I am Esther Elzinga, illustrator, printmaker and pattern lover based in the Netherlands.
There are two things I love most in my profession which are fabrics and printing. At an early age I was already in love with fabrics in various fashion designs, so for me it was a logical step to start my study at the fashion & design academy from which I graduated specialized in high-fashion.
My second love, printmaking, came at a later stage when we moved from the Netherlands to Singapore for my husband’s work. I fell in love straight away with the beautiful batik prints that are so common in that region, so I started experimenting with fabric printing right away. From potato printing to wood-carved prints and even rope-shaped stamps; I’ve tried them all. When I bumped into some carving-rubber I was hooked; I never stopped carving ever since.
This hobby got out of hand pretty fast; after a couple of years when we got back to Netherlands I started my own printing studio, Studio Tokek (“tokek” means “lizard’ in Bahasa, the language in Indonesia).
In my studio I make stamps for my own collection print fabrics, make various items out of the hand printed fabrics and I make stamps to order for various customers all over the world.
My main source of inspiration are my 5 kids; they give me the energy and inspiration to start new projects every day.
I put my heart and soul in my work and it makes me more then happy to see more and more people love my work!
What I absolutely love…
Printing, carving, road biking, sewing, Asia (I have a weak spot for Singapore and all surrounding countries), Asian food, hiking in Austria, reading (especially historical novels), spinning, body balance, yoga, tea (i don’t drink coffee), plants (a house full!), cats (exactly all animals. .we also have chickens in the garden, a hamster, fishes..), riding around on my bicycle…and of course my 5 kids.
Like to see more of my work? Click here!