr Bingo: www.mr-bingo.org.uk.
Scroll all the way down to ‘Info’ and click on the link that says ‘Does Mr Bingo work for free’.

Guaranteed laughing so hard it will hurt.