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Spot illustraties voor informatieboek van vakantiehuisje Waal aan Huis.

Flower + fish for day 1 of the #imaginedflowerchal Flower + fish for day 1 of the #imaginedflowerchallenge2026 by @estee.zales

Leafy sea dragons are such marvelous fish 😍 Swipe for sketches and another idea I tried out!

Also still working on hosting and making my micro stories for the #venstervisualstorychallenge2026, so probably won’t be able to do all flowers this week :(
Question for this week was: what if the wolf was j Question for this week was: what if the wolf was just a cub instead of a full grown adult? 

Second week my characters end up nose to nose… Lets see if I can change that next week haha

#venstervisualstorychallenge2026
#VVSC26collision

Hosts:
@majken_enequist_art 
@niek_schuil_illustrations 
@jessamijn 
@ehud.neuhaus 
@annetoppenillo 
@geeske_illustrations 
@maluhendrikszen
Venster Visual Story Challenge Week 1: Curiosity Venster Visual Story Challenge Week 1: Curiosity

Meeting a new friend is really scary sometimes. 

My plan for this challenge is to explore two characters I created a while ago but need some work. So they might change a bit during the month :) I’m also not sure yet what I want to do technique/material wise. This one is a combination of acrylic paint, pencil/crayon, collage and monoprint. I’m trying to become friends with acrylics, but not sure if we are meant to be. I like the painted texture, but do not always enjoy the sensory experience 😅 So I think I will use this challenge to play with different things and see what I end up with!

For this week I took my own advice (see add limitations post) to just focus on an expression. 

On to the next!!

#venstervisualstorychallenge2026 
#vvsc26curiosity

The hosts:
@majken_enequist_art 
@ehud.neuhaus 
@niek_schuil_illustrations 
@annetoppenillo 
@jessamijn 
@geeske_illustrations 
@maluhendrikszen
We are almost ready to roll with the Venster Visua We are almost ready to roll with the Venster Visual Story Challenge 2026!

In this post we want to remind you of a few important details regarding the posting to make sure that we will get to see your lovely stories as they will be posted. 
Please read it carefully and maybe bookmark it in case you’ll need a reminder later on.

When posting your stories in May , it is very important to TAG US (all 7 hosts) in the post. It is not just the @mention in the caption, but also using the “tag people” (just under the caption) and tag all the hosts in your images. Without this it could be difficult for us to find your posts, so please help us and TAG!

Use the hashtags in your caption!
General challenge hashtag: #VensterVisualStoryChallenge2026
 
Weekly (prompt) hashtags:
Week 1 - #vvsc26curiosity 
Week 2 - #vvsc26collision
Week 3 - #vvsc26illuminate
Week 4 - #vvsc26narrow 

We will do our best to look at all your stories and share some highlights during the week, but last year we realised it’s hard to respond to ALL of your creations. You are very very welcome to follow the hashtags and look at the stories others are making and comment something positive. We are looking to build an uplifting community here, and you’re an important part of this.  

Make sure to follow all the hosts to get see the stuff they will be sharing!
@majken_enequist_art  
@ehud.neuhaus
@niek_schuil_illustrations
@annetoppenillo
@jessamijn
@maluhendrikszen
@geeske_illustrations
and @vensteracademy
 
And most important: HAVE FUN!
Venster Visual Story Challenge, tips and tricks! Venster Visual Story Challenge, tips and tricks!

Part 2: add limitations!

In this post I’d like to share a bit of how I work with art challenges and prompts. I enjoy to participate in challenges like @peachtober. Apart from the community aspect which I think is amazing, I think these challenges are a great way to explore new ideas and ways of working as a creative / illustrator.

My hot tip: add limitations!
It’s very easy for me to overwhelm myself with all the possibilities. So what really helps me is to add extra limitations. I always choose something I want to explore in my creative practice. For example, last year for Peachtober I focused on collage to play with shape and texture instead of linework, which I am more comfortable with.

So my advice would be to think about something you want to practice. Here is a list to start:
- Trying out a new technique 
- Drawing people
- Expressions in the face or expressions in the body
- Pacing. Is your work often high energy, full of expression, maybe it’s nice to practice slowing down? Or the other way around. 
- Lots of detail versus little details
- Limit the amount of marks you make. For example: draw people with just a few strokes.
- Focus on shapes / focus on line work.

I could go on, but maybe this already gives you a nice idea! 

If you have another great one for this list, please share in the comments! I’d love to hear it :)

#venstervisualstorychallenge2026
Venster Visual Story Challenge, tips and tricks! Venster Visual Story Challenge, tips and tricks!

Part 1: coming up with ideas

We are doing two things with this challenge
1. Working with a prompt - how to come up with ideas
2.  Thinking about sequence - how to create a narrative with a few images that relate to each other.

In this post Im gonna focus on the first part and share how I like to work with a prompt. And a few tricks for when you feel stuck in coming up with ideas.

Use your memories! A great way to make it personal. Write down 5 moments you were curious this week. Write down 5 associations with collision from when you were a kid. 

Go outside and see what catches your eye. A cool bird maybe? See what happens when you connect it to the prompt. Bird and collision, your mind is probably already making up some narratives! Write down all associations or make quick sketches.

Another trick is to ask questions like: what if it was really small? Big? Can I pick it up, what is the texture like. Is curiosity fluffy or maybe scratchy? How does it look like from the back? What if it was an object, or a person?

Book tip! I’m reading The Grammar of Fantasy by Gianni Rodari (and beautifully illustrated by @mattforsythe). He talks about how imagination can be triggered by putting two things together that don’t necessarily relate to each other. Your mind starts to fill in the gap with stories! Its quite magical 😁 

Don’t overthink it! (Yeah I know it’s hard, putting this in as a reminder to myself as well). It can be as easy as “curiosity” + first thing you see in your house. Go from there. Maybe make rules for yourself like: put a 5 minute timer on it, the story I came up with is what I use!

Later this week I’ll share a bit of the behind the scenes of my process!
What are micro stories? Can they tell of a BIG eve What are micro stories? Can they tell of a BIG event? How many images? Is text allowed?

In this post we will try to answer frequently asked questions about the Vester Visual Micro Story Challenge. 

Q: What are visual micro stories?
A: They are stories told visually, using a short sequence of images.

Q: How short is a “short sequence of images”?
A: Yeah. Probably more than one image and less than 6-ish. But if you can tell a story with one image we’ll probably applaud you, and if you need a bit more than six no one will call the police. Ask yourself: does it feel short?

Q: Am I allowed to use text?
A: Yes. If you do, just make sure that the images talk at least as loud as the text.

Q: Can micro stories tell a BIG tale?
A: Of course! What makes them micro is the amount of images, not how tall the tale is.

Q: Can my 4 micro stories create one bigger story?
A: Yes! This is totally up to you. You can make standalone micro-stories that has nothing to do with each other, or you can let them connect to one larger story.

Q: can I use an existing story?
A: This challenge is all about developing storytelling skills, so we encourage you to make your own stories. But it is also about having fun, so we won’t say you can’t. If you do, make it your own - add a twist, flip things around, do it in your own style!

And remember: micro-stories can be pretty much anything! Silly, sketchy, deep, serious, pointless, boring, emotional, whatever. 
Most important - HAVE FUN!!

If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us! 

What do you need to do to join? 
-> Follow all the hosts (see below) 
-> Use the tags for the challenge (see below)
-> Tag all of the hosts in your post as well as in your image

Have fun creating! We can’t wait to see what you make :) 

The hosts: 
@Majken_enequist_art
@ehud.neuhaus
@niek_schuil_illustrations
@annetoppenillo
@jessamijn
@geeske_illustrations
@maluhendrikszen

and @vensteracademy

The main hashtag for the challenge: 
#VensterVisualStoryChallenge2026

The hashtags to use per prompt: 
#VVSC26curiosity
#VVSC26collision
#VVSC26illuminate
#VVSC26narrow
🚨 PROMPT REVEAL IS HERE 🚨 Ready for the Venster Vi 🚨 PROMPT REVEAL IS HERE 🚨
Ready for the Venster Visual Story Challenge? ✨

Prompts:
• Curiosity (May 4–10)
• Collision (May 11–17)
• Illuminate (May 18–24)
• Narrow Escape (May 25–31)

This May:
 4 weeks = 4 prompts = 4 micro stories 🎬
 One short visual story per week.
 Connect them into one bigger story if you want—or keep them separate. Your call.

What are micro stories?
Short visual stories (2–6 images), more or less is allowed for sure. But the challenge is to say more with less. 

We’ll share examples and tips soon—stay tuned 👀

Who can join?
Everyone. Any level, any medium—just keep it human-made.

How to join:
• Follow all hosts
• Use #VensterVisualStoryChallenge2026
• Use the weekly hashtags
• Tag all hosts in your caption AND image

Let’s create—we can’t wait to see what you make 🔥

The Hosts:
@majken_enequist_art
@ehud.neuhaus
@niek_schuil_illustrations
@annetoppenillo
@jessamijn
@geeske_illustrations
@maluhendrikszen
en @vensteracademy
 
Challenge Hashtag:
#VensterVisualStoryChallenge2026 

Hashtags per prompt: 
#VVSC26curiosity 
#VVSC26collision 
#VVSC26illuminate 
VVSC26narrow