Illustration, and art in general, can be a great way for people to process some of their thoughts and feelings, and transmit them through the power of paint and pencils on to paper. Marloes De Vries does that brilliantly in her much-loved and funny comics. But she also had an interesting journey to illustration, so we caught up with her for a chat.

Hello Marloes, welcome to Thunder Chunky! How are you today?

Hi Jon! I’m good, thanks. I came home yesterday from a few days in Belgium, where I attended a workshop about picture book illustration (my 5th) and this morning I had a mini-surgery to my jaw.

It’s been an eventful week!

What does a normal day look like for you?

I have my day divided in two parts: the morning is for using my brain and the afternoon is for production.

I get up around 8 AM and right away I check my to-do list and start reading briefings from clients. I hop in the shower where I get most of my ideas and when I’m out I usually have a starting point for my assignments.

Midday I take a 1-hour lunch break. Recently I decided to go for a walk but that isn’t part of my routine yet, so it really takes an effort for me to put on shoes and a coat and get out of the house.
When I’m back, I start doing production stuff, which means colouring illustrations, answering emails, admin, etc.

Throughout the day I spend quite some time on social media, as I use it as my marketing tool. I try to wrap up my day around 5PM, do groceries and cook dinner in the evening.

I do have days where I’m travelling a lot by train or car, to meet clients or other meetings. I have about one day a week where I spend most hours in public transport or a car.

Going right back to the beginning… what are your earliest memories of illustration or art?

We didn’t have a lot of books around when I was a child, nor was my family interested in art so I have no clue why I was so interested in them right from the start.

I do remember my brother and I both had a book by Richard Scarry. My little brother had a book with little text, and I had a book with stories in it. I was obsessed with these books!

Later on I started reading comics, so from there my interest in the visual arts grew. I never went to a museum until I was 19 years old and already in art school.

I later found out my dad made paintings before I was born but I have never really seen him draw or paint. He refuses to draw until this day.

You were born and grew up in the Netherlands. What were some of your creative influences as you were growing up?

When I was about 7 or 8 I read a lot of books illustrated by a famous Dutch illustrator, called Fiep Westendorp. She still is my biggest inspiration, even though she passed away many years ago. My other main inspiration is Quentin Blake. I read all the Roald Dahl books with his illustration when I was young.

Another thing I remember is tracing the covers of Disney comics and loving it so much that I knew right away that’s what I wanted to do. I was always writing stories in little notebooks and when I was 9 I started writing and drawing my own comics.

Like every child in the 90s I watched a lot of cartoons and I think you can definitely see that in my work today.

For a number of years you worked as a graphic designer before you went full time as an illustrator. Was there anything in particular that inspired you to take that leap?

I got into art school thinking I was going to study illustration but I ended up graduating in visual communication as my teachers felt I wasn’t talented enough to be an illustrator. I wasn’t really the type to argue with teachers so I just did what they told me to do.

Working as a graphic designer and art director at ad agencies I wasn’t particularly unhappy but I felt this wasn’t what I was supposed to do. So I quit my job and tried freelancing for a few years. I paid my bills with freelance graphic design jobs while developing my illustration skills in the evening. Slowly I got more illustration jobs until the day came I had to say goodbye to graphic design so I could focus all my energy and time on illustration.

A lot of your comics seem to be a way for you to look at yourself with a self-critical eye. Do you find it enjoyable or difficult to get your thoughts on to paper?

That’s impressive! I don’t think everyone even gets why I am doing those comics but that’s exactly the reason.

Making comics or drawings about my daily life and thoughts is a way for me to deal with everything that happens to me or around me. I’m very much an over-thinker, but when I draw my thoughts I feel like I can let them go and move on.

I don’t find it difficult and the joy comes afterwards, when it is all on paper. While I’m drawing I still struggle with it. Sometimes I worry people won’t understand me. But lately, I’ve been trying to let that go: not everyone has to understand what I mean. The viewer is allowed to fill in blanks. I don’t want to over-explain myself anymore.

Your comics also capture lots of humour in small everyday situations. Do you notice something funny in your day and then rush to draw it, or do you decide you want to do a comic and then sit and think through funny scenarios? What’s the process there?

I carry a very tiny notebook with me most of the time. I jot down all my silly ideas and things that have happened in there. But I store them on my phone as well, when I don’t have my notebook on hand.

When I feel like it, I start drawing. I’m not much of a sketcher so usually I draw the whole thing in one go. I find that when I sketch things, the spontaneity is gone by the time I’m making the final comic.

You seem to enjoy experimenting with different materials a lot. What’s your favourite medium at the moment, and are there any new techniques you’re hoping to try out?

It’s mainly because I’m very eager to learn. I have the same thing with books and reading about new subjects. I also get bored quite easily and trying new materials or techniques helps me focus.

Some illustrators might say that sticking to one medium will make you better skilled at that, and I think that’s true for many. For me, it’s better to try new stuff because my brain gets excited and I see new doorways on how to approach illustration. It’s not about the medium per se, it’s about how you use that medium and how it adds to your skills.

In the end, I mix everything. I might start in gouache and pencils but I scan it and work on it further digitally. I rarely use one medium for the whole piece. At least not commissioned pieces!

If you could go back in time and talk to yourself when you were tackling some of your first illustration jobs, what advice would you give?

“Cut yourself some slack.”


I’ve set the bar way too high many times. I stressed about too many things too many times. I still do, by the way.

I wish I enjoyed some of the processes and successes a bit more. I was so busy working towards the next big goal, I forgot what an amazing ride it is. I want to do better now, hold still and observe what I’m doing.

Do you listen to any music whilst you work? If so, what kind of music do you find helps you work?

Is it really weird if I tell you I never listen to anything while I’m working? Maybe one hour a week I listen to a podcast while I’m colouring, so I get distracted so very easily, I just can’t listen to anything.

What’s your favourite thing that you’ve bought recently?

I bought an iPad Pro last week! I’m loving it so far, I find myself sketching in the evenings a lot more. It’s good for developing my skills for sure. I think I sketched not nearly enough and this pushes me to try more.

Finally, what’s the one thing that everyone should do today?

Stop for a minute and think about the things you are proud of. I think most people don’t give themselves enough credit.

A big thanks to Marloes for her time. Check out more of her work over on her website and follow her over on Twitter and Instagram.