Little Buddha Illustrations for GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS MAGAZINE, New York
GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS MAGAZINE recently challenged me to create teeny-tiny buddha icons that work at only about 2cm height, and still get specific moods across. The buddhas each introduce an article about bad travel experiences. Each buddha icon is in a rather atypical mood: none of them is peaceful as one would expect, but either angry, haunted by bad luck, irritated, impatient or short of exploding!

GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS MAGAZINE is on newsstands now.


Little Buddha icons for a travel article of GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS MAGAZINE, New York


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Newsflash August 2008:

Design for a Very Unique Wedding
For customers of a high-end Swiss wedding planner, I designed "save the date" cards, invitations, the menu, and an illustration for cake topper figurines. I developed a stylized illustration of the couple and a design concept, which are both being used throughout the ceremony.


wedding menu, invitation, and illustration for cake topper figurines


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Newsflash July 2008:

Inspirational Cards Now on My Blog
We all need a little inspiration every now and then, right? To inspire myself and others, I've begun creating these motivational cards with my illustrations on them. Check 'em out - every weekend, I'll post a new one on my blog www.potatomammadesign.blogspot.com


motivational cards with my illustrations, every weekend, a new one on my blog


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Newsflash June 2008:

PotatoMammaDesign Designs for DIESEL
DIESEL asked me to create a promotional event invitation card for them, which I illustrated and designed.


promotional postcard design for DIESEL


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Newsflash May 2008:

New Fashion Illustration for Magazine DECO
I created a fresh, summerlike fashion illustration for DECO Magazine - it's a musical grill! The young lady's clothes were inspired by the 2008 summer collection from H&M.


summery fashion illustration for magazine DECO


PotatoMammaDesign Contest '08 Results
Leeza Hernandez, a fabulous children's illustrator (www.leezaworks.com), volunteered to help me with the prize draw this year. Thanks Leeza! Once again, people from all over the world - USA, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, India and Chile - participated!


illustrator Leeza Hernandez carried out this year's contest prize draw


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Newsflash April 2008:

PotatoMammaDesign Birthday Contest 2008
What, already a year older!!? On April 1st, my company turns 2 years old. Celebrate with me, and take part in the 2008 PotatoMammaDesign Birthday Contest! Tempting prizes, and taking part will only take you 3 1/3 minutes. Precisely. Just complete this contest entry form: click here to download the document. Submit at the latest by April 30!



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Newsflash March 2008:

PotatoMammaDesign Shop updated
Be prepared for excitement: a series of new steaming hot fashion illustrations has been added to the store! Some of the illustrations have been published internationally - now you can make them your own! The potatomamma store has now an amazing 212 individual items to choose from!


The potatomammashop is updated with many new products and illustrations!


Character design for BEACHCOMBER and YOU AND YOUR WEDDING, England
Both magazines assigned me to create a wedding planner figure, inspired by the pose of Stella (see following illustration). The new character had to look as closely as possible like Jemima Khan, Hugh Grant's then-girlfriend. The woman should ooze self-confidence, seem very fashion savvy, elegant, and wearing the exact clothes as in the following biefing:


This was the illustration briefing from YOU AND YOUR WEDDING and BEACHCOMBER.


This is the final illustration I created for them:


Jemima Khan-inspired wedding planner character, for YOU AND YOUR WEDDING and BEACHCOMBER.


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Newsflash February 2008:

PotatoMammaDesign published in playing card deck
Some of you may remember, last year you could vote for your favorite illustrations on custom52.com. The illustrations with the most votes would get printed and published in a playing card deck. One of my designs is now included in the current custom52 card deck! Thank you again everybody who voted for my designs!


"Zoe" one of my illustration characters, is published in the card deck "cycle II" of custom52.com!
To order the illustration card deck, click here: www.custom52.com


Invited to fashion show in New York!
I'm currently working on an illustration assignment for the hip fashion brand NECESSARY OBJECTS. What a cool surprise, the customer invited me to their fashion show in New York!


NECESSARY OBJECTS fashion show, February 2008


How exciting, PotatoMammaDesign in the Big Apple!


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Newsflash January 2008:

PotatoMammaDesign got interviewed
The British blog www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk interviewed PotatoMammaDesign.


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Newsflash December 2007:

Swarovski's Stella in the South Seas!
While most of us are longing for something other than snow, "Stella", my regular illustration assignment for the Swarovski website, travels to the South Seas and enjoys the marvels of the underwater world. Not fair!


"Stella" in the South Seas, regular assignment for Swarovski.com


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Newsflash November 2007:

PotatoMammaDesign is now a GmbH
On November 5 2007, I officially registered PotatoMammaDesign as a limited liability company.


Yes, I have reason to smile: I'm not "just" a freelancer anymore, but I own a registered company now! And what a cool name it is too – it's still fun to explain it to everyone who asks. And, believe me, everyone asks.


Christmas stickers published in German magazine LISA
These characters are a blend of the new PotatoMammaDesign vector-airbrush-pen technique and cute little doll-like characters that appeal to children and adults alike. "Ho ho ho!", what can I say!


Christmas sticker illustrations for German magazine LISA.


Illustrations from PotatoMammaDesign spice up girls' newsletters
A new U.S. company called THE CUPCAKES CLUB (coming soon: www.thecupcakesclub.com) assigned me to illustrate cute girlie elements that they could use in the newsletters. The customers: 8 - 12 year old girls. The briefing was pretty open, any girlie object could be chosen for illustrations. Keywords: happy, fun, healthy, school, beauty, snack etc. The only requirement was to match the existing design style of the company, which looks like this:


(existing book cover of THE CUPCAKES CLUB,
not created by PotatoMammaDesign)


The illustrations I created for THE CUPCAKES CLUB looked like this:


What is this, you ask? Yes, another new technique! This is an acrylics look, with hand painted feel, funky yet cute colors, natural looking borders. Can you believe it, it's all digital!


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Newsflash October 2007:

New book available with cover illustration and design by PotatoMammaDesign
This new book by NZZ BUCHVERLAG SWITZERLAND is in the stores now. This time, I got the assignment to not just illustrate the cover, but to design the whole book jacket. The book contains an entertaining and fun selection of stories from down under, told by NZZ's own reporter who regularly writes for NZZ. You can buy the book on nzz-libro.ch. Available only in German.


Book jacket illustration and design.


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Newsflash September 2007:

New watercolor technique developed for Swedish fashion brand
A Swedish company chose PotatoMammaDesign for 3 fashion illustrations, to be used on the company's website and promotional material.


New technique: watercolor look! Created all-digital.


Video about a book with PotatoMammaDesign on PAGE online
Chris Ritke from 49sparks.com was the lucky first prize winner in the PotatoMammaDesign birthday contest (see April news). Get this – he was so excited about the book that he published a video of it on the German design magazine PAGE website! See the video on page-online.de.


Get a glimpse of the book in this video by Chris Ritke, 49sparks.


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Newsflash August 2007:

German magazine LISA chooses PotatoMammaDesign as regular illustrator!
After collaborating with PotatoMammaDesign on a summer sticker series, LISA asks me to regularly ilustrate for their column. I'm excited! Here are a couple of Illustrations that have been published since June 2007:


Which of those 2500 pictures from the vacations should we keep? That was the question of this LISA article that was illustrated. The assumption of the text was that it takes a tremendous amount of time more nowadays to sort through all the digital photos, compared to the pre-digital age.



Can a woman be too trendy? The article of magazine LISA that this illustration accompanied argued "yes!". The challenge in the illustration was to show an example of a ridiculously over-styled woman, yet not make her look ridiculous! I hope I caught it right in the middle there – I think she still looks hot! But, come to think of it... who would walk around like that in real life?


This is one of my current favorites! This LISA MAGAZINE illustration was used as an eye-catcher to a text that wonders if shopping could be in the genes. Of course not! ;-)


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Newsflash July 2007:

YOU AND YOUR WEDDING magazine and DECO magazine love new technique!
The U.K.-based wedding magazine YOU AND YOUR WEDDING and the German magazine DECO fall for the vector-airbrush-pencil technique, which I had developed for magazine FEMINA (news June 2007).


This illustration in YOU AND YOUR WEDDING magazine accompanied a text about current trends and tip to the topic "wedding dance". Here, showing the famous final "Dirty Dancing" pose. On the left and the right you see a close-up.



YOU AND YOUR WEDDING magazine published this illustration to the topic "show entertainment at the wedding". On the left side, you see a close-up of the illustration.



This illustration was published by DECO magazine to a text on the latest trend "Swarovski glitz", which is getting used everywhere, even in home decor! DECO liked this illustration character so much that they chose her to be the new character in all DECO illustrations!


Horoscope illustrations for TCHIBO Germany
In a different technique (vector only), but nonetheless cute, TCHIBO CONSUMER MAGAZINE Germany published these horoscope illustrations from me this summer. The art director from the agency Konzepthaus, Munich, asked me to implement a Euro cent or paper money in each illustration, because the horoscopes were shown in the context with a special sale.


Horoscope illustrations for TCHIBO CONSUMER MAGAZINE Germany.

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Newsflash June 2007:

New illustration technique available!
Vector illustration has long been, and is to this day, a big trend in magazine illustration. When I asked a selection of current and potential clients about this, however, some voiced a longing for a style just as hip, but with a more natural feel to it.


These ladies were created for a swimwear fashion stretch for the magazine FEMINA. The challenge was to give women shopping tips for specific body issues or styles, without offending them. The illustrations fulfill this request by being rendered in a playful, stylish way. New techniques in this style include using the airbrush tool for shading & volume of the skin, and using realistic-looking paint brushes in the strands of hair, for a looser & warmer feel.



The old and the new Swarovski "Stella". The Swarovski online team was very happy with the character, but was looking for a feeling of "transparency", "lightness", some dimension, and fewer outlines to loosen things up a little. On the left side, you see the old Stella, with the new version on the right. Swarovski's wish was granted by adding transparency where possible, shading on clothing for depth, lightening or removing outlines, adding painted strokes for a more natural feel, and softening the background colors.


PotatoMammaDesign first birthday contest a success!
What an exciting outcome: 48 people from 16 different countries participated and celebrated my company's first birthday with me! Another big thank you to all the participants! Find out about the prizes, the winners, and read comments from the participants here.


Illustrators John Hollander
(hollander.ch) and Astrid Mueller,
after the PotatoMammaDesign 2007
birthday cotest prize draw.


PotatoMammaDesign: new regular illustrator of DECO magazine, Germany
Swarovski is no longer the lone company hiring PotatoMammaDesign for regular illustrations (Character design "Stella"). The design crew of the stylish lifestyle magazine DECO is admittedly smitten with the PotatoMammaDesign style, and has assigned me to all current and future editorial illustrations.


Editorial illustration for the May issue of DECO. The artwork illustrates a text that tells of a new automated flower watering system, ensuring relaxed vacations to all garden enthusiasts.


Keep an eye out for this person here – she will be a regular in future DECO magazines! The character was tailored to please the typical subscriber of the aesthetically pleasing home decór magazine. Find out which story lies behind this illustration in the May issue of DECO – in stores now!


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Newsflash April 2007:

Win one of 5 prizes in the PotatoMammaDesign birthday contest!
On April 1 2007, PotatoMammaDesign turned 1 year old!
The contest is now closed. You can read more, and see the winning illustrations and participants, on the PotatoMammaDesign contest page.




PotatoMammaDesign illustrates fashion stretch in New York!
I went Big Apple! The magazine WOMAN'S DAY asked PotatoMammaDesign to create artworks for a 4 page fashion stretch and to replace the model in the photographs with hand drawn illustrations. If you live in the U.S.A. or Canada, get off your feet and to the next newsstand now to secure a copy of the April issue of WOMAN'S DAY! Apart from tempting recipes, useful tips on wellness and home decoration, you'll find 4 pages of PotatoMammaDesign illustrations plus a short introductory article on the artist.

To view the article, click on the images below.






Pre-order an exclusive signed copy of THE BIG BOOK OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION at a 25% discount!
The BIG BOOK OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION, which will also feature illustrations by PotatoMammaDesign, is expected to arrive in worldwide art stores in July 2007 (See also news from March 2007). I offer you an exclusive pre-order discount of 25% (shipping costs not included) for all orders before April 23 2007. Order now to secure your exclusive signed copy! Order or ask questions via email, click here

ISBN 0713490454



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Newsflash March 2007:

Buy new ILLUSTRATION book at 10% discount!
ILLUSTRATION is a great illustration reference book for art directors and designers, featuring over 580 artworks, amongst them, illustrations by PotatoMammaDesign. The book will be available in stores in spring 2007 - save your copy now!

Sorry, this preorder offer expired on March 23 2007. Please sign up for the PotatoMammaDesign newsletter for future news at the top of this page (signup form). For more information about the book, click here


PotatoMammaDesign soon to be published in international fashion illustration book!
THE BIG BOOK OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION is a visual bible for fashion illustrators and graphic designers, giving an unprecedented variety of approaches for illustrating fashion with hundreds of stunning images. Illustrators from all over the world (among them PotatoMammaDesign) show a range of approaches, techniques and styles. The book can now be pre-ordered online! In stores in July 2007.

ISBN 0713490454



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Newsflash February 2007:

Hear an interview of PotatoMammaDesign
Interviewed by Chris Ritke from 49sparks.com. You can hear the interview on 49sparks.com, or click the play button twice to listen


powered by ODEO

The magazine YOUNG writes about the PotatoMammaDesign online store.
To view the article, click here:




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Newsflash January 2007:

Interviewed for the webzine of Adobe Korea.
Read the interview of PotatoMammaDesign on Adobe online, or download the interview (pdf).