Pop! The colours, the clean line work, the humour, the details. A bit cheeky, but then you shouldn’t take the illustrations of Xaviera Altena, who graduated in 2012, too seriously. They’ll put a smile on every face, every time. To appreciate her work, it’s important to realize that simplistic is not the same as simple. This is evident from the sophistication and attention to detail that hide behind the line play of the Rotterdam illustrator. Hats off to Xaviera, who with lots of colour and optimism succeeds in getting children to love her illustrations, young kids to whizz round on skateboards bearing her stickers, and adults to appreciate the message-witha- wink behind each illustration. Hopefully, this tribute will bring a smile to her face.

xavieraaltena.com