Steinhuder Meer

Returned from a business trip to the Hannover area, Neustadt am Rüberberge. We slept in a hotel in an old fisher village next to a large lake "Steinhuder Meer". Now a tourist resort.
Sketching in winter is hard, as it's still dark when we get up in the morning, and pitchdark when return in the evening. I had to take my breakfast early, just to create some 15 minutes in the early morning light. Just before we would leave for the meetings.

 
I had to work quick, and it shows.

A new sketchbook (2)

Testing the other sketchbook, Hahnemühle watercolour A4.
Like with the Canson one, rather smooth paper as compared to Moleskine.
Works nice, much like the Canson.
This drawing was made with coloured acrylic inks. Next step will be testing with watercolour.

Cavarinha

An imaginary city, I called it Cavarinha. (not a Italo Calvino place, but it fits in his world.
I started drawing with that person in the centre, standing alone under the arc. And just kept adding things and bridges and widows and stuff without a real plan. Maybe that's not completely true, as I started I immediately had the firm idea that the place should be an underground city.
I added the dark background digitally afterwards.
Here two detailed parts.

A new sketchbook

For >10 years I use Moleskine A5 and A4 watercolour sketchbooks. But the A4 (Folio) are hard to get. After several promises and more than a month waiting I decided to try other brands.
I wanted to get a Stillmann Beta series, but they could only be ordered though Germany.
So I bought a Canson 230 grams book (60 pages). And tried it out with this quick sketch in coloured inks.
I also bought a Hahnemühle watercolour book, but haven't tried that one out yet.

I lost it

Here is an example how you can lose the painting that you want make, when you work too long at it.
Left you see the first stage, after about 3/4 of an hour. Size 50x60, all in acrylic.
It was pretty vivid. I should have redone the part under the nose, reworked the chin, and suggested the shoulders. And leave it at that.
But I kept on painting for another half hour, and totally spoiled it. It's not even very bad, but it lacks the vivid paintstrokes of the first one.
I wish I could say that I learned my lesson, but to be honest, it's difficult to find that good spot.
I know I have to pay attention constantly.

Election day

At the risk of offending all those who go with Trump for all the good reasons, I personally think its a bleak and grim day for the world. Not so much for his ideas (if there are any) but more for his unstable and virulent character.
I really hope that this day will not be one that you will read about in history books in a hundred years time.

Oldsmobile and more

Went to a vintage car meeting in Brunssumthis afternoon. It was pretty cold, and the rain threatened to spoil the meeting. The owners stayed inside with hot choco and drinks.
I could only made the drawing of this beauty, it was too moist and cold to paint: it would not dry.
Painted it at home.
The German owner told me it was an Oldsmobile 98 Holiday hardtop Coupe dating from 1954. 
I also made this ink drawing of some 4x4's, but this was a quick one, just before the rain set in.

Deserted

Lunchtime doodle. Nothing special.
I saw a painting by Peter Stauder hanging in a art gallery in Cologne last weekend, that inspired me to do this sketch.

More Schmallenberg

Another scene in the Sauerland (Germany). I saw the scene during a short stop while driving through the magnificent coloured hills. That evening I made this quick painting while waiting for our dinner to be served, from memory. Well, the scene is not really complicated, is it?

Schmallenberg (Dtsl)

We had a lovely extended weekend in the Hochsauerland, Germany. A very old town called Schmallenberg.
We visit Schmallenberg every few years, since at least 15 years or so. The Gasthof "Stoffels" has always been our starting point, good rooms, perfect food, very hospitable owners.
This is the early morning view from our hotelroom. The autumn colours are there in its full magnificent beauty.

Glass eagle

My latest glass object.
Actually, I finished it months ago, but I never had time to make the pedestall.
The bird is about 35 cm high on its cherrywood plinth.
All made of sheet glass, tacked together in the oven.
The colours are of glass enemals, pressed in between the sheets.
The wings are made of tiny strips of glass, vertically positioned and fused with the backing glass sheet.

It was a real pleasure to make this piece.

Sketching architecture by Liz Steel

A new Urban sketching book came out: sketching architecture. By USK sketcher Liz Steel from Australia. Filled with good tips and tricks how to sketch buildings quickly.
The book treats themes like how to make "basic volumes', easy perspective, capture crowds, shade, how to treat light, colour etc. All ideas and observations related to make quick urban impressions.
If you want to do precise drawing and painting in a studio, this is not your book.
And as a bonus: the book contains 2 of my own drawings: one of a very quick roofdrawing in Liège, and the view over Hells Kitchen, New York.

This is still one of my favourite drawings, filled with fond memories of our trip to New York last year.

Klimmen church

The things we do for art.

My wife sings in the church choir St. Caecilia in Hulsberg, and they sang the mass today in Klimmen, another small village near where I live.
When they prepared and rehearsed a little, I went out in the early morning chilly mist to draw the graveyard in front of the church.
There are some beautiful old graves there.
I detest the imported invention of Halloween (we have "all soul's day" later this week to honour the deceased in a serious way) but I admit this drawing is quite fitting for that occasion.

In the end I had quite stiff fingers of the chilly and wet cold.

Just before mass I made this quick sketch of the choir rehearsing the opening song.
Both drawing took between 10-15 minutes to make.

Hands and portrait

 A study of a (live) portrait with the hands emphasised. Hands are very difficult to do.

Talbot #inktober 19

Talbot T26c, a racer from 1948. Made after a picture. Blue (and a little black) ink only.
As you may notce, I skipped a few days, too much other things to do.

Glass flowers and vase

 I finally had time to finish my glass vase and glass flowers. I made the vase in spring, and the flowers just before the holidays. But I still had to make the stems (copper wire, soldered together and painted). Well, here it is. It looks better than expected.

I took the opportunity to make an ink drawing of the vase, for #inktober, day 15.
But after 15 drawings, I know now that I don't want to keep up the pace.
The quality is getting less, and I want time for other hobbies.
So I will do the #inktober posts less regularly.

Fiber face #Ink day 14

Another experiment: I pasted a part of a thin sheet of fiber-tissue (I guess fiberglass) on a page in my large moleskine, and let it dry. Then I wetted parts, and painted with Indian Ink. The ink would flow quite uncontrollably, but hey, that would be the fun part wouldn't it?
It was difficult steering the linework where I wanted it to be.
Inktober day 14. 17 to go, I am not sure I can keep up that pace.

Elsloo, Pumpkins. #ink 12 and 13

Railroadcrossing in Elsloo. Made during lunchbreak, yesterday. The crossing was close to the office, and I needed something to take my mind of stressful work.
And another made at the dinnertable, a set of small pumpkins, made with ink and inktense pencils.

Yurt, day 10 and 11 Inktober

I finished the portrait on Monday, but decided to add another theme (the Yurt in the background) on Tuesday.

The inkdrawing was made with my falcon fountain pen and bullet black ink.
The colurful parts with coloured acrylic ink (Lukas).

I am not sure which one I like best. I probably prefer the B&W one.

Sumi-e, day 9 #Inktober

My feeble try at Sumi-e inkig technique. I lack the determinedness of making those confident brushstrokes, especially at the leaves. I know it comes from unending training to make these strokes (I once secretly observed a Chinese man in our Hotel in Hangzhou, making 5 training strokes on cheap paper next to him before turning to the proper sheet. It was genuine, he was alone, no audience). But hey, I'm western, I don't have that patience.