Sanny van Loon’s goal with her art is simple but powerful: to inspire other people and brighten up the world a little bit. And boy does our world need a light brightening up. Describing her style as both colorful and cheerful, van Loon mostly works by hand, with some additional digital renderings. “Sometimes edit my illustrations digitally but I always try to give them a handmade feel,” she stressed in an interview with Ballpitmag.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, she studied Graphic Design in Amsterdam and Illustration at the HKU University of the Arts in Utrecht, and has worked full time as a freelance illustrator and hand-lettering artist ever since she graduated. Her playful art has been featured in publications around the world, including Flow Magazine, Country Living, ELLE Eten, and others.
Using gouache, watercolor, and ink, she creates minimal compositions that highlight the joys of everyday life. “I love how they turn out on different kinds of paper and how you can mix the colors endlessly to create your own,” she says. Her inspiration sources are as varied as her illustrations subjects and include vintage books, packaging, and nature, as well as the work of other artists, museums, and flea markets.
“I think being an artist really makes you look at the world differently,” says van Loon. And hopefully, by scrolling through her Instagram you, too, will witness the nicer side of life.
