About the project
In April 2020, I started a personal project called Printmaking Challenge to discover new visual techniques and styles daily. With these experiments, I aim to inspire others by bringing more color to everyday life.
What sparked this project?
The project started during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Because of the spare time I had due to homeschooling I decided to improve my skills on a daily basis by experimenting with different techniques and styles.
What is your approach to working on a project like this? Do you follow a specific process or framework?
My process is always changing based on new discoveries because I regularly reflect on both the process and final experiment.
What did the early versions of this project look like? What did you learn from this v1?
The very first experiments were focussed on Covid-19 and ranged from a lot from pure illustrations to abstract analog experiments. As I kept on experimenting, I slowly developed a preference for certain colors and elements.
'As I kept on experimenting, I slowly developed a preference for certain colors and elements.'
What was the biggest challenge? Did any part of the project make you step out of your comfort zone?
Not getting too carried away by the numbers on social media was a tough one at first, especially since it is very tempting to stick to a style that you know works, but might not be the thing that excites you anymore.
How did you overcome this challenge?
Reading books on how others overcame this hurdle like the books from Austin Kleon and "The Creative Act" by Rick Rubin
What and/or who inspired you during the creation of this project?
Friends and family, but also artists like Piet Parra, Filipe Pantone, Xtian Miller, and many more.
What was your biggest learning or take-away from creating this project?
That you never stop learning.
'I enjoyed playing around with visuals so much that I decided to do this on my own as well.'
What was the result of this project?
All of my career dreams coming true. From interning at Studio Dumbar to working for tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Meta regularly.
Where was the project created? What do you enjoy about working there?
The idea to start this project arose during a class at school called Visual Expertise. I enjoyed playing around with visuals so much that I decided to do this on my own as well.
Which tools did you use to create this project?
Sketchbooks, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, Macbook Pro, iMac
What are you currently working on, and what's next?
Collabs, commissions, and more. What's next is probably a break from commissions to get back to playing around.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice about navigating the design world, what would it be?
Keep playing and follow the excitement.
From the maker
