Q&A with Loulou & Tummie

Hi, we are Loulou & Tummie. Living in a small city in the Netherlands. We mainly illustrate. Do some sort of graphic designs every now and then too. And we enjoy creating things out of wood and fabrics… maybe we are designers then, not sure though.

What inspired you to become an illustrator?

We've been drawing and creating things and sewing stuff since we can remember. We both studied graphic design but after graduation felt the need for drawing, or, at least do more then graphic design. So, we ended up at an art academy to become illustrators and that's where we met. A few years after getting our degree there we joined forces and formed Loulou & Tummie.

What tools do you use to organize your work?

Hmm, most work is digital so it goes in logically named folders on our computers. Pencil sketches are all done on A3 sketch pads and those all go on a big unorganized pile somewhere in a drawer that we hardly ever open.

Then there's a big storage room in our studio where we have stacks of paint and tape and brushes and paint rollers for the times we have a go on wooden panels or murals or toys or whatever we're into. Our brooms and empty boxes are in there too. An old drawer printer cabinet holds our screen prints. A set of four Ikea Billy's is used for most of our toys. An aquarium to organize our guppies. And some desks and cabinets in our studio to somewhat organize everything else. But none of these would be considered tools actually.


What is your ideal work environment?

Our current studio is in the city center, a short walk from our home and it is perfect for now. We have more then enough space there and big windows that view out on some big trees so that's all great. It's nice walking to and from the studio, emptying our heads, get some fresh air after sitting behind our desk most of the day. We love being in an urban surrounding with many places where we can get some lunch around the corner or have a drink in the sun if the weather is nice. All things that are part of an ideal space for us.

Where does your design inspiration come from?

We have surrounded ourselves with toys, books, prints and other things we find inspiring. We enjoy wood engravings from the middle ages, steam engines in the industrial era, lettering from the twenties, packaging from the fifties, sci-fi from the sixties and product design from the seventies. A lot of old stuff :)

Travelling, big cities, a walk through an autumn forest, visiting flea markets… many things inspire. And of course there’s a whole bunch of talented artists to be found on the internet that inspire us as well.

Who are the artists you admire most?

Artists that found their own style and technique. This can be in about any field; music, art, design, photography…

If you go through our follow list on Instagram you get a glimpse of some people we admire at the moment: http://instagram.com/louloutummie