E99: Turning Illustrations into Products: Claire Van Kuijck’s Creative Journey

In this guest episode, Delores Naskrent sits down with Madrid‑based illustrator Claire Van Kuijck, best known online as Claire Makes Things. 

Claire is a multi‑passionate creator who has transformed her whimsical art style into a thriving digital business. 

Together they explore the winding path from doodling in sketchbooks to launching illustrated products, navigating the challenges of Etsy and print‑on‑demand, and staying true to your voice while marketing your work. 

You’ll hear real talk about balancing family and art, overcoming self‑doubt, and building a product catalogue that feels authentic.

Key Takeaways

•  The importance of developing a recognizable art style before expanding into products 
•  Strategies for turning illustrations into digital or physical goods without feeling overwhelmed 
•  Claire’s favorite tools for creating and selling prints and clip art (Procreate, Canva, Etsy, Gumroad) 
•  How Claire maintains creative momentum alongside motherhood and a growing business 
•  Tips for establishing boundaries around commissions so they support, rather than stifle, creativity 

Love this conversation? Tap “Play” to listen to the full episode and support Creative Juggle Joy. If you enjoy what you hear, consider leaving a review or sharing the episode with fellow artists—it helps more handmade sellers and digital creators discover our show!

Resources or Businesses Mentioned in This Episode

·       Claire’s website – Claire’s official home for illustration, classes and freebies (https://clairemakesthings.es)

·       Claire’s Instagram – Peek behind the scenes at @claire.makesthings (https://www.instagram.com/claire.makesthings/)

·       Procreate – drawing app Claire uses on her iPad

·       Canva – layout and product design tool

·       Etsy – marketplace for selling handmade and digital goods

·       Gumroad – platform for selling digital downloads

·       Print‑on‑demand services – such as Printful or Gelato (for turning art into physical products)

Transcript

Delores Naskrent: [00:00:00] Hey there, friends. Welcome back to the Creative Juggle Joy, the podcast where we talk about the beautiful chaos of building a creative life and business that actually feels like you. I'm your host, Delores Naskrent, and today I'm chatting with illustrator, educator, and fellow brush maker, Claire Van Kauk.

And we practiced this before, and you know what? She told me that I pronounced it perfectly. Yep. So Claire also, operates as Claire Makes Things, and I'm sure you've seen her stuff around. Claire is based in Madrid, Spain, and she's built a creative business around illustration, Procreate, teaching, and digital project products, and helping artists find confidence in their own style and process.

And honestly, I feel like we could probably talk for hours just about brushes alone. Claire, I'm so happy- ... you're here. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Hi, [00:01:00] Delores. Thank you so much for having me. Very excited to be here, and, well done on my last name. It was perfect. 

Delores Naskrent: Oh, thanks. Before we dive into all the Procreate and brush kind of nerdiness, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into illustration?

Claire Van Kuijck: Yeah I've actually been drawing pretty much all my life. I've always loved illustration as a kid, doing, sketch competitions, like drawing competitions, and chalk on pavement was- ... like my favorite thing to do. and then I actually went to study fashion, which is focused on illustration, and then I went over to graphic design and illustration.

So it's been part of me, at every step on the way, basically. And, then over the years I've been doing lots of projects for clients, like working for restaurants, bakeries, doing lots of branding that includes illustration. mural projects a lot, recipes, that kind of stuff. 

Delores Naskrent: Wow. 

Claire Van Kuijck: And now I work from my little studio in Madrid, in Spain.

 [00:02:00] still doing lots of illustration, lots of creative projects. I teach, everything I know online and in person in Spain as well, like I host retreats and workshops. And, brushes. Did I forget anything? I'm always 

Delores Naskrent: busy with stuff, but yeah- Digital products ... illustration. I know you do lots of digital products.

Yeah. I loved hearing this because I think so many artists think that there's supposed to be one straight path to success. But most- ... creative careers that I've heard of and talked to so many people about are layered. They're just layered. One thing leads to another. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Yeah. 

Delores Naskrent: And that's something I talk about all the time with my students.

Every skill that we add, every experience we have, every small income stream we build, it all becomes part of the puzzle. It's just another way. It's a long game, right? When you think about it. One of the reasons I was excited to have you as part of the Profitable Artist Summit is because artists sometimes assume there's just one way [00:03:00] to make money and live creatively.

But most of us build our businesses through layers, right? Teaching, and products, and licensing, maybe commissions, digital downloads, classes. All of those pieces working together over time. That's how I've done it, and that feels a lot more real to me One of the things I really wanted to talk to you about because I notice you do this as much as I do, is making brushes.

So I wanna talk about that because you and I have both spent years making brushes. So I think right now I've created around 175, brush sets and digital asset packs, if you can believe it, way back to Illustrator. I was doing them for Illustrator when I first started.

Wow. And they've become one of those quiet little background income streams in my business. Last two weeks have been kinda crazy. I don't think there was a day that went by that I didn't sell two or three brush sets. It's not flashy, it's not overnight success, [00:04:00] but it's been steady. How did brushes become part of your world, Clare?

Claire Van Kuijck: yeah, first of all, congratulations on all the brush sets. It's incredible. I'm so impressed. 

Delores Naskrent: Thanks. 

Claire Van Kuijck: I've not been doing brushes for that long, actually. I started during the pandemic learning Procreate, like buying an iPad and actually trying it out, digital illustration in general. And at first I, I thought it really wasn't for me.

 but then, Procreate is incredible. It showed me that not just to make art, like how easy it is, but also to share stuff. Yeah. You have the time-lapse stuff and the brushes, and I loved it. So I bought a bunch of different brush sets, from other people, other illustrators, and tried them out, and it introduced me to the world that is brushes in Procreate, which is amazing.

And then, what I did is, When was that? Couple of years ago, made my first, brush set, and it didn't really take off, but then [00:05:00] a couple of years later I really went for it and decided that every brush set should be its own little topic and theme. And now it's one of my favorite things to do. It's just so fun to put it together for other people.

Delores Naskrent: It totally is. I love making brushes, and that's exactly how it happened for me, 'cause I was buying these sets and, started to get interested in how they really worked, breaking down the actual, like what makes this mix with this one, or why does this one seem so oily, and why does this one seem so dry?

And I really- ... started looking at how they were being made. And I really got into that whole mix of tools and styles and the problem-solving. They're also one of the first digital products that many artists realize that they can actually sell. So amongst my first classes that I was selling was how to make brush sets and sell them.

Claire Van Kuijck: And absolutely, it's such an amazing skill, and I think a lot of people don't realize that what they're already doing is probably something that's useful to other artists. That's also specifically the topic I talk about in the Profitable Arts Summit, [00:06:00] that, your product isn't necessarily you have to make from scratch.

It's probably something that you're already using. For me, the first brushes that I made were for a very specific necessity. I was doing a lot of, illustrations for chalkboards for restaurants. And to do those mock-ups, to do those digital pieces, I needed brushes that replicate that chalk- ... like texture.

And Procreate didn't have those, or not enough options, so I made those and then realized my other people might be able to use those too. you probably already have something that's useful for other artists.

That's what I'm trying to say. 

Delores Naskrent: Yes, absolutely. And I think it's an important shift, understanding that your art business doesn't have to rely on one thing. And here you are, you're making, your living as an artist, but then you realize, okay this solves a problem. This is something that I can help people with.

I know for years I focused really heavily on teaching in classes, and licensing of [00:07:00] course, but brushes and templates and textures and digital kits quietly became another layer supporting my business. 'Cause at first, I was just creating the brushes to add to my classes so that people could replicate what I was trying to show.

And so it didn't really happen overnight. I've literally had somebody say to me, "You give too much away. You should be trying to sell these." Literally- ... that was when the light bulb went off for me. So like I said, nothing happened overnight. And honestly, I think it's important for artists to hear, because social media and, things that...

You look at somebody who's successful, and it makes it look like they're just super successful, period. But it, they don't really, I don't know, look at the fact that it took you years to get to that point. So anybody listening out there, just know this it took me years for somebody to finally say to me, "You should be selling these," for me to think, [00:08:00] "Oh, okay, I should sell these."

Claire Van Kuijck: what you mentioned about social media, and I think it shows that a lot of artists are maybe just doing one specific thing and making a lot of money just doing one thing. And like you said, steady income is, layered. It's part of a lot of different pieces.

It's usually not just one thing that is just, that you're going for. It's, it takes years to build that, and, digital products can definitely be a part of that. But I think it all fits into an ecosystem that you have as an artist, and I think you, have that so well. I love seeing your brushes, and then seeing them in action in your art, and it all makes sense in your universe, oh, thanks. And I think other people will see that too. 

Delores Naskrent: I appreciate that, Claire, 'cause, I, if you had asked me five years ago to describe what my business was going to be like, I would never even have dreamed of all the different things that have come together to become the business. And, like- the basis of it all for you and for [00:09:00] me was that we're illustrators. We just like to draw, right? One thing I love about what you do is your work just feels so positive and joyful. Just I love looking at your work. You have- a lot of humor in your work, and you have a really nice loose illustration style.

And I like how everything talks about the appreciation, of ordinary moments. Just ordinary moments in time. And I wanna know, I always ask this because it's so hard to put it into words, so I'm gonna ask you, where does that come from?

Claire Van Kuijck: Thank you, first of all. it's always nice to hear that. I think I'm just quite inspired by, lots of things I see around me. I also love a lot of retro designs, things that I grew up with, stuff from the 1950s and '60s which then had a revival in the '90s and the 2000s. Lots of simple shapes and just bold, graphics, [00:10:00] bold colors.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Claire Van Kuijck: so I love all of that, and I think other people really enjoy that, too, and like to escape into that world. And I think something I've been also really into, or something that I really love that inspires me is where I live, Spain. I love Mediterranean colors and, the food here especially.

God, I love the food, so I'm gonna illustrate the food. And I think just the simplicity of, motifs can be just really inspiring as well, so that's what I... yeah, what I love focusing on. so that's why I decided also a last, brush pack that I made, Mediterranean, the Mediterranean toolkit is all about those brushes and just the, the Mediterranean textures and vibe and I, 'cause I just love it so much.

I enjoyed making that. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah, it's great. It's gorgeous, and it really makes me feel like I'm there, on the- ... beach at the Costa del Sol, all of that. The colors are... I remember all the buildings painted in such [00:11:00] pretty colors, and you really capture that palette. And I love how you also incorporate that feeling of retro because it's exactly- the feeling that I get when I look at your work. And, having been born in the 1960s, ... I feel like I, I love just going back to that time. Like, when I see some of that artwork- ... it reminds me of curtains that my aunt had in her house or something that my mom would have had on one of her dresses.

I, I notice that stuff. Yeah. It really, I think when we see this retro stuff, it helps us notice things again and helps us notice simple things. And you know what I really love are your puns. Your puns help so much. I love 'em. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Thank you. yeah, that was also just a way to, it started as a way to practice lettering really.

And again, as I said, I did a lot of illustration for, restaurants, and they love a little pun on the menu, so I was always coming up with different puns for food, and that's where I [00:12:00] grew. So yeah. I love it. I'm glad other people like it too. 

Delores Naskrent: I love it. I, my husband is into the bad dad jokes.

So he's always- Oh .. Trying to find these funny little things to say to the grandchildren so that they'll just go, "Ah, Papa." But why don't you give us one while I have you on the air. Can you share one? 

Claire Van Kuijck: Yes, absolutely. I have two good ones. Okay, I'll start with the first one. What do you call a fake noodle?

Delores Naskrent: ooh, I don't know. 

Claire Van Kuijck: An impasta. 

Delores Naskrent: That's perfect. 

Claire Van Kuijck: And so it's a good food one. and I lately, a while back I made a class on Skillshare about pickles, because I love pickles and we do little pickle jars. So I had a whole campaign of, pickle puns. So here's the next one. What do you get when you cross a pickle with an alligator?

Delores Naskrent: Oh my gosh, this would be perfect. Oh, I'm gonna have to memorize this to tell my grandson. I do not know what you get. 

Claire Van Kuijck: A crocodill. 

Delores Naskrent: [00:13:00] Oh my gosh. They're gonna love it. It's terrible.

Good ... a dill joke. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Yep. I know. Yeah. 

Delores Naskrent: So you just mentioned that you teach on Skillshare, and I know teaching has become a huge part of your business.

Was that something you planned into your life, or did it just happen? 

Claire Van Kuijck: it really just happened. what you mentioned about you couldn't imagine what your business looks like now five years ago. I had the same thing. I really was not thinking about teaching, to be honest. and then Skillshare was looking for teachers, and that's how I got started.

 and now I love it. Absolutely love it. And I also do in-person workshops in Madrid and, drawing retreats in Spain. that's more of a combination of just showing, teaching drawing to other people, teaching creativity or sharing creativity- Yeah ... but also just hosting, like giving people a nice experience.

 and I just love that. And I think teaching online is actually the same because it's, about getting people swept up into that project and that, [00:14:00] atmosphere as well, which is really fun. So yeah, I absolutely love it. 

Delores Naskrent: That is huge. I love that way that you described it because I think a lot of artists stay stuck because they believe they need to know everything before they start.

But I think being a part of an experience like that and what we do as teachers and what we try, how we try to set up our classes and live events that we do, I think helps people to just get past that, that fear and that, whatever's holding them back or making them feel overwhelmed. But- ... here we started, we did it, we forced ourselves to do it.

And I can tell you just from experience, I'm sure you're gonna share this with me, is that you learn while you're doing the thing, right? So the thing that you think that you aren't able to do, that's how you learn, is just by doing it. And honestly, that's part of why I created [00:15:00] my school. I'm sure that's why you teach on Skillshare.

That's why I teach on Skillshare. That's why- ... I keep building classes around Procreate, and I personally do a lot of teaching in Affinity Designer too. I want artists to realize that They're able to learn this. It's totally learnable. You don't have

to become or be that mythical perfect artist before you start. You can just start. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Agreed. Absolutely. Yeah. And I also think, it's consistency, not perfection, perfectionism, right? I remember making my first Skillshare class and it was a disaster, and I thought, "I'm never doing this again." Such a horrific experience.

But then when you try it a second time, it gets a little bit easier. And then you try it a third time, it gets a bit easier. And you also start to gain confidence when you do it more often. and I definitely think as artists, we're already creative. That's inherent in us. So you find creative ways to express yourself, Share your [00:16:00] art, have different income streams.

 and when you have a bit of a creative block, everyone gets it, you find the ways to get out of it. Try something else. Try a whole different style and come up with something, and we get ourselves out of it, 

Delores Naskrent: agreed. Conversations like this are exactly why we invited you to be a part of the Profitable Artist Summit, because I think I wanted all of these artists that we have in our, circles to hear from people like you who are out there working.

You're a working creative person, and you're building your business, and so are so many others, in practical and sustainable ways, not just chasing the trends or the overnight success stories. Gosh knows- ... we've tried a million different things as, look at, I'm old now. I'm 66. I started working as an artist right out of high school when I was 18, and I have- Wow

done every different thing that you could [00:17:00] imagine to make money with my art. Literally everything. You name it, I've done it. I've done everything from the same kind of stuff that you describe, menus and all that kind of stuff. I remember doing hundreds and hundreds of seed packets, like packets of seeds for a company.

Wow. I've done crazy things like face painting, and I've done, products that I've put into local stores just on consignment. My daughter and I did craft sales, like in-person sales for many years. It's just, all of these different things, I think, are what led me to this. So when you're 66, Claire, I'm gonna be calling you up.

I'll be 100, but I'll be calling you up to find out- ... what are you doing now? What did you learn in those 40 years? I would love listeners to take away from this conversation that there are many ways for artists to earn an income. So none of these things necessarily create a business overnight. You know this, and I know [00:18:00] this.

But together, they do start building the stability, and I think both of us have built businesses that way, layering things over time. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Yeah, absolutely. Agreed. 

Delores Naskrent: What I wanted to ask you, though, what are you personally excited about right now? 

Claire Van Kuijck: I'm working on, lots of different things, but, I'm working on a bunch of different Procreate classes that are coming out, and I would love to do more live sessions and make a lot more toolkits, a lot more brushes.

And, I'm also still here in Spain. I'm doing, in-person workshops and retreats that I wanna do a lot more of in the future. So lots of different things. 

Delores Naskrent: Sounds exciting. I can't wait. If you have a retreat in Spain, I would love to be there. You may end up with a bunch of us showing up. Yeah. Make sure you let- That'd 

Claire Van Kuijck: be fun.

Delores Naskrent: Make sure you let me know. Yeah. my husband and I have talked about going, to Europe in the near future. So if we can work that out that we can be [00:19:00] doing that at the same time, I'll be the first person in line. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Amazing. I'm looking forward to it. 

Delores Naskrent: Oh, that's great. Before we wrap up, where can people find you specifically, and where can they learn more about your work?

I know you're on Skillshare, but give us all of the different places we can find you. 

Claire Van Kuijck: yeah, so as I mentioned, yeah, you mentioned Skillshare. on my website, clairemakesthings.s. And Instagram, I'm always updating, my little things there as well, so claire.makesthings. And, I have a regular newsletter with lots of Procreate tips and brushes and, different creative resources.

Delores Naskrent: How does someone get on your mailing list? 

Claire Van Kuijck: you can subscribe on, my website, clairemakesthings.s. 

Delores Naskrent: I will make sure that I put all the links underneath this. And, you know what, Claire? Thanks so much for this conversation. I love talking with artists who are building businesses like yours in a really thoughtful and sustainable way, and who are helping other [00:20:00] artists along the way.

That's just really a nice thing to hear. I love that you are doing that. Some people are very, closed about what they do, and some people are really open, and I think you're one of those people that is so open about it. And I hope that this episode reminds people that every small step matters. Every little brush set, every class, every illustration project, every experiment, it all becomes part of the bigger picture over time.

Thanks for joining me today, people on The Creative Joggle Joy. Keep creating, keep juggling, and most importantly, keep finding joy in the process. Thank you, Claire. 

Claire Van Kuijck: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. 

Delores Naskrent: You're most welcome.