Live Illustration (ENG)
Danni Hoedemakers is a Belgium-based illustrator with a background in design and art therapy. Fascinated by human behavior and interaction, her work reflects a deep appreciation for observing people in their natural environments.
With over five years of experience as a professional illustrator, Danni specializes in (digital) watercolors and travel journals. Her unique style combines artistic expression with strategic business insights, creating impactful visuals that bridge creativity and communication.
Danni collaborates with corporations, universities, and hospitals to illustrate keynote speeches, conferences, and events. She also partners with cultural organizations, cities, and music festivals to produce artistic reportages that capture the essence of these experiences.
A record of your event that really gets “read”? Add live illustration work to your presentation, concert or other live experience. Analog or digital. Just what you need to take your audience’s experience to the next level. With an eye for the small details that make all the difference.
Discreetly in the audience, as a silent witness? Or will you let the audience watch the illustration take shape or keep the surprise for afterwards? Everything starts with your wishes and expectations.
Artistic Illustrations
Working with a live illustrator also adds value after your event. You immediately have rewarding and relevant content for your social media, your website or to send to attendees as a reminder or thank you. Hanging the original work, short digital snippets or personalizing your merchandising with the unique result? Anything is possible.
Email danni@mensenmaat.com for more information and a quote.
we kindly invite you to scroll down & enjoy the live illustration portfolio of Mensenmaat.
Event “Housewife in resistance, Luciana’s lessons in Amsterdam”
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Amsterdam hosted a special pop-up exhibition and multimedia lecture on Luciana Bokma-Rescia, an Italian resistance fighter in Amsterdam.
Lessons from Luciana, Housewife in the Resistance highlighted the inspiring life of Luciana (1902-1995), a woman whose courage and determination in the resistance remained underexposed for a long time. Thanks to the Culturissima Foundation, her story came to life, with a unique combination of images, words and music.
Researcher Daniela Tasca (@dantissima) and journalist Noémi Prent (@noemiprent) shared Luciana’s story, assisted by historian Giulia Cartini (@cartinigiulia), journalist Rianne Oosterom (@rianneoosterom), H401 director Frans Damman (@fransdamman020) and descendants of Luciana herself. The program was further enhanced by powerful contributions from spoken word artist Amara van der Elst (@amaragabriela_), a musical interlude by Katapulta Trio (@katapulta_trio) and live illustrations by me, Danni Hoedemakers (@dannitekent).
Curious? Listen to the dutch podcast here de podcast: http://www.1001italianen.nl
Internal corporate events
An anthology of recent work: Due to the nature of these events I can only share anonymous snippets of these brainstorm sessions, visual harvests & long term strategies.
Live Illustratie voor Uhasselt
An international seminar with participants from all over the world. To continue to inspire participants, the keynote speeches and pitches from proffesors were illustrated live.
Conference Higher education 13/12/2024
La Fille d’o at the fashion museum illustrated live
A female entrepreneur with a strong vision and an urge to always do things just a little differently. No wonder Mensenmaat and La Fille d’o, Murielle Scherre, immediately clicked. Murielle’s presentation at the Fashion Museum in Hasselt was immortalized in a series of live illustrations. Both what happened on stage and what was told. The slow process of creation, for example. Or the journalist’s special designer glasses.
Afterwards, the drawings also found their way into an exhibition. Thus La Fille d’o and Mensenmaat have had a piece of shared history ever since. A warm memory with a positive atmosphere and a tasteful precipitation on paper.blogpost “la fille d’o”
Hybride live illustration
Hybrid project for a bilingual audience. The history of the company and its unique postive attributes are portrayed live. Again, there were several coordinations with the event team. This way, you maintain control.
Fotograaf: Benjamin Brolet
Reportage
A shared human experience
The University of Hasselt (UHasselt) commissioned Danni to create a visual reportage of their annual World Evening event, a celebration of international cultures. This unique gathering invites international students to share their heritage through food, dance, spoken word, and music, fostering connection and understanding across cultures.
The client requested an anonymous and artistic documentation of the evening, and over the course of four hours.
Danni immersed herself in the event, walking and illustrating in real time. Capturing fleeting moments—some performances lasting just three minutes—she preserved these ephemeral experiences in lasting visual form.
The resulting illustrations reflect the rich diversity of the event: a Middle Eastern woman singing traditional songs, a European man performing the resistance anthem “Bella Ciao,” an African woman proudly sharing her cuisine, and an African man delivering powerful spoken word poetry. A group of Pakistani gentlemen danced joyfully in their traditional black and white attire, while Asian women expressed their cultural beauty through graceful traditional dances.
These illustrations embody the essence of the World Evening—a vibrant celebration of human creativity and a shared experience that transcends cultural boundaries. Through food, dance, music, and spoken word, people connected across differences, celebrating what unites us all.
Live illustration at Pukkelpop
Live music, grass underfoot and fresh pints. That’s Pukkelpop. But Danni’s eye saw so much more at Pukkelpop Downtown. A photographer landing in a flower box. Police officers with an attentive eye and sense of rhythm. Joy, freedom. Experience it through the eyes of a live illustrator.