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!

Cow in Leuse (F)

No time (and weather) to go out to sketch. Based on apicture I made this summer of a large cow in Leuse, France. Ink and watercolour pencil.

Portrait in gouache

 

Painting in acrylic gouache. I found the picture of her on Pinterest, but it was gone before I knew who it was or who made the photograph. I used only 3 colours: white, black and carmide red.

Heist op den Berg

I had a business appointment in Belgium, in Heist op den Berg. On the other side of the road there was this quite bizarre building, and I couldn't leave without making a quick sketch. 

I mean, Belgium is renowned for its eclectic buildings, but this one was even more over the top. And this wasn't even the most bizarre side (Unfortunately the other side had a truck parked in front). You may notice details like round stained glass windows, four types of masonry and two male statues carrying the towers on both sides of the front door. Belgium is a lot more interesting than the Netherlands anyway.

MG TF drawing for John

 

A surprise gift for a collegue who left our company a month ago. As a hobby he restores old MG cars. Among others this MG-TF 1957, which was originally owned by his father. 

Unfortunately I forgot to make a decent scan of the painting, the photograph is a bit discoloured.

Amstenrade in gouache

 

 

 This morning I went painting in the park behind the castle of Amstenrade (just about 1 km from my house). It was not cold, and I was be able to do this painting in (acrylic) gouache on darkbrown toned paper. In the picture you can see my gouache setup, fixed on a camera tripod. I made the box myself.

Leuze in 2 themes

 

I made these two paintings on location, in Leuze, France. The subject was to make them in two different colour themes. Below you see the real situation. Unfortunately, it began raining halfway, and I had to finish them in another location. Acryl paint 40x40cm each.

Faces in watercolour and ink

 

An excercise in faces, at a live painting session. Two of about twelve that I made in about 2 hours. First a few strokes of wax. Then a few watercolour strokes. And after drying a minimum of lively ink lines, trying to catch the features without overdoing. Surprising enough, both images resemble Paul and Willebrord.

Aachen

I was in Aachen (Germany) last friday. A view from the terrace of the major bookshop there, Meyrische.

Isabel

 

Model class again. This time a highly pregnant woman. We had to scratch te paper with a wax candle, then use watercolour, and add a few ink lines after that. Quite outside my comfort zone, but it was a nice excercise.

Faces

Some random quick sketches of faces, after pictures I found on the internet. Made during lunchbreaks Normally I go for a short walk with collegues during lunchbreak, but when it rains we stay in, and i take my sketchbook out.
 

Roermond challenge

 

During the National sketchday in Roermond, I initiated two challenges. The first was on the market: you had to make 4 or 5 little sketches of details that you notice. I did the excercise myself on the Market of Maastricht, to provide an example (top one). The second challenge was: define and draw in a few strokes the total scene of the market, but then fill in only one or two details. These will draw the attention (the market of Roermond, bottom one). The results of the excercises were beyond expectation.

Gouache portrait

 

Painting with acrylic gouache again. This time based on a picture I found on the internet (probably AI). In my moleskine sketchbook, size A5.

Roermond: USk-NL day

 

I helped to organize another National Urban sketchingday in Roermond, last Saturday. We had perfect weather, and a great turnout. More than 200 sketchers spread out over the city to draw. I enjoyed the fine weather, the drawings, meeting new and old friends. 

I also gave a workshop, perspective drawing for urban sketching, which was attended by some 15 people. In the end I was only able to make one drawing myslef, of the Munsterkerk, which you can see above.

Below a picture of the crowd, at the end of the day, at the "show and tell".

Maastricht: Huis op de jeker

 

Another experiment: using gouache on location. I made a portable gouache box, to be mounted on a camera tripod. I painted this house before. It worked out fine, but there is room for improvement on the box.

1/2 marathon

 

Last sunday I managed to run a half marathon again. 21,1 km in 2 hours 4 minutes, 30 seconds. I finished place 250 of 305 runners. I think that is not bad for someone aged 66.

It was the first time in 15 years, and quite heavy at the last 2 km. But hey, pain lasts for a short time, pride lasts forever.

More stones

 

the second drawing of the geology tour. The girld stood there long enough for a pencil sketch (contour, wheels and posture was enough). The rest drawn after she was gone.

Ber and the stones

A week ago we went sketching with the Maastricht group again. We started at the Museum for Natural History. They had a route through town with 18 locations where you could see different types of stones that were used during construction, through the ages. Interesting. But after 2 locations (and drawings) we found a nice terrace with some excellent beer. The drawing shows Ber, one of our group. He had a brain haemorrhage some years ago, couldn't use his normal arm, so learned to use the other hand by drawing and sketching. He is always there when we go sketching.
 

Fire cart

A fire cart as part of the musuem of the old coal mines in our region. It was used in the mines, and dated back to 1922.
 

Schacht Nulland

 

An afternoon sketching outside again. One of the few remaining artifacts of the former coal mining industry in our region. One of the ventilation shafts and elevator shafts of teh Domaniale Mijn in Kerkrade.

Yoda

 

This is Yoda, our new cat. Mitzie passed away last April. My wife told it in her class at school, and one of her pupils had a kitten available. Yoda didn't have a good start in life, he was abandoned by his mother after his birth, and taken care of by the mother of the boy.

Well Yoda is full of life, and we enjoy her every day. We hope to enjoy him for a long time.

Chambord

 

Forgot to post this drawing: the castle of Chambord. Also made during our French holiday.

Chenonceau

 

Castle of Chenonceau , at the Loire, France. It was raining all day, I had to make a very quick sketch, protecting parts of the drawing with sheets of paper against the loose raindrops. Painted it at the camping site.

Candé sur Beuvron

Just returned from a great holiday in France, in the Loire are. With our children and grandchildren. We had a great time, and excellent weather (except for one dreary and rainy day). This is a sketch of the village, there had been floodinge recently, and large treetrunks were still blocking the passage under the bridge.

Simpelveld ZLSM railwaymuseum

 

Went sketching out today. A railway musuem, with working steamlocomotives. This is a drawing of one of the museumpieces: a railwaycrane.

Roermond

Impression of the market place in Roermond. We were there to prepare a national USk-NL sketching day, but took the opportunity to do some sketchig ourselves.
 

France: Any Martin Rieux: an old barn

 

Here the painting I was most proud of: an old, half collapsed barn in Leuze, a small village close to Any.

I took a pice of MDF wood 60x80cm, and sticked carboard to it, then acrylic paint.

It was really nice weather that day, warm, but not hot. The farmer even dropped by to look at what we were doing; he was quite talkative, and showed us the cows he was clearly proud of. THe barn dated back to WW2, and had been in this state since 20 years. Which is a small wonder.

France: Any-Martin Rieux (2)

 

I am lagging behind. Far too busy in the office. Another drawing/painting in Jaunes. Acrylic and charcoal.

France: Any Martin Rieux

 

Painting week in France, under the guidance of Annemiek Jongen. We had a great group of 6 participants, fine lodging and superb French food. The weather wasn't so cooperative, it was quite cold for June, but we had a great time nontheless. 

Here is a study on bamboo paper 50x70cm, made with charcoal and acrylics, of an old farm in the little village of Jeantes.

Some loose sketches from the village of Esna. There were lots of old and colourful doors.

And a guy who was working on raw cotton, he was whipping it with some thread. I thought he was playing an instrument, but it was to cut cotton into threads.
 

Egypt, Esna temple

 

Had litte time to scan the Egypt draaings, and post them. Here is another one, of te beautiful and colourfull Esba temple. This was sketched on location (you can still see the pencil lines), drawn later that day on the boat. Unfortunately the red ink ran out, I finished this one at home.

Egypt, cruise over the river Nile, Felucca's

 

Made this drawing of the beautiful sailing boats on the Nile, called felucca's, during our cruise last week. One of the many drawings I made during that trip.

Egypt, cruise over the Nile. Edfu

We just returned from a lovely week, cruising with a slow boat over the river Nile, in Egypt. We had a terrific holiday, and I had a lot of opportunity to make sketches in my hand made travel sketchbook. 

For starters this drawing of the bird towers of Edfu. The locals collect bird-dung in these towers, which they use to fertilize the fields.

Leiden: St. Peterchurch

THis is the second sketch I managed to make during our National Dutch Urban sketching day. Due to the rain (and time spent on social activities) these wre the only two drawings I was able to make.

Leiden usk sketchday

 

We organised another national Urban sketcher sketchday. This time in Leiden. A beautiful city to draw in, unfortunately the weather was not very good: strong chilly wind and low temperatures (10 degrees C). But worst of all, some occosional and sudden rainshowers. Real Dutch weather. This drawing was a victim of the rain: as I had finished inking the rain soaked my sketchbook. You can still see the leaking ink and blotches. Anyway, despite the weather we had a great day. Nice to see the 250 participants joining us all over the city. This is the view from the fortress on top of the city, with a nice view over the rooftops.