In 2018, Gumclub went online. Valesca van Waveren, Thalysia van Esch, Jaqueline Storm and I wanted to create something where we could share our love for illustration. Tips about exhibitions, materials and techniques. Guest columns and interviews. Aura Scaringi made our goodlooking website
Gum is the Dutch word for eraser. And a club is something you can belong to. A community, but with a word from your childhood.
Then the wonderful Esther Mols became ill. Very ill. And she died. I loved working with Esther. She wrote in such a light and relatable way, and she also wrote a guest column for Gumclub.
It became too much. Life happened.
But I miss it.
I love writing. I love illustration and everything around it. The materials. Exhibitions. That fantastic pencil. That beautiful little shop.
So every now and then, I’ll write you a letter. About my life as an illustrator, failing gardener, eraser collector, walker and lover of words and images.
Next week, I’m going on holiday. My VAT return still needs to be done. But first, a few things I’m excited about.
A buggy challenge in July
A good mood boost, as Kornelija Žalpytė calls her July Bug Week on Instagram. Exactly! I had so much fun making my bugs, but also seeing everyone else’s. These cool bugs introduced me to so many inspiring illustrators.
A blue thing for July
In 2009, a student at Oregon State University put a mixture of manganese oxide, yttrium and indium into a furnace. The next morning, a magical blue appeared. It was named YInMn Blue.
Then, in the summer of 2017, Crayola asked their fans to name a new crayon inspired by this colour. Five names out of 90,000 submissions made it to the final round: Dreams Come Blue, Star Spangled Blue, Blue Moon Bliss, Bluetiful and Reach for the Stars. In July and August, everybody could vote.
Bluetiful won. Of course.
This week, I’m reading
Mare by Emily Haworth-Booth. And I’m taking Rob van Essen’s De grote schoonmaak and Geoff Dyer’s The Last Days of Roger Federer with me on holiday.
What are you reading?