Roermond Rattentoren

 

Went out sketching on location again, in Roernond. This is the "rattentoren" (the tower of the rats. No idea why it is called that way). With Ruud Otten; even though it was cold, out of the wind it was still okay. I was able to try one of Ruud's self made watercolour naps, the green tones in this drawings.

Jean Rochefort

Sometimes I get so frustrated doing portraits in colour, I just go back to my default mode: ink drawings in moleskine sketchbooks. This one is from a picture of the french actor Jean Rochefort. 

I found a page: 100 pictures to use to excersise drawing/painting portraits. Good training stuff.

Portrait in gouache

Quite dissatisfied with my drawings and paintings lately. The weather is too horrible to go outside. As compensation I have been trying to improve my portrait skills and trying gouache. But I already threw away quite a number of trials. Even this one, based on a picture of some soccer/football trainer, is not what I was looking for.

Slave ship

 

Busy time of year, all kinds of projects to be finished before January 1st. I read an old comic book "Master race" by Bernie Krigstein, dating from 1955. Beautiful B&W drawng work. Based on one of his drawings in the story "Slave ship".

St. Jan demolition

View from my study window: today they started tearing down the high school across the street. The new school buildings are behind this old wing. I have a lot of old memories in these buildings: my wife, both my children and I spent long years in there.

Astrid 2

 

Live portrait session, quick charcoal sketches, 10 minutes each.

Astrid

 

Live portrait painting session at Annemiek Jongens atelier: Astrid. The idea was to make an underpainting, to study light/dark and tonal quality. I couldn't resist to add warm/cool colours. Took about an hour to make. Acryic on bamboo paper 50x60cm.

Antoing

Quick scene in gouache, after a view we saw a few weeks ago, during a walk along on of the canals in Antoing, Belgium. Unfortunately not made on location, I am still reluctant to bring gouache to on location drawing/painting.

Alfa Bear trail run

I usually don't post personal things, just drawings, but I am quite proud of my achievement yesterday. I did the Alfa Bear Trail run in Schinnen: 12,7 km running with a height difference of 300 meters (that's the height of the Eiffeltower), over steep hills, footpaths and through mud, mud and more mud. 

I finished in 1 hour and 25 minutes, which gave me place 237 of 430. To put this in perspective: I am 65 years old, there were only 10 other runners of my age or older.

Baltimore

The dark days of Nevember, it's dark when I get home from work, no chance to draw or paint outside. So here is a page from my sketchbook, a portrait of a man from Baltimore, based on a picture by Patrick Joust. Made with my Duke Confucius (fude) fountainpen.

Suriname

Each week my newspaper (Volkskrant) features interviews with 100-year old seniors. To learn from their wisdom. Some months ago they had an interview with an old lady from Suriname, don't remember her name, but it was a very interesting take on our society. I saved the picture and used it for this gouache painting on toned paper. I am not sure it really resembles her, but it was interesting to do.

Maastricht "de hoge Fronten"

I took an afternoon in Maastricht. Make a walk on the "Hoge Fronten", the extensive defensive works surrounding Maastricht, dating fom the 18th century. Maastricht has had some bad expecience with sieges from Spaniards and French troops (in one of them d'Artagnan, one of the three musketteers, died). Anyway, this is a view of the defence works, looking towards the former Lambertus church.

Sunflowers

 Cycling to my work in the early morning, I passed a field with dried out sunflowers. I went into the field to draw some. Autumn has finally arrived.

Exhibition Hulsberg

 

A small exhibition of a few of some of my paintings was opened today in Hulsberg, at the local doctors practice "Huisartsenpraktijk Hulsberg". I am quite proud to see those works there.

Even though I paint and draw a lot, I realized that I seldom frame the paintings. I never take the time to do it, obviously I am always eager to produce sometihng new. But it makes the paintings better. Lesson learned.

House on the moors

 

Haven't been sketching in the wild for weeks. Neither is this, but I wanted to draw something, some composition drawing. Just putting the pen on the paper, at the chimney, and observing where the lines go.

On a terrace in Ieper

Trying to work with Gouache on toned paper. Based on a picture I took from a guy sitting on a terrace on the Market square in Ieper (not made on location). I am not sure I am using gouache properly, I think I use it too much like watercolour. Still a lot to learn.

Antoing: Eco holiday camp

 

My wife and I had a nice weekend in a small cottage on a holiday camp in Antoing, near the Belgian-French border. It was an "Eco" holiday camp: the wooden boat shaped cottages were located in the middle of the nature, in between shrubbery and trees, and actually floating above the ground not to disturb the nature.

We used the opportunity to visit Ieper and the World War 1 museums and trenches. Quite chilling when you realize what is going on in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.

Mauritshuis, The Hague

During my visit to The Hague, I visited the Mauritshuis. House of Vermeer's "girl with the pearl earring". And my favourite Rembrandt painting: "lesson in anatomy by Dr. Nicolaes Tulp".
There was a visitor, who was very interested in another Rembrandt painting in the same room. He practically stood with his nose against the painting.

Plein, The Hague

I was in The Hague yesterday, for business. And to visit the museum "Mauritshuis" (with the Vermeer and Rembrandt paintings). Before the visit I made this quick sketch of the square in front of the building.

Euphemia

 

Euphemia.

TRADING CITIES 1: Proceeding eighty miles into the northwest wind, you reach the city of Euphemia, where the merchants of seven nations gather at every solstice and equinox. (excerpt from Italo Calvino's book: The invisible cities.)

Tante Jo, Lievelde.

 

My aunt, Jo Jaartsveld, was living in Lievelde (Achterhoek). But she passed away last February. Last Saturday my mother and I visited her house for the last time, to pick up some souvenirs. And we visited my aunt Coby in Winterswijk (age 99).

I bought a new type of sketchbook, a Moleskine size portrait A5. I tested the booklet by drawing her portrait, after a photograph we made last year, when my aunt was still well. The white line in the middle is the spine of the sketchbook. Moleskine A5 and a Duke Confucius fude-fountain pen.

Brunssummerheide: another tree

 

Brunssummerheide: a tree

Yesterday afternoon, an old tree on the Brunssummerheide. Drawn with a Lamy Joy Calligraphy fountain pen.

Ridderkerk, another boat

 

This probably the last of the Ridderkerk Harbour drawings. My businesstrips to one of the firms in the area are finished. This is the last one of my (belated) lunchbreak drawings. After a three hour drive, we usually had meetings without a break between 11 and 3 o'clock. After that I took a one hour lunchbreak at the harbour and make these drawings, before heading my way back south.

In this one the fountain pen (a Hero fude fountainpen) ran out of ink halfway, I had to finish it at home.

Beek (ZL) Hubertusmolen

 

Coming back from the dentist, I took a sketching lunchbreak. Drawing the Hubertus molen along the road between Beek and Schimmert.

Ridderkerk tow boat

Another business meeting in Ridderkerk, and a lunchbreak sitting on one of the small harbours. There were some old towboats there.

Rhodos Askiplio

 

Askiplio is in the middle of the island. Just two weeks ago they had huge forest fires, 10% of the island was burned. This village was in the middle of that area, luckily the houses were not destroyed, but all the hills were black and charred. We saw several burned out cars and sheds, only a few burnt houses. Depressing.

Rhodos, Rhodos city

Rhodos city, a lovely city, even though there are a lot of tourists, it is still very much a living city. This is a view from the walled city towards the harbour.

Rhodos, Faliraki (3): Family house

 View of the swimming pool of our appartment complex "Family house" in Faliraki.

Rhodos, Faliraki

 

Rhodos. VIew from the balcony of our appartment, "Family house". We enjoyed the small size complex, the owners were very friendly.

Rhodos, Faliraki.

Just returned from a nce holiday in Greece, the island of Rhodos. We had a great holiday.

This is the view on the little harbour of Faliraki, as seen from the terraces on the beach. Lying ojn the beach is not our thing, but drinking coffee and eating ice on the terraces with this view certainly is.

Any-Martin-Rieux: 5th and last painting

I made this in the courtyard of our lodging, on the last day of our painting holiday.
 

Oniropolis

A fantasy drawing, Oniropolis (dream city). Inspired by Piranesi and Sant'Elia. One of these drawings that develop on the way.
 

Abstract landscape

One of the paintings I made in France, trtying to turn a landscape into something more abstract, with focus on making the painted areas as interesting as possible, without losing the composition. A bit like Rothko.

Dungeons and dragons

My son plays Dungeons and dragons with a close group of friends. Buddies he still sees every friday evening, from his highschool days. He is the DND-master, that means he determines the story. They did a difficult quest, and just lost in the final battle. It happens. He asked me to make a drawing of his group (the Carnelians), and I came up with this. 

Ink drawing, scanned and filled with digital colouring. Really fun to do.

Any-Martin-Rieux (3)

The hills over Any-Martin-Rieux, near our Chambre d'hotes. Just when I had finished, an angry farmer dropped by, and said we were standing on private property. It looked like a country road, but who are we to know for sure. Actually, that was not the first time a farmer sent us away. Usually French are very friendly, but I assume we should have asked around in the village who the owner is, and asked permission before we started.

Girl on the train

On the train, this girl sat across the aisle. Very quick sketch with watercolour pencils.
 

Aubenton, France

 

A door of a workshop in Aubenton, the North of France.

I made this on location, using ribber carton, local newspapers, tilemortar on a wooden basis. And acrylic paint.

I tried to get the idea of the door.

Here you see a picture of the door, with the painting in the corner. It was fun to make.

Den Bosch: Hieronymus Bosch

 

Day 2 of the National Urban Sketching weekend in 's Hertogenbosch. I gave the perspective workshop again, so I had little time to sketch myself. I did this one on the central market place, a statue of the famous Den Bosch painter: Hieronymus Bosch. Not the L.A. detective by the way....

Den Bosch, the St. Jan

We had a great weekend in 's Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), where I helped to organize a 2 day Urbn sketching meeting. I gave workshops on perspective drawing for urban sketchers.

Just in between the workshop and the social activities I had the opportunity to make this sketch. It was drizzling a bit, but I was protected by a screen above the terrace where I was sitting. With a nice cup of coffee. What a joy. I used a fude pen with Platinum ink and some watercolour in my Moleskine A4 notebook.

Any St.Martin Rieux (1)

I just returned from a great week, drawing and painting in Any-St. Martin-Rieux, a small village in France, just south of the Belgian border.

We did several assignments, initiated by the artist Annemiek Jongen, who organized the week. All together our group consisted out of 12 painters. 

Great scenery, perfect warm weather, plein-air painting during the day, superb French food for dinner, great company in the evening, and don't forget the abundant amounts of white wine: making art doesn't get better than this. 

Wolf skull

 

Wolf skull. It was drawn with hard carré pastels, on a piece of paper they use to fill the voids in those far too large Internet shopping boxes.

Pentecost

 

During the mass of Pentecost I saw this old lady sitting in the front row of the church benches. I sing in the choir, standing behind the altar, so I could not avoid looking at her. As an excercise I tried to recall her face and draw her from memory.

Soul draining

 

I still record my dreams, for more than 3 years now. I already recorded and sketched about 370 or so.

This was an image from a dream I woke up with on May 23rd.. A metallic hovering machine with a writhing soft underbelly, draining the soul out of an old collapsed building. And a boy hiding behind a burnt out car. Weird, I know.

Terstraten, Nuth, barn door

Out sketching this afternoon. A short ride on my wife's bike (mine was stolen last monday), and I saw this barn door in Terstraten. The farmers wife came by; as I remarked that I loved that door she responded: "I only see an urgent paintjob".
 

Brunssummerheide (2)

 

Another one of the Brunssummerheide, on a location just maybe 100 meters from the previous drawing.

Brunsummerheide

Went out drawing in gthe nature, took my bike and cycled on the sanddunes and heath of the Brunsummer heide. Fountain pen and watercoour in Moleskine.
 

Porthgain Harbour

 

Portgain harbour Wales. Watercolour, based on a picture I found on the Internet by Cathy Cooper.

I have been to Wales, but never to this place. Seems quite lovely.