hmmmpf!

Selfportraits: well, as you can see, these are all different people. Still, I tried to draw myself. I guess I still need to keep practicing and really take my time! (like the best portrait I did so far, it took me a few hours all together) By the time I've mastered the skills of drawing my own portrait, I've actually collected a whole 'family album' with drawings of non- excisting sisters and nieces, haha!

The left one is done using a photo for reference and it doesn't look like me at all. the middle one is done holding a small mirror in my left hand and drawing with my right hand. Obviously I held the mirror too close to my face, hence the crossed eyes! Hey, I don't mind showing you the results of my unsuccesfull attempts :) However, the chin and mouth are pretty good. The right one is done from a mirror I set up in front of me. The head is too round but overall the features are a bit closer to my own. Of course, challenging myself by wanting to draw a smiling face, didn't make it any easier... It felt kind of silly too, smiling to myself in the mirror all the time.

Still this is not me, but I do like the portrait. (did you notice my hair got shorter by the way?). The eyes are too big and the lines are too pronounced, but the shape of the face is kind of a likeness, and I do like the shadows and lights and the texture of the hair. I will manage to get this right! ... won't I?

sunny afternoon

It was a sunny afternoon. A bit windy, but really nice to sit outside at the corner restaurant. I took my journal with me and a pencil and drew these two pages.

An apple

You know what they say: An apple a day keeps the doctor away...

Illustration Friday - Carry

After all those self portrait exercises in my previous posts, It's time for something different: Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'carry'.

self portraits

Discovering the power of Q-tips made me take big steps into the realistic drawing. I still make the portraits using photos for reference. I hope I'll feel confident enough soon to make one using a mirror. I'm curious to see how that may work out.

I've been making a self portrait every day in my drawing journal the past week. It's really hard to make it look like me, but it's great they all look pretty realistic.

self portrait

Still obsessed with drawing (self)portraits. A different pair of glasses this time, especially the right half of it worked out well. The mouth is good, everything under the nose is really like it is in my face. I drew the face a bit too round and short though - this could be a twin sister :)

Illustration Friday - Lost

This week's Topic for Illustration Friday is 'Lost'. 

Well: I think Aunt Meridith lost her marbles...

portraits

Every now and then I get obsessed and/or intrigued by a subject or a certain technique. It's about wanting to master the skill this time. So here I am again, with another self portrait (with a pair of glasses on, to add some variety and an extra challenge) and also a portrait of my fiancee...

Ha! So now you know what the both of us look like, because although some features aren't quite perfect yet, you could absolutely recognize us from these drawings. I'm proud on persevering and the results. These are done with photos for reference. I want to be able to use this technique, drawing from real life as well.

At the same time: now what? I don't particularly like this style of realistic drawing, it looks a bit old fashioned if that's the right word. However, understanding lighting, shading and proportions, wil definitely help me in my illustrations and drawings.
For instance, I tried to 'translate' my bic-pen Millie into this style. It works. Next challenge is to draw Millie more realistic and a bit older.

journal page

This is a journal page I did after last saturday's Sketchcrawl. Trying to draw myself drawing (again, using a photo for reference). That small statement underneath the drawing came with a Lovechock bar (which is biological and fairtrade raw chocolate) I opened that night. A pretty powerful statement along with a chocolaty taste!

another me

I am really trying to master the skills of capturing a face. Luckily enough I have my own personal model for this 24/7: me.

I found out it's easier to take a picture and take that for reference, instead of using a mirror. A picture is already in 2D, so it's less hard to translate onto paper. But still.

trying out a new sort of paper, didn't work very well, although I like the 'ghostly image. It's not quite 'me' yet, and the right eye is out of proportion.

an extra challenge: strange expression. The proportions aren't righ, because I was focussing on the lights and shadows and kind of forgot about the forehead on the left side. Also, for the photo I used a wide angle. Not good when you want your proportions to be right

I love how this one worked out, with the shadows, the smile around the mouth and in the eyes. But: It's not me. The nose is too big this time, as well as the mouth. And it's really hard to get the eyes in the right proportions. Although certain features are spot on. Could be my sister. If I had one.

Like this eye. This really looks like mine. I'm proud.

Sketchcrawl sketches

Yesterday's Sketchcrawl was fun! 

Here are some of the the results of the day:

I started out drawing my starbucks cup and once I started drawing the patterned tiles on the floor, the first participant arrived.

My dad also participated the sketch crawl. I was so happy he joined us: I just had to draw him!

This is the brand new 'EYE' building, it's a super modern building that houses the film museum.

When I finished my drawing of the view, I started drawing Ninon, who was sitting next to me and didn't realize she was being sketched while she was concentrated on her own creations.

With part of the group we took the ferry across the IJ-lake, to draw just a bit more on the terrace of the EYE.

Ninon decided to sketch in words! She 'sketched' some nice poems of the impressions of the day and partly combined her words with drawings.

Laura worked pretty fast and also sketched the EYE building, two of us, lamp posts and a ticket booth. She nicely filled up this sketchbook spread.

Frans like lines and repetition, and he made this great sketch of the roof at the station

Yvonne worked with fineliner and watercolours and made a statement with this piece: 'no challenge of drawing people today'! 

Annemarie made a sketch in fineliner of me and my dad from the back. I had no idea she did this, until she showed it after it was finished. I was surprised and impressed!

Participants during the SketchCrawl were me, Yvonne, Annemarie, Frans, Laura and Ninon. It was great they were all there, inspite of the awful weather!

The photos were made by Frans Koene - thanks dad!

Tomorrow is the 36th world wide Sketch crawl!

Tomorrow The 36th World Wide Sketchcrawl is organized in many cities around the world!

Yvonne and I will be hosting the Amsterdam Sketchcrawl. 

Although the weather has been kind of unpredictable the last few days, I just know that it'll be so much fun! 

You can RSVP on Facebook or on the Sketchcrawl website if you want to join us in Amsterdam. Or maybe you are joining the sketchcrawl in a different city? I'm curious to know!

Illustration Friday - Suspend

Tomorrow is friday already! This means of course: Illustration Friday. This week's topic is 'suspend'

This is drawn with a US-astronaut pen on recycled super soft paper with flowers petals in it. Both pen and paper were birthday gifts.

World Wide Sketchcrawl

On Saturday July 14 The 36th World Wide Sketchcrawl is organized in many cities around the world. Yvonne and I will be meeting 'our' group of sketchers to crawl with. It'll be so much fun! 

You can RSVP on Facebook or on the Sketchcrawl website if you want to join us in Amsterdam!

excercizing self portraits

I found a new challenge: drawing self portraits! I did one last week that you can see here and doing that made me want to dive into some techniques and try more. I drew my profile, with a photo for reference. I'm very happy with the result, I have to say. And surprised too! This really is me.

Then the real challenge: drawing my own portrait from the mirror! I was way ahead of myself by deciding to also add an expression on my face.

I can use some more practice here The eyes are sort of right, the nose is a bit too small, the mouth is kind of mine, but not quite... and it's all a bit stiff. Practice, practice, practice.

crowd

It might be just me, or do you also love it when packaging gives you some bonus material to work with? I don't even remember what the box carried, where this piece of cardboard came from, I do know it was in there, already perfectly postcard-sized. 

After I sketched part of a crowd on it, I carried it around with me in my bag for weeks so I could work on it in 'lost minutes', but there weren't that many of those minutes. At last i finished this and thought it could use some colour. So there you have it. Another crowd. Are you curious to see more of my crowds? have a look at my blogposts here here, here and here.

summer skirt

I made this illustration for one of the assignments in the Making Your Mark class I did a few weeks ago. It's based on a childhood memory. I guess it speaks for itself.

Sketchcrawl on July 14

Next week, on Saturday July 14 The 36th World Wide Sketchcrawl is organized in many cities around the world. Yvonne and I will be meeting 'our group' of sketchers to crawl with. It'll be so much fun! 

You can RSVP on Facebook or on the Sketchcrawl website if you want to join us in Amsterdam!

crowd

I drew another crowd again!

Illustration Friday - refresh

I'm on a roll here with my sketchbook, lead pencil and eraser. After getting up early this morning and taking a shower, I let the morning sun refresh me while drinking a cup of coffee. I took a photo of this. Then I sat down to draw this moment for Illustration Friday's topic 'refresh'. Nice.

Speaking of drawing and sketching: The 36th World Wide Sketchcrawl is coming up on July 14th! Together with Yvonne, I'm organizing a Sketchcrawl in Amsterdam. You can read about it here or find a Sketchcrawl near you and even organize one yourself here! If you'd like to join me in Amsterdam you can RSVP here on my FB page.

I hope to see you then!

hand sketch #2

After my blogpost of my hand sketch my mum asked me to please please please also draw my right hand, because the missing fingertip (which you hardly see if you don't know about it) makes her feel awful. I don't mind missing the tip and I equally love all my fingers just the way they are. I do understand though, that for her as a mum, it was quite traumatising that her little girl got her finger caught into a folding chair many years ago... well, long story short: here's tonight's sketch of my right hand, especially for my mum!

It was harder to draw this one, as the hand itself was drawing :) so thanks mum, for the challenge!

today's drawing journal page

It's been a great sunday so far! So I made a quick drawing of it. After scanning this journal page I realized the orange on the bottom left is not quite recognizable as an orange. It could be some sort of potato or perhaps a ball - next to the shoe... perhaps I should add some colour :)
What do you think the disguise is of the orange?

hand sketch

 





After the feet sketch I did on tuesday,  

I did a hand sketch on the next page of my journal. I started with my emptied espresso cup but than found my hand next to it was much more interesting to draw. so I did. My perfectly flawed left hand with a crazy thumb (sometimes people ask me: 'your thumb! is that a toe?', seriously!), no fingertip on the ringfinger and freshly applied nail polish 'big apple red'. The hand deserves to be drawn every now and then!