A FRIEND N A D Y A - B O N T E N S L E N D E R S lives in
Zuid-Limburg with her husband, son and bunnies. She has her own art studio in her home in Terwinselen. She officially graduated as a speech and language therapist but has been drawing ever since she was a child and continues to enjoy it tremendously to this day.
On his way home from school, the introvert Luuk finds a small and fragile seed in the snow. He takes it with him to care for it. At home, Luuk plants the little seed. He puts a lot of love and attention into it. Suddenly, Luuk feels less lonely. At night, he dreams about the exciting adventures that lie ahead. This extraordinary bond makes both friends flourish. When Luuk is asleep, the first leaves start to show. Will his little plant be everything Luuk imagined it to be? Nadya worked with mixed media for this collection of three artworks. She used graphite pencil, water colour and gouache. The finishing touches were added digitally. Nadya made several sketches before starting to work on a larger scale, to get to know Luuk and to find the compositions that felt just right. The third artwork features multiple spot illustrations to picture all the ways that Luuk gives attention to his new friend. It was important for Nadya to show mood changes throughout the illustration sequence. That is why her colour palette features warmer and brighter colours in the second and third piece. Nadya tried to create some mystery about what kind of plant it would become, to appeal to the reader’s imagination.
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AND THE WINNERS ARE…
Nadya Bonten-Slenders
In 2012 she took the plunge and started working as a freelance illustrator. For years she only created commissioned paintings, birth announcements and prints for her Etsy shop. A couple of years ago she signed up for illustration courses, followed by an extensive illustration mentorship, with the ultimate goal of illustrating picture
