Bored Panda got in touch with the artist to learn more about her and her work.“My name is Tineke Meirink, and I am an illustrator/artist. I have illustrated over 130 children's books, educational books. I’m also the author of two picture books. The most recent one 'Zie jij wat ik zie?’ got nominated for the Belgian ‘Boon’ for children's literature 2023. Besides commissioned illustration work, I like to work on self-initiated projects like Stop: Watch and Trashures (small paintings on worn wood). For me decay, imperfections, and the ordinary are an endless inspiration,” shared the artist.

Tineke’s work has been wandering around for a while now. Here is her update on what happened in the last years: “A lot happened the past 9 years for Stop: Watch. There were 2 French books published, ‘Dans la rue’ and ‘Dans la ville’, I gave workshops (in Dutch schools and in Lille at L’Institute pour la photographie) and still do. I created images for a Dutch reading campaign, I made animations for a festival with a friend, I illustrated a poetry magazine and a ‘Kakkerlakje’ (a booklet to send), last year my picturebook ‘Zie jij wat ik zie?’ (Do you see what I see?) was published, and a new book is on the way. So the project that started for fun still is a lot of fun and still plays a big role in my everyday work.”

No art form comes without challenges. Therefore, we wanted to know how illustrations made out of everyday objects have challenged Tieneke and how she has managed to overcome them. “Stop: Watch is different from the ‘regular’ illustrations I make because for Stop: Watch the objects/stuff I find to determine the things I can make of them. So often the images were made first, and then the story/poem/words followed,” shared the artist.

There is no better feeling in the world than finding joy in what you do. That's why discovering what brings you happiness at work is so important. Tineke shared her favorite process of making these illustrations: “The part where you suddenly SEE it. That still gives me a kick.”Tineke’s artwork revives our childish imagination and moves our attention from daily tasks into a world of possibilities. The artist shared what kind of reactions her work usually gets: “From what I hear and see, Stop: watch surprises people in a good way, and it makes them smile. Often it inspires them to look at the world differently, which I think is great. Fun for free!”

There is no end to our imaginations as to the objects around us and hopefully to this project as well. Tineke shared: “In the future, I’d like to integrate Stop: Watch even more in my illustrations and designs. I feel there lies my strength, so my focus is on that. So much left to explore and do. But I go with the flow. Try to keep my mind and eyes open and just see what happens.”And lastly, she added: “Slow down, it’s just more fun when you take a closer look.”