Marenthe

Where do you live?
The Netherlands, in The Hague (10 minutes from the sea)

Where have you lived?
-a tiny village in the south of the Netherlands for 18 years
-various cities in the Netherlands
-Belgium (while going to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts)

What medium do you use?
Gouache, watercolour, pencil, ink, computer, pastel, collage

How do you stay inspired?
Traveling, staying open for everything, museums, visiting friends and having a nice chat, reading books, writing, going to the movies, drinking coffee while sketching and relaxing

Where do you buy your art supplies?
In an art store nearby

Do you work traditionally or digitally?
Both

What color combination are you most excited about right now?
PINK, YELLOW and BLACK

What blog(s) do you read?
I don’t read blogs, I’m sorry. I do love to read books!

Why do you like being an illustrator?
It makes me so very happy, it makes my heart sing and I simply HAVE to do this. It gives me fulfillment and a connection with myself. Illustrating makes me the best me.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
A doctor, or a flower shop owner

What illustration job would you love to get (your dream job)?
Working for Anthropologie; illustrating and writing my own children’s books

Name something you do in your spare time.
Yoga, cooking, visiting friends, drinking coffee, reading, writing, walking, traveling

What’s the strangest work experience you’ve ever had?
Making 20 (!) giant posters for The Dutch Dance Theatre in about 4 days. We hired a photographer and a dancer. We built a white space and we took a bucket with red paint. Then we asked the dancer to dance with the red paint while the photographer took photos. He took 20 pictures and we designed the 20 posters. It was an amazing project!

What are you reading now?
Isabel Allende – The Japanese Lover. Tara Mohr – Playing Big

What recent book do you recommend for a good read?
Norman Fischer – Sailing Home: beautiful book

Where would you like to travel to next?
New Zealand, San Francisco, Norway, Paris, London, Berlin—I want to travel everywhere!

What’s your favorite TV show?
Don’t have one, I don’t like TV

What movie have you seen several times?
Amelie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Betty Boop

Who are you in “The Office”?
A hard-working lady in a dress or in cool sweatpants

What is your favorite cheese?
Dutch and French cheese. And mozzarella!

If you could name a nail polish, what would you name it?
Seductive Red Riding Hood

Do you wear shoes when you do art?
Definitely. I love wearing shoes.

What do you listen to while you work?
French chansons, Edith Piaf, Daft Punk, jazz, blue note music…

What artist are you reincarnated from?
I guess it must be Virginia Woolf or Beatrix Potter

What’s your middle name?
Marenthe is my first name, my middle name, and my last name too. It’s just Marenthe.

What do you wish your middle name was?
Poppy Honey

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

How do you stay in shape?
Yoga

How don’t you stay in shape?
Drinking coffee and eating chocolate

What is your current favorite font?
My designer-friends designed a font for me, the MARENTHE-font!

How do you take your coffee?
Like the Italians do: cappuccino

Whom would you like to meet?
Johnny Depp, the Dalai Lama and J.K. Rowling

What question would you most like to be asked?
Want go to New York with me?

What was your favorite illustration assignment?
Lilla’s classes and the stamps I did several times for Dutch Royal Post

Client List

Amber Lotus Publishing
C&A Warehouse
Carp Newspaper
Children’s Book Museum
Design House Greetings
Dutch Royal Opera
Dutch Royal Mail
Elle Magazine
Elle Girl Magazine
Erik Verdonck Fashion
Eva Duijvestein
Fabs World
Flow Magazine
Hallmark
Happinez Magazine
Michael O’Mara Books
MoodieZ Magazine
Museum Corsica, France
Netherlands’ Dance Theatre
Oilily
Papyrus
Parool Newspaper
Philips
Pink Ribbon
Plus Supermarkets
Quarto Publishing
Roger la Borde UK
Running Press
Scholastic Inc
Succes Agenda
Walter Foster

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