Bodil Jane has garnered a following for illustrating detailed, colourful windows into the worlds of women everywhere.
The illustrator’s work is often female-focused, featuring characters that are approachable. Viewers even comment that they see themselves in her work, the way you’d recognize an old friend. Around these characters, Bodil builds a delicate level of detail through ornaments. It’s a characteristic she puts down to her love of collecting, regularly visiting busy environments such as flea markets or botanical gardens for inspiration.
She then layers these details carefully, portraying the personality of the character at hand. This technique is applied in multiple ways, whether it be the carpet pattern chosen in their bedroom to the cut of their jeans.
Her work is almost as if Frida Kahlo had lived in a world painted by Raoul Dufy, but Henri Matisse was on hand to help with the plants.
Each of these elements are illustrated in a part analogue, part digital style. She’s honed a handmade, homely and warm aesthetic instantly recognizable with her name. It’s a style that has caught the attention of a range of clients from The New Yorker to Unicef, she’s also collaborated with Caran d’Ache and makes products too, notably working with dutch design brand, &Klevering. Bodil’s work is featured in The Illustrator - 100 Best From Around the World by Taschen.
Bodil currently lives in her hometown of Amsterdam following a stint of living in Rotterdam while studying at the Willem de Kooning Academy. The illustrator works from a small mezzanine studio in Amsterdam-West, at a ten minute bike ride from her home. It’s one of Bodil’s favourite parts of the city.
— Written by Lucy Bourton
Curriculum VitaE
1990 - Born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2008 - Preparatory course at Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam
2009 - 2014 - Bachelor in Illustration at Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam
2012 - Erasmus Exchange Program at Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen
2016 - Represented by illustration agency Folio Art, London
2016 - Finalist Fiep Westendorp Stimuleringsprijs, Amsterdam
2016 - Artist in resident at Varda Artists Residency, Sausalito
2016 - Illustration for Unicef campaign to start a conversation about air pollution
2017 - Portrait of Carrie Coon for The New Yorker
2017 - Illustration series for UNFPA to celebrate International Day of the Girl
2018 - Invited by Caran d’Ache to visit the pencil factory, Geneva
2018 - Homeware collection in collaboration with &Klevering
2019 - Featured in The Illustrator - 100 Best From Around the World, published by Taschen
2019 - Portrait of Lieke Martens for Nike’s Women’s World Cup campaign
2019 - Event Vincent on Friday & Bodil Jane at Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
2019 - Mural at the first Dutch Anthropologie store, Amsterdam
2020 - Illustration jury of ADC 99th Annual Awards
2020 - Live painting session for Viktor & Rolf, Amsterdam
2021 - Speaker at Illustratie Biënnale, Hilversum
2021 - Fully illustrated Christmas classic The Nutcracker, published by Magic Cat
2022 - Sent on a cabin trip by The Jaunt, De Drentsche Aa
2022 - Illustration for World Health Organization campaign to eliminate cervical cancer
2022 - LED installation at the Adidas store, Amsterdam
clients
&Klevering
Adidas
Agatha Christie Ltd.
Anthropologie
Cadbury
Camden Town Brewery
Caran d’Ache
Chronicle Books
Crocs
Flow Magazine
Frankie Magazine
illy Caffè
Love Stories Intimates
Lucy & Yak
Lush
Marks & Spencer
Nike
Not Another Bill
Philips
Penguin Random House
Playboy
Refinery29
Revlon Professional
Seattle Chocolate
Space NK
Superdrug
Tencel™
The Guardian
The New Yorker
The New York Times
Tommy Hilfiger
Unicef
United Nations Population Fund
World Health Organization
Van Gogh Museum
Viktor & Rolf
Waitrose
Westbrook Media