Ein Wort, eine Zeitreise, eine Partyigel-Illustration
Kreative Gedanken sichtbar gemacht

Die Illustratorin Kimberley Hoffman erzählt in ihrem neuen Blog-Beitrag, wie sie eine Partyigel-Illustration entwickelt. Inspiriert von Kindheitserinnerungen und kreativen Assoziationen erzählt sie vom Prozess der Ideenfindung bis zur Entstehung ihrer Igel-Illustration. Kimberley Hoffman beleuchtet die Verkettung der Gedanken und Ideen, die während des kreativen Prozesses entstehen, und lädt die Zuschauer ein, ihr über die Schulter zu schauen und an ihren kreativen Flow teilzuhaben.

In her latest blog post, freelance illustrator Kimberley Hoffman talks about the art and challenges of designing Artist Trading Cards. She uses an excerpt from her search-and-find book “Die Kurpfalz wimmelt“about Germany’s Electoral Palatinate Region to demonstrate how she adapts an extremely busy, amusing and detailed scene for Hireillo’s Artist Trading Cards.

These Artist Trading Cards, about the size of business cards, are part of a quarterly series that Hireillo sends out to interested customers.

The illustrator describes the creative process behind the selection and adaptation of the motif and provides insights into the design decisions involved in reducing the size of a large-format hidden object picture.

With humorous anecdotes and a deep understanding of her art, she invites readers to discover the world of Hidden Objects in the smallest of spaces. The full description of the extracted scene and other exciting details can be discovered on her blog.

Contact Hireillo and the illustrator for more information about these delightful Artist Trading Cards.

hoffmanillustrates! celebrates 20 years: A journey of creativity and perseverance

Dive into the world of Wimmel books with illustrator Kimberley Hoffman, who celebrates her 20th anniversary in the industry this year. From her beginnings with self-doubt to current projects with the renowned Silberburg publishing house, this journey is full of highs and lows. Find out how a chance meeting at the Frankfurt Fair kick-started a remarkable career.

Accompany the illustrator on her tour through cities such as Heidelberg, Mannheim and Ludwigsburg and discover how she successfully realizes her projects with creativity and perseverance. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites to fascinating local dialects: Her stories are full of surprises and inspire you to explore the world of Wimmel books. Join the illustrator as she brings the Electoral Palatinate, the Hohenlohe district and other regions to life and prepares for her next adventure: a Wimmel book about the development of Stuttgart. Join us and immerse yourself in a world full of creativity and inspiration. Look forward to more exciting adventures in future Wimmel books and discover the creative magic behind the pictures!

Join me on my journey back through 20 years as a freelance illustrator, peppered with the highs and lows of imposter syndrome. From the early days as a young mother to the challenges of making it in the industry, I honestly share my experiences and doubts. Discover how small jobs opened up big opportunities and how I battle imposter syndrome. Immerse yourself in a world of creativity, perseverance and unexpected success. Be inspired by my unique path and the valuable lessons I’ve learned on my 20-year journey as an illustrator. Look forward to stories that encourage and touch hearts. Let’s go!

Carnival, the 5th season of the year, is certainly the most popular time of year and is always a favorite theme in my Wimmel books about Baden-Württemberg towns and regions. 
Anyone who knows Carnival knows how much fun it can be. It’s a colorful chaos that only rivals the hustle and bustle in my Wimmel books.  

Initially, there was little Carnival hustle and bustle in Baden-Württemberg up to the mid-20th century. In a conversation with my relatives from Heidelberg, I was surprised to hear that Carnival was not celebrated on such a grand scale in their childhood. 

My cousin’s wife grew up in a Swabian town not far from the university city of Tübingen. She told me that children got “at best one Fastnachtsküchele,” a sweet pastry, before the start of Lent. Today’s Carnival celebrations, as we know them, have only become more popular in the last twenty or thirty years through television. The »Jecken« or Carnival fools were hardly known before then.

In my research for my previous Wimmel books, which are all about regions in Baden-Württemberg, I came across many different traditions surrounding Carnival. The costumes have a special meaning, whether they portray witches, devils, or angels. I have illustrated these as authentically as possible in my hidden object books. Do you want to take a look? Then open my new blog post quickly with a cheerful shout of Carnival now! https://hoffman-illustrates.com/en/carnival2024_hustlebustle/

Press Release
KimberleyHoffman

»Der Hohenlohekreis wimmelt«
A Delightful Search-And-Find Book For All Ages

The most delightful collection of hidden object books illustrated by Kimberley Hoffman, hoffmanillustrates! is bursting from the seams! The lovingly designed pages of »Der Hohenlohekreis wimmelt«, which means »The Hohenlohe District is Teeming« take readers young and old through the beautiful landscapes of the Hohenlohe district.

There is something going on everywhere.

Discover the festivals and get to know the delightful Old World customs in the towns and villages.

Experience the region with its beautiful castles and rivers, the Kocher and the Jagst. Every page is teeming with humorous characters. Many children, historical figures and adults explore the most beautiful sites of the wonderful Hohenlohe district. Join us on a delightful reading expedition through the Hohenlohe district — the insider tip for families, vacationers, campers, cyclists and adventurers — in Baden-Württemberg.

»Der Hohenlohelkreis wimmelt« is published by Silberburg-Verlag, Tübingen, Germany
ISBN 978-3-8425-2390-6

Twice the joy. Twice the happiness! My 2023 spring new editions are here-»Die Kurpfalz wimmel« and »Heidelberg wimmelt, 3rd edition« are fresh on the market. The corn mice, who made their debut in »Heidelberg wimmelt,« take you on a tour of the Kurpfalz (Electoral Palatinate) region. Of course, they make a stop in Heidelberg, where anyone, including you, can lose their heart. Wimmel Fun for the whole family!

Charity Auction of Search-and-Find Illustrations Reveals Well-Being for Children

In April, artist Kimberly Hoffman auctioned fine art prints of the search-and-find book «Ludwigsburg Wimmelt» as part of a charity auction to support quality of life outreach in Burkina Faso. The charity, Förderkreis Burkina Faso Ludwigsburg e. V. also supports youth in learning a trade as well as building clean wells for communities in the area. Poignantly, the charity auction itself was affected by global tragedies.

The charity V.P. Susanne Karstedt confirmed that it has been difficult to raise funds for the charity because of the global unrest and that she was deeply grateful for the €2,020. – donation from the «Ludwigsburg wimmelt» artist prints’ auction.

Designing a children’s book, especially a board picture book with little or no text, is a big task that comes with a lot of responsibility. You want to create a children’s book that children will want to read again and again. The presentation I gave at the Ludwigsburg Public Library on April 08, 2022, tells you how.

Here’s all you need to know about events in Ludwigsburg related to “Ludwigsburg wimmelt”, Ludwigsburg’s first published Wimmel book. There is an exhibition, a finissage with charity auction, an event for the little ones and various signing sessions with the artist.

Here’s all you need to know about events in Ludwigsburg related to “Ludwigsburg wimmelt”, Ludwigsburg’s first published Wimmel book. There is an exhibition, a finissage with charity auction, an event for the little ones and various signing sessions with the artist.

Voraussichtliche Lesedauer: 2 Minuten Autorin: Kimberley Hoffman ❄️Winter-Wimmel-Wonderland!  For St. Nicholas Day, Silberburg Publishing has generously sponsored an entire set of my Wimmel books! This is a grab bag to warm the heart of any book lover. The lucky winner will receive a package with the following Wimmel books: ⭐️Heidelberg wimmelt ⭐️Mannheim wimmelt ⭐️Heilbronn wimmelt…

“Ludwigsburg wimmelt” Exhibition and Benefit Auction The Artist is Present
It is with great pleasure that I announce my exhibition at the Kulturzentrum Ludwigsburg. It will run until November 27th, 2021. At the finissage on November 27th my illustrations from “Ludwigsburg wimmelt” will be auctioned for a good cause. The exhibition “Ludwigsburg wimmelt” runs until November 27th 2021 at the Kulturzentrum Ludwigsburg, Wilhelmstrasse 9/1, 71638 Ludwigsburg.
The finissage will take place from 11:00 a.m. with a charity auction afterwards, also at the Cultural Center (Kulturzentrum Ludwigsburg).

Do Wimmel pictures make your eyes cross? Anyone who opens a Wimmel book to read will quickly discover: A Wimmel book is a children’s book, but it’s very different.
The sheer number of little pictures can overwhelm some people. They don’t know what to read from the colorful double pages. But help is near: Become a Search-and-Find book reading pro with these 5 Wimmel book reading tips.

Everyone has a story to tell, but very few people get to tell it. This distinguishes my Wimmel books from many others.

If a child sees my Wimmel pictures and finds themselves in them, they might read another book. Maybe they will learn to love reading. When I draw the child or their family, the Wimmel book becomes something special, a Wimmel treasure that they pass on to their children.

It is really important to remind your friends that you are thinking of them. What better way than with a hand-made Valentine’s card? Follow my quick and easy steps and you’ll have your Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Card production up and going in minutes!

In this how-to you can try my template technique with gouache. All you need is some thin cardboard, 1-2 bristle brushes or a kitchen sponge, cut up, and some gouache or cheap acrylics, a sketchbook, a knife and an idea.

2020 was supposed to be a year of hope and vision. But even with 20/20 vision most couldn’t see this coming. But there were some good things this year, too. Join me to find them and why we have cause for hope in 2021.

Auf Wiedesehen, Kaia! She has been the most superb intern! Read about her experiences and give her a little love for her excellent work on Instagram in the comments.

Did you ever love drawing anything, ever, at all?
Don’t think, just answer. Why did you stop drawing? And if you’ve never sketched from life, what has stopped you from starting?
Get ready. This year is your year to embark on the Kreativtour.

My Top Three Kreativtours of 2019. As the days count down to the new 2020, I want to share a look back at those stars that shine most brightly. Two aspects of my Kreativtour concern my illustration business directly

My Top Three Highlights of my Kreativtour Nr. 1. Note: This is a very personal story. So if you are looking for my business stories, please jump back to the blog overview or to my other two highlights of 2019

Affiliate Links are marked with a *hoffmanillustrates! blog is reader-supported. When you buy through links on my site, I may earn an affiliate commission. This doesn’t effect the price you pay. Where possible I have also tried to provide non-affiliate links to the manufacturers and/or their products as well.  Affiliate Links are marked with a…

Book HeavenFrankfurt Book Fair 2019What Happens?Frankfurt IllustratesMeeting up with ColleaguesNorway and Cute NopesBut What About the Books???Books for the Grown-UpsBack to Earth*Affiliate + Advertising LinksBook Heaven I was in Book Heaven Sigh, it was heaven. Anyone who gets excited when they smell the paper and the ink of a new book will understand. Entering those…

I am working on a Kamishibai Theater project with Christian Eldagsen, creator of the logotherapeutic game Polimilao. Our Kamishibai projekt is focused on conflict management for children in Kindergarten and Elementary School. Kamishi-whaaaa? The word „kamishibai“ is a compound word; „kami“ means „paper“ and „shibai“ means „theater“ in Japanese, in short, it is  „paper theater“. …

Oh, Where does the Time go Time Management in the Hyper-Time Era Where does the time go when its gone? To a deep dark cave? Does it cease to exist? Or, more likely, do the lost minutes accumulate to something meaningful? I do hope so.  But how do you  know if your time is spent…

Are you the fifth Wheel? Have you ever felt like the fifth wheel? Out of place, out of sync with the world or just plain different from everyone else?  But being the fifth wheel has its advantages. You can stand out and celebrate your originality. You are free to do as you choose. You can…

Does this sound familiar? „I can’t even draw a straight line“ „I cannot draw“ „I loved to draw when I was young, but my parents wanted me to look for a real job“ Could these statements come from you? They are sad declarations, aren’t they? They are expressions of things I hear time and time…

What is your background - what did you do before you developed Tap Forms? Tell me a little about yourself.  My name is Brendan Duddridge, I’m 52 years old and I’m a self-confessed Appleholic 🙂 I’ve always loved Apple’s products, right from my very first Apple ][+ computer that my father bought for me in…

What is Tap Forms 5 good for? Just about everything! Tap Forms is a databank program for Apple Systems which helps you organise your life and business. You can organise your family photos, keep track of your genealogy, figure out what spices you have in your cabinet and make labels for them, track your favourite…

Things are looking different around here—you might have noticed if you’ve visited my website before. Thanks for coming back. If you are new here, welcome! I am happy to meet you. It has been a busy month, and things are looking bright and colorful. There is much going on, so I’ll take you on a…

An Easter Greeting to all my Readers with a Sweet (and Free) Easter Greeting Pop-up Card Activity Sheet Easter is around the Corner and maybe you want to send an Easter Greeting to someone special? I can help you with that. I illustrated a very cute Easter greeting pop-up card. On the back of the…

In my Blog, I want to report on books, apps, or hardware that are really interesting and helpful, that I have read or used myself. I do that with honesty and sincerity. I actually bought Free your Head for the Creative Flow before I even thought of blogging about it. One thing I would like…

Free your Head for the Creative Flow (German original title: Kopf frei für den kreativen Flow) is already the 2nd book written by Brunswick’s creative Artist, Roberta Bergmann, and was published in 2018 by Haupt Verlag. Roberta Bergmann is a very talented and successful artist, illustrator and book designer. She is also a lecturer in…

Did you think you could only hear the crickets chirping here in my Blog “More Color!”? That it wasn’t worth the visit? That nothing ever happens here? In fact, there was quite a lot going on. But unfortunately you couldn’t know that because I barely found any quiet time to to blog. For this I…

This chivalrous, brave boy and his darling cat are joining the Wimmel-fun! A. is the son of a friend of my sister, all three live in the USA. According to his mother, he likes dinos, traits and the color purple. The lovely cat S. loves a long nap in the sun. She sounds like she's…

Eine Familie wimmelt mit! Timo Timo has a charming, irresistible smile, doesn't he? He is sporty as well as an avid climber. In Wimmelt mit!! The Online Wimmelpicture Project, he will be appearing as a knight in shining armor in the children's knights' tournament. Monika I know Monika personally, she is a wonderful woman whose…