Zara

My granddaugther, Zara, was staying over for the weekend. She is5 years old, and a real joy to have around. Always laughing, always merry. She was very focussed watching "Frozen" or something similar on het tablet. A chance to try and draw her. Just a piece of paper and a bic which was lying around.
 

Retired now (2)

 

As a suprise my department organized a Masterclass Urban sketching. My direct collegues assembled for a visit to a local church in Ulestraten (it was too cold to draw outside), where they asked me to give an unexpected Master Class. THe resulats of my about 15 collegeus was far better than I expected. I manage to squeeze maybe 3 minutes in between to make this quick sketch of the altar.

I am now retired

 

As of today I am officially retired as an architect. Even though I will still work a few days to finish an important job, the end of my professional life is at hand. 

I had a unforgettable retirement drink last wednesday, and my collegues gave me a few nice surprises. They assembled some 60 artist impressions that I made over the years, and sketches I made on my own building sites. Then changed them into postcards, and had my present and former collegues write a farewell notes on the back. Absolutely stunning. Some lasting memory!!

Portrait in acrylic and charcoal

 

Life portrait session on saturday morning. Drawing with charcoal, and then watery acrylic over it. The charoal dissolves in the acrylic paint, which gives it a nice tonal quality.

Someone in Roermond

 

We visited Roermond, sat on a terrace, I saw a man staring toeards the horizon, made a quick picture and drew him at home. Pentel unktbrushes, both watertight and washed out.

Hillensberg (Dtsl)

 

It was very cold today, with a strong chilling wind, but I needed to get out and make a drawing somewhere. Sometimes I cross the border to do some shopping (som articles are cheaper, better or local specialties) and fill my tank with cheaper gasoline. By doing so, I usually cross a small village on a steep hill called Hillensberg (Germany). It had a small 13 or 14th century church I had never noticed before. A nice opportunity to make this sketch.

Spoorwegmuseum

 

A locomobile, as on display in teh railway museum, that we visited a week ago. It was a quick one, I had only half an hour left before we had the final closing meeting.

Spoorwegmuseum

 

Urban Sketchers Netherlands (of which I am boardmember) organized an event in Utrecht, at the Spoorwegmuseum (railway museum). There were numerous trains to paint and draw. And we had 350 sketchers joining us, a great event. I made three drawings. One of them was a total failure, which I destroyed immediately. The other two were fine. This is the front part of a huge Scottish steam train, exhibited because it played a role in the liberation of the Netherlands, 80 years ago. black ink on toned paper, with white gouache.

Portrait watercolour pencil

 

Water colour pencil. After a picture on the internet. She was looking down, I didn't catch that enough.

Evening clouds

 

Evening clouds. In gouache. Just painting away.

Longing for Greece

 

The weather is horrible lately. Frost, mist, rain, cold. I am longing for better weather. I made this drawing based on a picture I took during our summer 2017 holiday, in Georgiopolis, Crete. I wish I was there instead of here.

New Jersey

 

Started on an oilpainting. Based on a sketch, that was based on a picture I took from the taxi when we were returning to the airport coming from NYC. Still needs a lot of work. I noticed I was totally out of habit painting with oils.....

Klaus Kinski

Portrait of Klaus Kinski, an actor. At least, I tried to draw him.
 

New Jersey

 

Based on a picture I took from a cab driving us from Manhattan to the New Jersey airport in 2019. A study in tonal quality. Ink ad watercolour.

Coupe de Ville

 

For my birthday I recieved a handmade fully glass inkpen. I finally got around trying it out. I made this drawing with it. It is a totally different feeling to draw with it, a bit funny; it took some time to get used to the way the ink flows. And I don't think I used the correct type of ink (Acrylic ink).

The subject was an image in a dream I had some months ago, at september 11th. About a burning billboard with an abandoned Coupe de Ville, somewhere in a desolate landscape. No idea what it means.

Nosferatu

 

Portrait, based on a picture of de upcoming Nosferatu movie. Willem Dafoe. Ink and watercolour.

Shipyard

 

Just a quick scribble sketch, nothing serious or realistic. Based on a picture of the Staten Island ship graveyard.

Den Bosch St Jan

 

Also painted on location, acrylic gouache on toned papeer, the cathedral of 's Hertogenbosch.

Nocturnal Den Bosch part 2

 

Nightpainting:  a view of a shopwindow across the street of the previous image. Also a new experience: During painting I chatted with a tourist, and he threw 5 euro's in my hat as tip. As if I was a streetartist. Well, maybe I am.

Nocturnal Den Bosch

 For the first time since the start (2017) of Urban sketching Netherlands Foundation (of which I have been board member and secretary from day one) we had a board dinner together.

In 's Hertogenbosch. And of course, we went drawing out in the city together, even though it was just above freezing point. The challenge was to paint/draw a nocturnal scene on coloured paper. I took my newly made wooden paintbox with acrylic gouche paint with me. A great challenge!