Wilma van den Bosch
Profile Wilma van den Bosch
Wilma van den Bosch spent the first years of her childhood in Stevensville, a small village in Canada. At the age of ten, she moved back to the Netherlands with her family.
After secondary school, Wilma attended a teacher training program in art and crafts for two years. However, she soon discovered that her true passion was not teaching, but creating illustrations and comic stories herself.
Her interest in comics was partly inspired by the work of Charles M. Schulz and Dr. Seuss, whose humorous stories and recognizable drawing styles inspired her. An interview with Morris, the creator of Lucky Luke, ultimately convinced her to seriously pursue an artistic career and start drawing comics herself.
Childhood and Education
Wilma spent the early years of her childhood in Stevensville, a small village in Canada. When she was ten, she moved back to the Netherlands with her family.
After high school, she studied two years to become a teacher in drawing and crafts. However, the teaching profession was not what she was looking for. Inspired by the works of Charles Schultz and Dr. Seuss, Wilma developed an interest in comics. An interview with Morris in the Volkskrant encouraged Wilma to pursue an artistic career and start drawing comics.
Career
Wilma began her career as a comic artist at the magazine Donald Duck, where she also started writing Disney comics in 1984. From 1985 to 2017, she contributed as an illustrator to the Vrolijk Weekblad and also worked for magazines such as Disneyland, Katrien, Donald Duck Junior, Tina and Bobo.
In 1999, her first comic strip of Princess Aster, “Het licht van Eureka," was published as a serialized story in the Donald Duck. The album version of this strip won her the Stripschap's award for Best Dutch Youth Album. In 2001, her second Aster story, "De Voorspellingen van Madam Zora," was presented in Donald Duck. By 2024, she had won the Stripschapprijs for her complete body of work.
Studio Jan van Haasteren
In 2022, Wilma van den Bosch joined Studio Jan van Haasteren as its fifth illustrator. Within the studio, she began creating the Junior puzzles, a special puzzle line aimed at younger puzzlers. In this series, familiar characters from the world of Jan van Haasteren are presented in a playful and child friendly way.
The first Junior puzzle Wilma illustrated was The Snowman. Several other titles in the Junior series followed, including The School Garden, Droomvlucht, and Waterslide Madness. With her colorful drawing style, humor, and experience in children’s illustration, Wilma quickly brought her own atmosphere to the puzzles.
In 2023, her first 500 piece puzzle, A Wooly Christmas, was also released. This marked Wilma’s first step toward creating larger puzzles within the world of Jan van Haasteren. Her illustrations are known for cheerful scenes, expressive characters, and playful details that fit with the studio’s recognizable humor.
Signature
Besides the familiar family characters and recurring elements from the world of Jan van Haasteren, Wilma van den Bosch also adds her own recognizable details to the puzzles. In her Junior puzzles, a black hand can always be found accompanied by the text: “the black hand was here.” This playful reference has become a recognizable signature element within her illustrations.
Wilma’s puzzles are known for their cheerful and colorful appearance. Her characters often have expressive faces and a healthy rosy glow on their cheeks, something that has become characteristic of her drawing style. These details give her puzzles a warm, playful, and recognizable atmosphere that fits perfectly with the Junior series.
