Welcome to Studio Mates!
Studio Mates is a newsletter about all things illustration, self-employment and working mom life, with a focus on my personal career and latest illustrations. My name is Bodil Jane and I’m an illustrator from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with over a decade of experience in illustration.
What is Studio Mates?
Studio Mates is a newsletter in which I share my latest projects (News), in depth stories about illustration (Illustration) and my career (Career). You’ll learn about the inspiration behind my work (Current Obsession), and will be the first to know about my latest projects or product collaborations (Studio & Life Lately). I’ll be sharing a lot more of what happens from briefing to final illustration (The Making Of). Some posts will be more extensive, like 10 Years of Drawing People, which explains how my illustrated characters have developed over the years. Some will be light and fun, like the unpretentious kids art projects (Studio Kid).
With this newsletter I’m aiming to give you a personal and honest insight in my life as an illustrator (and mom), the things that drive me and how I navigate challenges in my career. I hope to inspire you both visually/artistically, and on an entrepreneurial level. And on top of that you’ll be up to date on all the latest news when it comes to my illustrations and brand!
Who is Studio Mates for?
If you are an illustration lover (or more specifically a lover of my illustrations), an aspiring designer or art school student: this might be an interesting newsletter for you! If you’re someone working in the creative industry who potentially wants to work with me, or simply be kept up to date on my news, I’d like to ask: Would you be my Studio Mate? I’d love to talk to you about all the things that I’d talk about with a studio mate.
A bit more about me
There’s a fantastic bio on my website written by Laurence Ogé (please read it if you’d like to get the full picture), but here I’ll try to keep it a bit more personal. I grew up in a very creative family, my parents even met in art school, and I’ve been creating things all my life. Since graduating at Willem de Kooning Academy in 2014 I’ve been working as a fulltime freelance illustrator. Over the past 11 years I’ve done illustrations for international clients such as Adidas, ELLE, Nike, The New Yorker, United Nations, World Health Organization, Van Gogh Museum and more.
Working in illustration for over a decade now, definitely makes me feel like a “senior” in the industry. Things are very different now compared to when I just started out (R.I.P. Instagram), and I’m starting to feel a little old… As of writing this, I just turned 35, so maybe I’m just late realising I’m an actual grown up now.
Somehow it took until now to feel like I’m in a position where I’m “allowed” to say and share things about the illustration field and how I run my business, even though that doesn’t make sense. I’ve turned down lots of talks and guest teaching opportunities in the past, because I felt like I wasn’t “there yet”. Well, now I think I am.
I’m a mom, and I live in a proper apartment with my partner Pete, our toddler son and poodle Miso; a very different situation from my early years when I lived in a tiny 10m2 student room in Amsterdam. I had to move all the stuff from my desk to my bed to be able to work, and move all the stuff back from my bed to the desk to be able to sleep.
Recently I entered a new phase in my career, and it’s very exciting. I just signed the lease for my own studio space, and moved in a few weeks ago in October 2025! I don’t have to share it with others, but I can (and probably will). In any case, I can do whatever I want with it. I can take a dive in the IJ river in front of it and nobody would care. It’s only a short ferry ride away from my home, which might be the best thing about it. It even has a tiny bathroom with shower, so it almost feels as if I moved out of my family home, and have an apartment of my own now. Hello, me-time!
After sharing studios for years, as you can read in A Brief History of my Previous Studios, and seeing tens of potential spaces, I’ve finally found my dream studio. And I can’t wait for you to be my new Studio Mate!
What do you get for free?
You’ll get at least three posts a month, of which most will be paywalled after a while:
End of the month studio news; Studio & Life Lately
Posts about my latest portfolio projects; New Projects
Behind The Scenes and Inspiration posts including recurring columns The Making Of and Current Obsession
Recurring Studio Kid do it yourself kids art projects
What do you get for €5/month or €55/year?
As a paying subscriber you not only support my independent writing (thank you!) and help make this newsletter possible, but also get at least one extra post a month and other specials like:
In-depth Career stories and my recurring column that extensively answers FAQ’s
Sneak peeks of special projects
Early access to new products or sale, and subscriber-only discount codes for my online shop
Post comments and join the community; share thoughts or creative work, and meet other people from my community through the chat
The full archive; read back all past posts, they will always stay unlocked for you
