Marieke Nelissen — Gouache Children's Book Illustrator

Marieke Nelissen creates wonderfully intricate artwork that transports us back to the Golden Age of illustration. Her meticulous, hand-painted approach takes time and dedication, but the results are more than worth it. Whether she’s illustrating children’s books or commercial imagery, every painting draws you right into the scene and story.

Based in the Netherlands, Marieke lived in Mexico and Costa Rica when she was young, and her influences come from cultures all around the world. Ten years working in graphic design mean she knows how to deliver on a brief, and her clients always appreciate how she dives deep into each new project. She’s inspired by nature and creatives such as Edward Gorey, Lisbeth Zwerger, Shaun Tan, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. Marieke has a degree in Visual Communication, specialising in Illustration, from Art School, ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Approach

Natural media is key to Marieke’s individual style. By building up forms with layer upon layer of gouache she gives her images a sense of volume and physicality. Sometimes, she mixes in coloured pencils and ink for a looser style, or works spontaneously with a glass dipping pen for black and white linework.

Styles

Marieke’s art has all the charm and intricacy of traditional 19th century illustration, infused with drama, humour and narrative thanks to her unconventional compositions, use of light and shadow and small, whimsical details.

Client list

Some of Marieke’s clients include American Greetings, Reycraft Books, Suhrkamp Verlag, Texas Highways Magazine, Lemniscaat, Luitingh-Sijthoff, Gottmer, De Fontein, Hoogland & van Klaveren, Lannoo, Van Holkema & Warendorf and Clavis.