Dijkstra stresses that she has no drawing skills of her own. “I make collages. I even sketch using found images, which I then scan.” She likes working with old photographs – ‘these old pictures often have a really nice atmosphere’. She prefers making illustrations about subjects that are completely new to her. “I first try to find out everything I can about the subject, and then simplify it, based on my own take on the matter.” Working for EM was a bit daunting at first. “There’s no room for error. The articles are read by clever, educated people who are looking to find out more about a subject. Quite different from working for a women’s magazine, for example, where the illustrations mainly need to convey a specific mood.”

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‘Old cartoons sketch a time of protest and democratisation’

The Illustratum exhibition shows old cartoons about the university. "You can clearly see…