Sketches

Saturday 29 May 2010

Istanbul fish market

Last weekend in Istanbul: impressions of the Fishmarket in Beshiktas. The woman was peeling some unknown vegetable. Vismarkt in Beshiktas, Istanbul. Ik kon er niet achter komen welke groente het vrouwtje verkocht, ze pelde ze ter plekke.

Thursday 27 May 2010

Istanbul, Hagia Sophia

Interior of the Hagia Sophia. You can feel the weight of the centuries in this building. It dates back to 550...  Je voelt het gewicht van de 15 eeuwen geschiedenis in dit fantastische gebouw.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Istanbul


Last thursday I went to Istanbul with the BNA-zuid (Dutch association of architects). We visited a lot of buildings, old and new. The first day, Thursday, we visited the old town. Here are sketches of the Grand Bazar and the view over the Golden Horn next to the Galata bridge. Drawn on location with fountainpen filled with Lexington grey waterproof ink.
BNA-zuid op excursie naar Istanbul. We bezochten een groot aantal gebouwen. Dag 1 stond in het teken van de oude binnenstad. Schetsen van de Grote Bazaar, en het uitzicht over de Gouden Hoorn (vanaf de Galata brug). Ter plaatse getekend met mijn nieuwe vulpeninkt.

Tuesday 25 May 2010

C'est Cool!

The hotel in Tarbes shows a Tell-sell television show at each breakfast. Imagine Mr T (yes, the one from the A-team) looking to some mini oven and exclaiming: "regarde maman, je cuisine!" (look mom, I can cook). Oh hero of my youth, how low can you sink. Elk ontbijt in Tarbes laat een Tell-Sell achtige TV-show zien. Mr. T die naar een mini-oven kijkt en uitroept: "C'est Cool". Hoe diep kan je zinken.

Monday 24 May 2010

Life is good

Busy week, been to France and Turkey, passed through Belgium and Germany as well. For the record: my meals.

Sunday. Still at home: steak, salad and fries, with a nice Merlot wine.
Monday. Dinner in the airport in Belgium: tagliatelle with pesto sauce and scampi's, with a nice cool Chardonnay.
On the plane: smoked salmon on couscous.
Tuesday. Lunch in France: blackpudding (sausage) and chevre (goatcheese) with bread.
Dinner: Foie Gras, Agneau (Lambroast) with salad, pommes dauphines and a white Jurancon wine.
Wednesday. Lunch: Brebis (sheep cheese) and bread.
Dinner on the airplane: Greek style rice in wineleaves with Feta cheese. At home arrival, late at night: braadharing (fried and pickled herring).
Thursday. After a long flight, lunch in Istanbul: Durum Kebab with salad. Dinner: calamares (octopus), Dourade (fish) with salad and turkish red wine.
Friday: Lunch: Kofte (meatballs) with salad and Ayran (drinking yoghurt).
Dinner: Lamb tandoori with Arabic spiced rice and Turkish red wine.
Saturday. Lunch: Kofte in yoghurt sauce and salad.
Dinner: pasta tricolore with beef and oriental spices, and turkish dry white wine.
Sunday. Lunch: Calamares, sea brass and salad with a perfect view over Istanbul.
Dinner on the airplane back home: smoked chicken with rice, eggplant and arabic herbs.

Life is good.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Braderie Hoensbroek

Ascension day in Hoensbroek. Each year a large fair is organized, visited by almost 100.000 people. I was sitting in the windowsill of a friend living on the Hoofdstraat, while sketching the above picture.
Also demonstration of old crafts, like cutting of Mergel. Mergel is a kind of yellow sandstone, found since the roman times in grottoes in our region. Used for building material or sculptures. De jaarlijkse Braderie in Hoensbroek, op hemelvaartsdag. Gezien vanaf de vensterbank van een vriendin op de Hoofdstraat. Ook een schets van een demonstratie Mergel bewerking.

Sunday 16 May 2010

Lexington Grey

Received my waterproof fountainpen ink at last. Normal chinese ink clogs the pens, there are 2 suppliers worldwide for this specialised stuff, one in Japan and one in the USA (Noodlers). I had to order it through some firm in Germany.
I normally use fountainpen when I write or design; drawings that need watercolour I do with technical pens. But I disliked the straight line and harsh black colour of my Eddings. And now I can try Lexington Grey for my Lamy, and I must say I like the first results. So far the grey does not bleed on Moleskine watercolourpaper.
Eindelijk mijn Noodlers watervaste vulpeninkt ontvangen, gemaakt in de USA en besteld bij een kleine firma in Duitsland. Normale chinese inkt verstopt een vulpen, maar dit spul niet. Nu kan ik experimenteren met "bulletproof black" en "Lexington grey".

Thursday 13 May 2010

Jaguar E-type

Jaguar E-type, I saw this car last weekend in the courtyard of the castle of Bad Berleberg, Sauerland. Drawn on location.
There is a problem with the drawing: although I drew reality, I stood too close. If you do that you have to exaggerate the perspective, but I didn't. So in the final drawing the front hood looks like it's not long enough. It should have been more like the cars of "Lapin". http://www.lesillustrationsdelapin.com/. Or "emmanuel".

Monday 10 May 2010

Stoffels, Schmallenberg

We took a long weekend off: to the german village of Schmallenberg (Sauerland). Above a sketch of our hotel, Gasthof "Stoffels" which exists since 1691. I love their Blutwurst mit bratkartoffeln!
Below the intricate woodwork of the local pharmacy. While I sketched a woman joined me in sketching the same building.
Weekendje Sauerland, naar Gasthof Stoffels in Schmallenberg. Boven schets van het gasthof, onder de lokale apotheek.

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Anne

Art class, last time we had to paint Anne in Nico Molenaar style. The result was horrible. Today I started all over, and I like this version a lot better. Kunstklasje: we moesten Anne schilderen in Nico Molenaar stijl. Het was een mislukking, dus vandaag een nieuwe poging, en deze voelt beter aan. Voor de eerste keer spatels gebruikt.

Koninginnedag

Queens day in Utrecht. As we were walking along the canal "grote gracht" suddenly, in front of our eyes, and without any reason, a huge tree collapsed into the water. Luckily no boats were passing at that moment. Some time later the police and firebrigade came around to cut the tree into pieces, which I sketched at  location. Koninginnedag in Utrecht, een boom viel voor onze ogen, en zonder zichtbare reden in het water van de "grote gracht". Politie en brandweer waren wat later ter plaatse.

Sunday 2 May 2010

Koninginnedag

Queens day, April 30th. We went to Utrecht to visit the "vrijmarkt". Most of the inner city is one big market place with music, food, drinks, rubbish for sale etc. Especially nice is to see kids selling cookies or old toys and asking us to join in a game. For a small fee of course.
For those not familiar to Dutch tradition: orange is the colour of the monarchy, a lot of people wear something orange.
Koninginnedag in Utrecht: we bezochten de drukke vrijmarkt aan de grachten met gelukkig mooi weer.