Charlotte Bruijn

Where do you live?
A small city Hilversum in The Netherlands, next to heather fields and the forest. Close enough to visit bustling Amsterdam.

What medium do you use?
3B- 6B Graphite pencils for the sketching part and Photoshop.

How do you stay inspired?
MATS courses, Blogs, Daily life surprises me everytime when I see people or animals interact with each other. But also to just remember how I experienced the world when I was I child.

Where do you buy your art supplies?
Most of it online. But when I enter an art supply shop I I feel like a kid in a candy shop. I have a lot of double sets.

Do you work traditionally or digitally?
I always start drawing with soft pencils on normal paper. That’s where the ideas come the quickest and my hand takes over.

What color combination are you most excited about right now?
Color is such a mood setter. I love secondary blue, -green and -pinkish but surely combined with a popping raspberry, lemon or some splashes of  lavender.

Why do you like being an illustrator in 15 words or less?
I love it when my imagination takes me to awesome places which didn’t exist before.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
A dance choreographer, graphic designer, professional cotton candy eater.

What illustration job would you love to get (your dream job)?
Such a fun question. I already am so grateful that I get to illustrate picture books which is a dream. But It would also be awesome seeing my characters transformed into quirky toys or a play garden.

Name something you do in your spare time.
Dance in the living room with my kids, husband and dog. Plant flowers in my garden.

Where would you like to travel to next?
Japan, and Sweden

What show have you binge-watched?
The Queen’s Gambit.

What’s your favorite movie?
The Neverending Story, and everything  Studio Ghibly. I am such a wimp and cry at every children’s movie. Even the 10th time.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Tom and Jerry

What is your favorite cheese?
All cheese with port wine.

If you could name a nail polish, what would you name it?
Roars like a lion

Do you wear shoes when you do art?
Yes, otherwise the dog eats my shoes.

What do you listen to while you work?
French music, soul, jazz, piano

If you could eat only one food, what would it be?
Thai

How do you stay in shape?
Long walkies with the dog who thinks he’s a circus acrobat.

How don’t you stay in shape?
Creating a board butt while sitting on my work chair for too long.

What is your current favorite font?
I love fonts and I can look for hours for the right one who has the right amount of wantonness and groove. I also like to combine my handlettering with soulful serifs.

How do you take your coffee?
Homebrewed latte next to a glass of water

Whom would you like to meet?
I once dived with a wild whale, and it’s graceful, powerful presence underneath me made me realize we are all a piece of a perfect puzzle. I would like to meet that whale again some day.

What question would you most like to be asked?
Would you like to party with your characters who became real people?

Client List

Bromfield Press
Ceaco
Design House Greetings
Fleurus Editions
Gottmer
Little Tiger
Penguin Workshop
Pomme D’api
Ubuntu Theatre
Uitgeverij Averbode
Usborne Publishing

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