GKC Hulsberg, christmas card

 

I made this painting for the Christmas greetings card for the choir I sing in (well, the last rehearsal was already 9 months ago). The board decided for a colourfull card with autumn colours, as counterweight to all those dreary grey days and depressing Corona newsitems. The choir would have celebrated its 175th year. But unfortunately no festivities were possible this year, maybe next year.

Clint

 

A try to draw famous people, to see if I can really make resemblances.

Portrait of a man

Portrait of a man, based on a picture found on the Internet, I can't recall who made it. Fountain pen, I wash the ink before it's dry with a waterbrush. I found the original photographer: Jim Zuckerman.

Best wishes

Best wishes for the new year, and may it be a better one.

These objects were creatively decorated by my wife, Gertie. Each his own hobby :)
 

Thull

Last sunday morning, riding with my bike. Saw this old derelict barn. Quick on location sketch, maybe 10-15 minutes.
 

Desert house

Desert house, a lunchtime doodle.
 

Do turtles dream of flying?

 

Kolleberg, Sittard

Went out this morning by bike, as my knee is still not okay. It was cold, but not too harsh. Made this quick sketch in Sittard, a small chapel on the Kolleberg (which means translated: hill of the witches).
 

Laughing girl

Pastel on Kraftpaper. A study after a picture, on facial expressions. This time a laughing girl. Size about 40x40cm, made in the atelier of Annemiek Jongen.
 

Rising Phoenix

 

Drawing of a Phoenix. Inspired by drawings of Alan Cober, the master of cross hatching.

Adolescents

Excercise in drawing adolescents. Sanguine chalks on Brown Kraft Paper.

Hampden Maryland

I am enjoing to make these quick ink sketches. They are after a picture, but fun to do anyway. What else to do when you are restricted to draw outside by Corona measures and bad weather.

This is made after a picture by Patrick Joust, a woman in Hampden, Maryland.
 

Torenstra

Quick inkdrawing (actually a lunchtime drawing, it was raining outside and I didn't feel like a lunchbreak stroll) of Waldemar Torenstra, a Dutch actor. After a picture made by Koos Breukel, a renowned Dutch photographer.

Nicky

Last Friday I went to a wood and heath not far from our house, on the Brunssemerheide. There is a small monument, on one of the paths that I regularly use while running. In 1998 a boy was found here, kidnapped, sexually abused and killed. Nicky Verstappen. Two years ago a man was arrested, a pedophile. The trial ended last Friday with a sentence of 12,5 years. This may not sound as much, but the problem was a lot of the needed evidence was gone or unclear. Like cause of death or whether it was murder or accidental death. But no sentence can ever bring the boy back. A little sketch to remember Nicky, and all other children who met this fate.

Apple tree "Red Sentinel"

Painting of the apple tree behind our house. This is not an ordinary tree but a "red sentinel". Little apples for decoration, they are bright orange and last all winter. Not to be eaten, at least I never tried.

Sketchday in Elsloo

 

We are not able to organize sketchmeetings like we're used to. Meetings of more than 2 persons are forbidden. So we organized a virtual sketchmeeting. On 60 locations all over the Netherlands sketchers would make drawings, and keep contact with each other through Zoom. I was in Elsloo, together with Roger Klaasen (present chairman) and Ruuud Otten (departing chairman). It was also a Thank-you meeting for all the work Ruud has done for the USk-NL group. I came up with a challenge: make your drawings in grey tones. Rudulf Rost of Windsor and Newton made a livestream to explain how to mix lively greytones. I tried it in the first drawing, but that was a failure. The second one is less grey, but better anyway. The center of Elsloo.

Fish

 Inspired by drawings of Eric Lacombe.

Terborgh

A beautiful autumn day, fresh, not too cold, with a beautiful clear sun. During my running round I came across this scene, I decided toreturn in the afternoon to make this drawing. Actually, this was the second version. The first, a watercolour with bright autumn colors, was a total failure. It happens.

While drawing, I chatted with some nice people and even an old collegue, Wim Vroemen. A lovely day.

Gouache

 

After a picture I made in Lonodon a few years ago. Always difficult, hands.

Study in ink

Portrait of a guy in Barclay, Maryland USA, after a picture by Patrick Joust, A study in inks.
 

Van Gogh

 Last page of my Moleskine. I make a drawing, which was a total failure. I decided to cover it with a thick layer of gouache (which took up the ink and pencil of the old drawing). And tried to make another one, just as training on the use of gouache. Doesn't look exactly like van Gogh, but I like the result anyway. To be jonest, I was in the van Gogh museum a year ago, and compared his own selfportraits in real life. They don't all resemble each other as well. 

Treehouse

 

This is a real and existing Treehouse. My wife and I had a nice long weekend on a holidaycamp, in the middle of forests and heath. Perfect weather, nice long walks, beautiful colours. We had a nice small luxury cottage, surrounded by trees and squirrels. But elsewhere on the terrain there was this beautiful wooden treehouse, for rent, but not in our league.

I forgot to take water for painting. But I still had a waterbrush, so I washed out the ink before it was dry.

Vreeland

On the easel. Diana Vreeland, a American journalist, excercise in shadowtones, based on a picture. Made in the atelier of Annemiek Jongen.  Acrylic 50x60cm, took me an hour to make.

Huis op de Jeker (2)

I had forgotten to post this one, the facade of the House on the Jeker (Maastricht), of some weeks ago. I had to stop a few times due to the rain, but it was fun to do a precise drawing.
 

Sunflowers

 Sunflowers in a field on the "Wintraak". You don't say IN the Wintraak, because it's on top of the hill, Actually it's the first steep hill that you will encounter if you come from the north, from Holland. 

And yes, it's windy up there. Anyway, there I was, in the middle of a muddy field enjoying the still warm autumn sun, making this drawing. Took me about 20 minutes to make.

Khadija Arib

 

Excercise in charcoal: a portrait made by erasing parts from a page that was blackened with Charcoal.

She is a well known politician, presiding our parlaiment.

House on the Jeker

 

Huis aan de Jeker (house on the stream "Jeker"). The Jeker is a small stream that runs through Maastricht. For large parts it's hidden behind and under buildings, but here is a small house that hangs over the stream. I wanted to draw it for a long time, I had the chance yesterday.

Jan Siebelink

  

Unfortunately, due to Corona, live model drawing is not possible anymore. I am doing a course with Annemiek Jongen again, on portrait drawing. These are the first excercises: charcoal drawings

Thumbnails

Some thumbnail sketches of plants and trees. Autumn will be there soon
 

Vogelzang in Puth

Vogelzang ("singing birds") in Puth, a small village near where I live. I went there to draw the old farmhouse, but by chance chatted with the lady of the house, Marietje van der Linden. She is an sculpture artist (or rather jewelry designer), but her house is full of works by her husband, son and daughter in law. I saw fantsatic works, big and small. And was allowed to draw the inner courtyard, feauturing some of her stuff.

Sleeping Sheep

 

I am not working a lot in our office nowadyas, so those days I have to go, I use the bicycle. It has been nice weather lately anyway. Last monday I saw this along the road, a few sheep dozing off under a flatbed. It took a few minutes to make this quick sketch.

Ford F500 (1951)

 

Went out drawing again, to draw some nice old cars (on location). I found these beauties in front of an vintage car restauration workshop, in Heerlen.

It's a Ford F500 truck, dating back from about 1951. On the right there is a Dodge van, on the left a chevrolet, no idea about model or year.

Quaira

  

The city of Quaira, in the Stellae desert. Ink drawing, digitally coloured.

Jan Vermeerlaan

 My brother became 60. He likes older romantic paintings from the early 20th century.

So I made a small contribution to his small collection of paintings: a romantic do-it-yourself painting, including a rural scene and his own house. Just a bit of fun.

Schinnen Wolfhagen

 

Just another scene from Schinnen, the view into a courtyard of an old farmhouse.

Huis Fabritius

 

House Fabritius is a fortified farmhouse in Schinnen, in a hamlet called Wolfhagen (wolf's hedges). It dates back to 1615, and has a long history, housing both Sheriffs and cruel gangs of robbers. These gangs were called Bokkerijders (Goat riders). This was because they came and went so fast, people said they could only do this with the help of the devil. And riding on the back of goats. I was told there is even a hidden cave a little up the hill where they stacked the loot. Don't know if that's true; even though I am more or less a local I have no idea where it's at.

Jan Decleir portrait

My painting was finished last monday. I should add that the original photo by Koos Breukel was also very good. But still, it was quite a challenge to get it right. It took me 4 stages to paint this, with each a week in between (oils have to dry): 

1: underpainting (below, left),

2: shadows, blues and the parts which should look like further away (below, top right)

3: light parts and the parts that shold come forward. (below bottom right)

4: finish and highlights (zee final painting above).

 

Zara

Zara, our granddaughter, stayed here at our home for a day. What a joy. I made this pendrawing, which I coloured with digital means.

AEC Matador

I was randomly cyling through Heerlen, when I came across this beautiful, fully restored AEC Matador. A small truck from World War 2. It looked like new.

I talked to the proud owner, who had more of these restauration projects under way. I saw the remnants of some other old machines. Some kind of a hobby!

Loempia in Hoensbroek

Loempia's are the Dutch word for Vietnamese Spring rolls.

I saw this guy standing next to a little foodtruck on the main square in Hoensbroek. I did not have a sketchbook, just took a quick hazy picture and made this drawing at home.

Antwerp

I had a business trip to Antwerp last friday. Took the opportunity to make this little sketch from the parking lot. It was just a few days before they shut down Antwerp, due to too many Corona cases.
They even have curfew today. It looks more and more like war.

Jan Decleir plays Beethoven

Started on an oilpainting again. This is the underpainting.
It's based on a picture of a Belgian actor, Jan Decleir. But it also looks like beethoven, maybe Jan should take up that part one day.
I am pretty happy with this first stage. The next stages will give a lot of opportunities to spoil this nice start.

Something Silly

Something quite silly. Based on something I saw in a dream, but that was a fountain in a 80's post-modern city square.

Female Figure

Quick one, studying forms, made with ecoline brushpens.

Cadillac in Merkelbeek

Oilpainting: A vintage Cadillac, standing on a driveway in a little village in the Netherlands.
60x50cm on Canvas.

85 your old man

a quick drawing, made after a picture on the internet. Couldn't find the original photographer.
It's supposed to be a guy living on the streets for almost 50 years, at 85 years of age. I have no idea how someone can survive that way.
Made with watercolour pencil (Caran d'Ache Technalo) and acrylic markers.