BudoGirl

Graphic designs that show that budo is for everyone.

10/01/2026

"becoming iaidoka" - free coloring page. 🎨👩‍🎨

03/01/2026

"Sjoelen" - free coloring page. 🎨👩‍🎨

This coloring page shows a moment of "sjoelen", a very old Dutch shuffleboard game. You slide wooden discs down a long wooden board and try to land them neatly in the scoring boxes at the end. Simple rules, endless concentration, and a surprising amount of laughter! ;-)

I was born in Twente, in the east of the Netherlands, and there it’s a real New Year tradition. On New Year’s Day, or in the quiet days just after, families gather to cook together, eat together, and play sjoelen around the table. No rush. Just being together. That gentle in-between time when the year is still fresh... ✨

This illustration is a colouring page inspired by that cosy tradition.
If you colour it in, please do send me a photo — I honestly love seeing them. It genuinely makes my day. That’s why I do this 🌱

If you enjoy cozy colouring, feel free to follow this page. You might also like my book “Cozy Coloring with Budogirl”, filled with gentle scenes of Budogirl and her friends - all waiting for your colours and your mood: https://amzn.eu/d/e3LVXwe . 😊

BTW: there’s also a quiet science behind this calm feeling: colouring helps the brain shift out of stress mode. Repetitive, low-pressure movements soothe the nervous system, reduce mental noise, and gently anchor attention in the present moment. No performance, no productivity — just rhythm, colour, and breath. 🧠

Warm, simple joy can be very powerful. 🥰

28/12/2025

"Sisters" - free coloring page. 🎨👩‍🎨

24/12/2025

✨Cozy Coloring with BudoGirl is live ✨

This 62-page colouring book invites you to slow down and colour at your own pace.
A gentle world where Japanese martial arts meet softness, imagination, and care.
Budo here is not about aggression or competition, but about balance, courage, kindness, and self-expression 🌱

You’ll meet BudoGirl and her friends — human and non-human — among trees, stars, fruits, mountains, rainbows, and quiet moments of strength.
You can even design your own kimono and colour your own origami papers 🎐

Created with inclusivity at its heart, this book shows that martial arts are for everyone.
Strength can be soft. Empowerment can be cozy.
Creativity can be a form of care.

Take your pencils, find a quiet corner, and colour alongside BudoGirl 💛
Where budo is kind, creativity is political, and everyone belongs.

Order your copy today: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GC3H7MFQ .

22/11/2025

Handling out colouring pages at Heroes Dutch Comic Con

09/11/2025

Inspired by Sakura Kai - Kendo en Naginata Utrecht!

10/07/2025

🥋🐼✨ What a wonderful afternoon it was, yesterday, with the amazing Aikikids of Yatagarasu Aikido Utrecht!

We practised Aikido together, shared laughter, and after training we gathered around to draw, colour and enjoy some well-deserved pancakes. 🍓🥞

For this occasion, I designed colouring pages especially for these little warriors. The joy on their faces while colouring their own Aikipandas and Yatagarasus was absolutely priceless! 💖

Would you also like a custom-made colouring page for your own Budo event or dojo? Don’t hesitate to get in touch! 😊

I’m also working on a full BudoGirl & Friends colouring book, which will be out very soon – stay tuned! 🎨🐉

Let’s keep inspiring the next generation of Budoka with creativity, kindness and play.

26/03/2025

Working on some new illustrations for Zanshin, the magazine of the NKR - Nederlandse Kendo Renmei.

03/03/2025

🥋 Believe That You 'Ken Do' It! 🥋

As much as I love Kendo, my Achilles tendons had other plans… Two torn and inflamed tendons mean I can no longer train Kendo regularly. But does that stop me? Of course not! 💪 I still take part in workshops and demonstrations—like at the Heroes Dutch Comic Con—and I can still train Kendo no Kata!

Yesterday was the Dutch National Championship for Kendo no Kata, and my kobudo sensei and I decided to give it a try. Honestly? We thought we had no chance! These kata were finalised in 1933, which makes them way too modern for us—we’re used to working with forms from the 16th century. Yet somehow… we won 2nd place! 🏆✨

It was an incredible experience, and I’m still buzzing from such a fantastic day! Moments like these remind me that sometimes, the things we think are out of reach are exactly what we end up achieving.

So tell me—what’s something in budo that you thought you’d never accomplish, but you did anyway? I’d love to hear your stories! 👇

23/02/2025

🔥 Throwback to the very beginning of BudoGirl! 🔥

When I first started drawing manga, chibi, and anime-style characters digitally, I had no idea it would grow into something bigger. But this is where it all began—the very first sketches, the first experiments with lines and style. Now, years later, BudoGirl has become so much more than just a drawing. She represents strength, perseverance, and the blend of art and budo. 🥋🎨✨

What started as small sketches has taken me on an incredible journey—I’ve had the honour of designing artwork for dojos around the world, for Japan Fans and the Japans Cultureel Centrum Utrecht, and I regularly write and illustrate for publications such as Zanshin and Kendo Jidai. I’ve even been featured on the website of scholar Kate Sylvester, whose work I deeply admire. And this year, I’m taking on an exciting new challenge: creating graphic designs for the European Championship Kendo! 🏆✨

Everyone starts somewhere. Every big project, every dream, every adventure begins with that very first small step. So if you're doubting yourself today, remember—you don’t have to be perfect to start. You just have to start. 💖

Do you have a creative hobby that started small but has grown into something meaningful in your life? Share it below! 👇

30/12/2024

🎉 Happy New Year from BudoGirl! 🎉

Mindful colouring on New Year’s Eve? 🎨 Take a moment to relax with this colouring page featuring a kendoka, iaidoka, and jodoka celebrating New Year's together! 🥳

Exclusively created for Zanshin, the official magazine of the NKR (Dutch Kendo Renmei), representing kendo, iaido, and jodo in the Netherlands. ⚔️

Here’s to a healthy, happy, meaningful, and sporty budo year in 2025! 🥋✨ Let’s make this year one filled with growth, connection, and the true spirit of budo. 💪

#2025

Adres

Zambesidreef 68
Utrecht
3564CD

Website

http://www.budogirl.nl/

Meldingen

Wees de eerste die het weet en laat ons u een e-mail sturen wanneer BudoGirl nieuws en promoties plaatst. Uw e-mailadres wordt niet voor andere doeleinden gebruikt en u kunt zich op elk gewenst moment afmelden.