Wachters van de Oceaan

Created the cover illustration for the children’s book Wachters van de Oceaan (Guardians of the Ocean). Published by Columbus / Jongbloed Media, written by Wouter Cornet.

This was an amazing assignment for me. The brief brought together so many things I love to illustrate: the ocean, animals and a sense of adventure. The starting point was a simple but wonderful idea: a boy holding onto the fin of a dolphin as they move through the water.

From there, I explored several different concepts and colour schemes, looking for the right atmosphere and ways to capture the story. I took the time to read the book itself, which helped me discover little details that could make the illustration feel more connected to the story. One of those details was the main character, Olly’s red shirt, which he wears in the water. I loved the idea of carrying that small detail into the scene, where it becomes a bright visual accent against the surrounding blue.

I’m really happy I got to bring this story to life through the cover.