Hanneke de Jager
Op zolder, met mijn tekentafel voor het raam, verlies ik mijzelf in de mooie, bijzondere wereld van het illustreren. Het is heel arbeidsintensief, maar zeer inspirerend om alles met de hand te tekenen, alle figuurtjes uit te knippen en te plakken, om zo een heel eigen en unieke wereld te creëren . Het is een feestje en een ontdekkingstocht om oude kleding, gebruikte stofjes, draadjes en (afval)materiaal te hergebruiken in mijn werk.
Mijn eigen blouse terug te zien in de gordijntjes, of de wasknijpers als kinderbedjes in een illustratie, geeft net dat beetje extra en een vleugje humor aan het geheel.
Ik wil verwondering, blijheid, een glimlach overbrengen in het werk dat ik maak, wat recht uit mijn hart komt en waar ik met zoveel plezier en passie mee bezig ben!
In the attic, with my drawing table at the window, I lose myself in the beautiful, wonderfull world of illustration. It is very labor intensive, yet also very inspiring to draw everything by hand, then to cut out and paste all the shapes to create a very personal and unique world. It is a celebration and a journey of discovery to reuse old clothing, used fabrics, threads and (waste) material in my illustrations.
My own blouse can be seen in the curtains, or washing pegs used as cots in an illustration provide that little bit extra and a touch of humor to it all.
I want to convey wonder, joy, a smile in my work, which comes right from my heart and which I do with so much fun and passion!
Hanneke de Jager
Beeldend kunstenaar en illustrator
Hannekedejager.com
Ik werk, of heb samengewerkt met uitgeverijen:
- den Boer/de Ruiter
- Edicola Publishing
- Kimio (Mercis)
- Unieboek
- van Holkema en Warendorf
- Moon (Overamstel)
- Gottmer/Becht
en heb geïllustreerd voor tijdschriften zoals:
- Kinderen
- Buitenleven
- Ariadne at Home
en werk samen of heb samengewerkt met:
- Kindergordijnen.nl
- Beddinghouse
- Graham & Brown
- Bonikka
With her brand, Hanneke de Jager wants to conquer the hearts of children with a smile, to amaze them and make them happy with special illustrations.
These hand-drawn illustrations came into being behind the drawing table, creating an authentic, sensitive but also powerful drawing style. Using all kinds of waste materials for the colours and textures of her illustrations and designs is what distinguishes Hanneke from other brands.
The illustrations show old clothes, plastic caps of bottles, match sticks, buttons, stray bits of wool and any other reusable items giving them an opportunity of a unique second life. The playfulness and the surprising element of this technique, including its typical character, will always give a child the thrill of discovering something new. The drawings seem to leap off the background and come alive. The ambiance is fresh, colourful and sunny, making every child a happy one. These are all mix-and-match products, allowing the "Hanneke de Jager" brand to offer a total concept in collaboration with her partners.Behind my drawing table in front of the attic window, I can completely loose myself in the beautiful and extraordinary World of illustration.
Although extremely labour intensive, it is very inspiring to draw everything by hand, cut out and glue all the little figures, and create a very unique world in this way. I want to express wonder, happiness and a smile in the work that I create and am so passionate about. This comes straight from my heart and I do so enjoy it!
Hanneke de Jager, visual artist an illustrator
For more information, visit: www.hannekedejager.com or phone: +31 (0)628126900
Our colourful caravan
Dutch visual artist and illustrator Hanneke de Jager explains how she acquired het mobile home. ‘A friend of ours had two caravans and wanted to get rid of one; he asked us if we were interested and we said yes. It was always our dream to have a caravan but hadn’t envisaged one like this.’ The caravan is a 35-years-old Esterel, a French brand with hinged walls, which make the top section collapsible. ‘It always surprises people when we arrive at a campsite. We park and unfold the walls, in three minutes the roof is raised and everything inside is set up and ready to go.’‘The caravan is not big, it’s about 10 square meters, yet during our holidays we live in it quite comfortably and there is room for all three of us: me, my husband Henk and our son, as well as our dog,’ says Hanneke. When the family got the caravan it was in good condition but everything was dark brown, stale and very dated. ‘We replaced the floor with parquet and painted the walls white and the kitchen units bright red. I upholstered the banquette seats with plain red and red and white gingham fabric and made curtains in a dark blue gingham so that the interior has the red, white and blue colour scheme of the Dutch flag. I made nearly everything myself – it’s all been drawn, cut, pasted and sewn by hand. I even sewed the red-and-white check pendant lamp using an old vintage table doily that my mother gave me, and the rest of the tableware and furnishings comes from home,’ she says. Having sorted out the interior, Hanneke set to work on the exterior. ‘I used black adhesive plastic and a waterproof marker to make the floral motifs and shapes to brighten up the paneling. It happened spontaneously, without a single working drawing in advance. For me, the caravan is like a large painting and somewhat surprisingly all the decoration has survived despite heavy rain and long trips.’ And the caravan does travel – the family tow it behind their cars to many destinations. ‘The caravan radiates merriment and we feel on holiday from the moment we set off. It’s such a cosy and deliciously relaxing place to be and it has been tailored to suit us,’ says Hanneke.
Text from the book “Homes from Home” of Vinny Lee.
Photographer of the caravan: Anouk de Kleermaeker
