Every year one individual seems to stand out from the rest — captivating our interest and admiration. In 2008 it was Luba Lukova; in 2010 it was Jessica Hische; ten years ago it was Nena Anderson — there are many others, and they all have one thing in common. Beside their extraordinary talent they share a unique perspective of vision along with an entrepreneurial spirit that takes them to the top of their field! Lois van Baarle epitomizes those qualities — and is our Designing Woman for March 2015!
Every year one individual seems to stand out from the rest — captivating our interest and admiration. In 2008 it was Luba Lukova; in 2010 it was Jessica Hische; ten years ago it was Nena Anderson — there are many others, and they all have one thing in common. Beside their extraordinary talent they share a unique perspective of vision along with an entrepreneurial spirit that takes them to the top of their field! Lois van Baarle epitomizes those qualities — and is our Designing Woman for March 2015!
Lois is a Dutch national who started teaching herself to draw digitally in 2003. Although a native of Holland, she has lived and taught all over the world, including the United States, Indonesia, France and Belgium. She studied animation in Ghent (Belgium) for a year and then moved back to my home country to study animation at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (HKU) in Hilversum. Today, she applies all her talents as a freelance illustrator and animator from her studios in Utrecht, in the Netherlands.
It’s not just about painting. There are a million artists online who can paint. Lois is about seeing — not just looking — but seeing the spirit and nature of her subjects. Her investigative visual skills are extraordinary in finding and then depicting something way beyond the object of the art.
As a story teller, Lois can take you into any mood and setting she so desires. Her animation background and skills allow her to see through the storyline and bring her viewers through the richness of the experience! In her web site, on her FAQ page she talks about inspiration
When I was 15, I was inspired by Japanese drawing styles (animé and manga*), as well as various french comic artists (particularly the work of Aurore BlackCat*) and Art Nouveau (particularly Alfonse Mucha*). After joining DeviantArt I became very inspired by a wide range of other artwork on the site, mostly digital paintings. My DeviantArt favorites (a collection of images on the site which are my personal favorites) gives a pretty good idea of the type of artwork that inspires me, as well as this influence map I created in August 2010: [link]
When I was 15, I was inspired by Japanese drawing styles (animé and manga
Her skills are so finely tuned she has evolved beyond performance to teacher, trainer and writer. Lois has been featured in many publications, teaching and sharing her learned skills to young artists. At her site, you’ll see many other examples of articles and how-to essays she has authored. Her work ethic and insight into the world of art as a profession are testiment to hard work.
Here is a small selection of our favorites from Lois. Click any image for a slideshow.
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| Classic | Tutorial | Teaching | Products | Bella |
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| Bubblegum | Characters | personalities | coffee | commission |
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| dreams | characters | story_teller |
Please enjoy a lot more at Lois’ web site loish.net, and while you’re there don’t miss her enlightening FAQ page!
And, while we’re on a roll here, please enjoy …
Other extraordinary Designing Women we’ve met over the years 
Jane Conner-ziser Jessica Hische Luba Lukova Erika Pearce from New Zealand Nena Anderson Natalie Dybisz Sareh Khajehnouri Carol Kemp
The 20th Annual Designing Women celebration Continues!
Stay tuned because we’ll be adding new entries all month long . . . and will continue into April! Remember, if you would like to suggest a Designing Woman for this series, there’s still time. Just check it out here: Register or Nominate your favorite Designing Woman
DTG Designing Women Series Continues . . .
Thanks for reading . . . and, thanks for twenty years of Designing Women online!
Editor/Publisher : DTG Magazine
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Published online since 1988
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