about me

Hello, I’m Katrien.

I’m a creative turned teaching language to young adolescents. While I no longer design for clients, I continue creating colorful illustrations with a whimsical, theatrical style.

My creative journey began designing bold, witty brand identities – mostly for women ready to be seen and remembered. That love for visual storytelling now lives on in my illustrations, where vintage inspiration meets modern confidence and where I often celebrate women in all their fabulous forms.

Not a fan of beige or cookie-cutter aesthetics, I create original, colorful work that stands out. (The world is grey enough – we could all use a bit more joy and glamour.)

What I love…

Who I am…

I live with our cat (a not very effective personal assistant), and my man (my slightly more effective in-house tech-wiz and videographer) 💕 in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, surrounded by trees. In daily life I like to entertain and cook for friends and family, trying to keep my herbs (and the odd rebellious plant) alive on our balconies, to play the piano, and read a good book before sleep.

My life started out surrounded by green fields, cats and goats, in a slightly bohemian, bilingual household full of music, cooking and building tents with my siblings. Growing up with an English mother and a Dutch father gave me the foundations of an international outlook on life and a definitive English influence on my aesthetic tastes.

I left my childhood home to go to art school, starting out in Graphic Design and switching to Textile Design, where I discovered my unique style. After graduating I made my way trying out various things, from an English Literature course at the University of Amsterdam, a stint in luxury home decoration, setting up a restaurant and helping food businesses with developing their concept and designing their brand and interior.

That’s when I discovered where my power lies: developing a concept into a complete visual story.

A few years ago, I made another switch: I trained as a Dutch language teacher, and for the past five years I’ve been teaching. It’s a different stage, but the same instinct: telling a story so it lands. And I still draw, constantly — it’s simply part of how I think.

Click here to see my Map of my Life illustration project —>