About me

Welcome! I was born in 1956 in Amsterdam, the third of seven children. My father worked as a mathematician at Werkspoor and my mother managed the busy household — quite an undertaking with so many children.
I grew up in a Catholic family: church on Sundays and Catholic schools during the week. My brothers attended boys’ schools, while my sisters and I went to girls’ schools. After secondary school, I studied drawing at the Rietveld Academy, where my love for visual expression and creativity further developed.
Later, I chose to study biology in Utrecht, driven by my curiosity about evolutionary theory. Eleven years later, I completed my studies while working as a veterinary assistant in my husband’s practice and raising our three children. Not long after, our fourth child was born.
When she turned three, the idea for Gemm'Art emerged — my own illustration business. My wish to make drawing my profession became reality when my husband sold his practice and started working for the government. Since then, I have been able to fully focus on illustration, a craft I still practice with great joy and dedication.

Which programs do I use?

I work with a combination of professional drawing, animation, and web tools. For each project, I choose exactly what is needed to achieve the best result.

My education

I studied drawing at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, where the foundation for my visual work was laid.
After that, I studied biology at Utrecht University, with mathematics and computer science as important components. This broad background still proves useful in my illustrations and educational work.

Prices

An illustration like the fortune teller costs €200.
For other illustrations, animations, or web projects, I am happy to provide a custom quote.

My clients

Over the years, I have worked for a wide range of clients, from educational publishers to government institutions and creative agencies. My work has been used in teaching materials, websites, campaigns, and scientific publications.
I was also co-owner of the website 10voorbiologie, for which I created many of the illustrations.

Copyright

All illustrations, animations, and texts on this website are protected by copyright. Copying or reuse is only permitted when a CC License is indicated. For any other use, you can always contact me.

Other

Chamber of Commerce number: 32065679.
I am a member of the BNO (Association of Dutch Designers) and follow their general terms.
Download Algemene Voorwaarden

Music

The music in my animations is partly by Haydn (in the self-portrait with dog) and by Wouter Stekelenburg.

The animation BrittleStar accompanies music by Kia Iris.