mc verhoog

LAX

2012-02-02T21:34:00.004+01:00

French illustrator Christian Lacroix (1949), better known as LAX or Christian Lax, studied fine arts in Saint-Etienne. He made his comics debut in the magazine l'Automobile in 1975. His first album, 'Ennui Mortel', was published in 1982.
In the late 1990s, he began working on 'Le Choucas', a satirical detective series based on the French "romans noirs" of the 1950s and 1960s. As a tribute to this wonderful serie, I painted his shirt yellow.
In 2005 Christian published under his artist name LAX 'L'Aigle Sans Orteils'. A wonderful historical story in which he combines his love for the French countryside, its people and his personal passion for cycling and in particular the Tour of France. In 2009 he published the sequel, named 'Pain d'alouette-Premier époque'. Both stories take place around World War I. In my opinion two of the best graphic novels I've read so far. And, according to the last title, at least one more novel is in the making!

André Franquin (1924 - 1997)

2012-01-29T19:13:00.003+01:00

Belgian André Franquin is most known for his comic creation "Gaston Lagaffe", a weekly episode of a guy with lots of interesting ideas but poor execution. Although Franquin had a very humorous style and lots of great ideas, he could be very depressed and couldn't draw for years. Perhaps that's the price some people have to pay for their talent.
Despite that his style is very vivid and extremely fluent. When you're reading his comics it almost looks as if you're watching an animated movie. I can't name any other illustrator who comes close to that style. Take a look at this website and you'll see what I mean. It's French, but the drawings will do the talking.

Panflute

2012-01-20T20:00:00.006+01:00

The panflute is known in different parts of the world, in different shapes and names, originally mostly made of wood or bamboo.

One of the most charming uses of the panflute takes place in the Peru - Bolivia area. The women of the Aymares use the panflute to communicate with each other. They have two small panflutes, in different tonal setting, to match with another woman. Who also has two different panflutes. Once they partnered they are musically bonded with each other for the rest of their lives.

The women of the Aymares also assemble in large groups and blend into one complete melody. Just the way music is supposed to be.

Pen and ink, coloured with watercolor.

Big drawing

2012-01-12T20:37:00.005+01:00

One of the new year's resolutions I made was to make at least four big drawings this year. Usually my drawings are more or less the size of a postcard, so making drawings at a A4 or even A3 scale will be quite a challenge. In terms of: "can I find enough time to make them?".
The first one is allready inked, as you can see. It's a drawing of a garage in a fictitious little village somewhere in the South of France and I must say so far it's been fun to draw. Most of the drawing is based on two previous posts, as you can see here and here.

Happy New Year

2012-01-06T19:39:00.001+01:00

Firework

2011-12-29T21:12:00.004+01:00

It's almost New Year's Eve, time to reflect on the year left behind and looking forward to the year ahead.
Today I went out with my son to buy some firework. We also have safety-glasses this year. Safety and firework are two conflicting issues, so we're very careful. Let's hope others will do also.

Santa Claus

2011-12-19T20:08:00.007+01:00

As you can see he is dressing up for "the most wonderful time of the year". Although he doesn't look very motivated. I guess because it's hard work: flying with reindeers...

Henning Mankell

2011-12-15T21:37:00.003+01:00

The Swedish writer Henning Mankell is one of my favourites, especially the novels he wrote about Kurt Wallander. In fact I'm re-reading one of these novels now. Some books are just getting better the second or third time you read them.
I also like to watch the episodes made by the Swedisch television around this character. They also seem to improve everytime you watch them.
Pen and ink, 10x15 cm.

Dresdner Stol

2011-12-07T09:21:00.006+01:00

"A Stollen is a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruit, and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing sugar. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. A similar cake, found in Dutch cuisine, is called a Kerststol in Dutch, while in Italian cuisine the panettone also shows a likeness."
Source: Wikipedia.

It also happens to be one of my favourite type of breads/cakes. Especially when a slice is topped with real butter. Just delicious!

Sint Nicolaas

2011-12-01T21:52:00.004+01:00

Sint Nicolaas is a mythical figure, known for his generosity and kindness to children. That makes nowadays in combination with his Catholic roots a somewhat inconvenient combination. But legends live forever and are standing above any suspicion. You can read his whole story here.

Ben l'Oncle Soul

2011-11-27T19:59:00.004+01:00

Sometimes you come across the work of a very talented person on a unexpected place or at an unexpected time. In this case I heard a very nice tune sung by a candidate on a television talent seeking show called 'The Voice of Holland'.
It took me some time to figure out who was the original artist who sung this touchy song. I just had to buy this guy's cd! It turned out to be a young French artist, called Ben l'Oncle Soul. According to his biography "Ben l'Oncle Soul is a French soul singer with a retro style who made his eponymous Top Five hit album debut in 2010. Born Benjamin Duterde in 1984 in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France, he took his name and look from Uncle Ben, the fictitious elderly African-American man dressed in a bow tie who serves as the brand image of Uncle Ben's Rice. The moniker Ben l'Oncle Soul was chosen rather than Uncle Ben to avoid any charges of trademark infringement."
So the next time you'll eat your rice, put on his music and enjoy!

Tools: Colour Pencils

2011-11-21T11:35:00.002+01:00

Auguste Gusteau

2011-11-14T09:45:00.004+01:00

One of the fine characters of the great movie "Ratatouille" is the late master chef Auguste Gusteau. His motto and book "Anyone Can Cook" made him famous, but unfortenately he could not enjoy this succes. He died mysteriously.
Never the less his role in the movie is a great one and for me a prequel should be made with the rise and fall of this character about how he became such a great chef. Including lots of nice scenes of Paris, which plays such a great role allready in the Ratatouille movie.

Gustave Doré

2011-11-09T11:34:00.002+01:00

I remember seeing the work of Gustave Doré for the first time in my life. It made quite an impact to me. Especially the way the gray parts of the black and white drawings were printed. Later I found out that Doré made the drawings and a team of highly skilled engravers made then the drawings suitable for printing. His work pushed the printing of illustrations in the nineteenth century to a higher level.
Gustave Doré was a self-taught artist, lived from 1832 till 1883 and left an enormous oeuvre of fantastic drawings for the world to enjoy.

Fruit: Apple

2011-11-04T15:57:00.001+01:00

Tools: Redis Pens

2011-10-29T20:50:00.002+02:00

Spice: Cinnamon

2011-10-26T10:03:00.002+02:00

Don Quichotte

2011-10-19T20:49:00.007+02:00

The Spanish writer Cervantes became famous by writing about an anti-hero figure, Don Quichotte de la Mancha. A self proclaimed knight, fighting against windmills (who doesn't) to conquer the heart of an imaginary girlfriend (who hasn't). The story was written about 400 years ago, but the characters show the same behaviour as we do nowadays.
Just think about how we try to solve the economic crisis...

But that's not the only point I want to make. What wonders me most is that we still can read and enjoy a story written 400 years ago, but when I tried a couple of weeks ago to play a PC game I bought 14 years ago, my computer can't handle it. The game is too old and the computer, bought in 2004, too modern for that game.
When I buy a PC game today, my computer also can't handle it. Then my 7 year-old computer is suddenly too old. Very frustrating. It's about time that someone stands up against the computerindustry. With its new updates (do you ever know what they put in your computer?), new operating systems and processors that can't cope with not yet antique games. Or will that be fighting against windmills?

Pen and watercolor, based on a drawing by Gustave Doré.

Quentin Blake

2011-10-05T15:29:00.005+02:00

One of the many pleasures reading Roald Dahl was looking at the illustrations made by Quentin Blake. His work is nowadays still as vivid, funny and lively as it was decades ago. Whenever you get the chance in a bookshop to stumble upon a book he illustrated, don't hesitate to buy it or get at least a glimps of his work. Otherwise take a look at his website .

Vincent van Gogh

2011-10-01T21:46:00.005+02:00

After a hard life, struggling with his talent and demons, Vincent van Gogh took his faith in his own hands. Before that he produces lots of paintings which were way ahead of their time, only to find out nobody wouldn't buy them. During his life he sold only one painting. After his death his painting of sunflowers was worth millions. How strange life can be.
He painted most of his, now, world-famous work in Southern France, so it's only logical that there's a museum named after him in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Pen and watercolor, 10x15 cm, after a self-portrait.

Mick Jagger

2011-09-22T21:54:00.006+02:00

Old rockers were supposed to fade away, but Mick Jagger proves the experts wrong. 68 years and still going strong! Just released an instant classic album, in mine opinion, called Superheavy. Together with Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman.

Pen and watercolor, 10 x 15 cm.

Fast food: French Fries

2011-09-19T20:39:00.003+02:00

Although they're called "French Fries", I prefer the Flamish ones. But that's a bit difficult to explain in English, I'm afraid. Well, as long it's not a Dutch treat.

Fast food: hotdog

2011-09-14T13:21:00.003+02:00

Tools: Brushes

2011-09-09T08:53:00.002+02:00

Rembrandt

2011-09-05T21:39:00.006+02:00

As I was looking for people I would like to draw a portrait of, I thought to myself: "why not make a drawing of people I admire?". One of them is, for me, the great painter Rembrandt van Rijn. I made a drawing of him based on a self-portrait he made in 1669 at the age of 63. The original painting can be seen in the Tate Gallery in London or, to save you the trip, on this website.

I made my drawing with pen and watercolor, adding dry brush in the final stage.

Tools: Pencils

2011-09-02T20:56:00.005+02:00

Although I make my drawings in pen with watercolor, I allways make sketches upfront. I mainly use Derwent and occasionally I make sketches with ballpoint (when I'm in a hurry and afraid to lose the idea during the process of finding my pencils).
I'm used to draw in this style for quite a while now, with mostly the same subjects. Perhaps it's time to make a change in subjects, for instance: urban scenery, landscapes, portraits, animals, etc, etc.
But for now I drew my sketching tools: pencils, cutting knife and sandpaper and eraser. In pen with watercolor. Of course.

Tools: Speculaas Plank

2011-08-13T21:02:00.004+02:00

An old Dutch habit during the last months of the year is eating brown spiced biscuits, or speculaas. My father used to bake them a lot during the years he was a baker. Of course, we as his kids didn't let the moments pass we were able to taste the first ones which came out of the oven. Especially the ones which were too dark to be sold in the shop. They tasted the best!
I drew the plank to make a man and woman biscuit as a symbol of the marriage, representing the hope it becomes a fertile and happy commitment.
Pen and watercolor (with the smell of brown spiced biscuits).

Tools: Airbrush

2011-08-09T20:44:00.004+02:00

During my 'career' as an assistant for a graphic designer I learned how to use the airbrush. I mainly had to use it to tighten up black and white product pictures before rasterize them with a large reproduction camera.
How things have changed since then! We now use Photoshop to make pictures look better, all digital. Reproduction camera's are complete history. Nowadays you scan your drawings with your own affordable all-in-one printer, make them look sharper and more colourful using Photoshop and publish them on your own weblog for all the world to see.

Tools: Money

2011-08-03T08:24:00.005+02:00

Some people use money as a tool. They try to get some things done or purchased for money. Other people let money work for them. For other people money turns into an obsession.
In the older days bankers were true craftsmen with money. They were solid institutions and took good care of their customers money. Nowadays they speculate with your money and almost ruin our economy, but they all say it isn't their fault. As Oliver Hardy would say to Stan Laurel: "Now that's another fine mess you've put us into!"

Pen and watercolor.

Tools: pen and ink

2011-08-01T12:36:00.006+02:00

People in different jobs use all different kind of tools to do their job. Drawing, for instance, can be done with a pencil, but my favourites tools are pen and ink. Mostly added with a splash of watercolor, using different colors or only black. As you can see in the drawing above.
I am a great admirer of craftsmen in general and I strongly believe that they must be more appreciated in what they do and stand for.

Mountainbike

2011-07-27T20:05:00.005+02:00

Another fun thing to do when you're not at work or school: riding the mountainbike. Our kids cycled for the first time on a mountainbike during our holiday in the Alps. They had a lot of fun playing with the gears and developed quite an impressive speed! They can't wait to go back, but I'm afraid they have to be a little patience.
Pen and watercolor in black and white.

Klettersteig

2011-07-24T20:08:00.003+02:00

We had planned a little vacation in the Alps. Mainly for paragliding reasons. However the weather turned out to be not suitable for free flights the whole week, so plans had to be changed. Luckily we found out that the kids loved doing the Klettersteig, or Via Ferrata, so the vacation turned into a big plus.
Pen and ink in black and white.

Illustration Friday - Remedy

2011-07-06T15:19:00.003+02:00

A well-functioning lock is allways a good remedy against burglary. Sadly enough it is only prevention, not a cure.

This drawing is made with pen and watercolor in black and white, together with some fantasy about the looks of the lock. I haven't seen such a lock before, but when I was sketching it suddenly appeared.

African Masks

2011-06-22T10:52:00.003+02:00

Sushi

2011-06-17T10:48:00.004+02:00

My wife attended me on the Sushi-shop in our little village. It was a delight, I must say. The last time I ate Sushi must have been about ten years ago, in a Japanese restaurant.
Drawing food is quite a difficult challenge. You have to be careful that it still looks good, fresh, crispy and tasteful. Pen and watercolor.

Mask - the movie

2011-05-25T08:55:00.005+02:00

This is the mask used in the movie with Jim Carrey. Long I've been thinking it was just a mask made by a prop artist, but thanks to internet I found out that it was based on a Norse mythology god, called Loki. Quite an interesting character, I must say. You can find more information about him here .
I made this drawing partly by using the dry brush method. Although the original mask is green, I find the drawing more appealing in black and white.

Six words short story

2011-05-15T20:18:00.004+02:00

The mysterious treasury couldn't be opened.

That could be an idea for a story, I thought.

Ancient mask

2011-05-10T22:27:00.002+02:00

The initial sketch for this drawing started in fact as a doodle, just to warm me up for making another drawing which I will post later. The original mask can be seen in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, Great Britain. A rough wooden mask worn during the carnival and then hung over the stable door or in front of the hay as protection.
I don't know where to protect against, but what I do know is when I draw masks I allways see someones face in it. As in this drawing I see several faces of people I know.
Pen and watercolor, black and white.

The Story Of Your Life

2011-05-02T21:07:00.001+02:00

The story of someone's life can be read just by looking at the artifacts stacked away on the attic.

Taking a little nap on the countryside

2011-04-27T09:47:00.004+02:00

This week's challenge on Illustration Friday is called "bicycle". Some say coincidence doesn't exist. I had made sketches for a drawing about a guy taking his afternoon nap. Two weeks ago you could have seen part of those sketches on my entry for IF's challenge "bottled". Working out that drawing I thought of putting a sign on the car the guy is resting against, saying he works as a bicycle repairman. Doing so, my son told me he had trouble with the gearshift on his bicycle which need to be repaired...
Anyway, this is my 200th message on this blog. So time for some celebration and after that a midday nap would be nice.

Pen and watercolor on Fabriano 300.

Friendship Bread

2011-04-20T21:31:00.004+02:00

It's better not to have too many friends, otherwise there will be left less.

Bottle and Glass

2011-04-11T12:52:00.004+02:00

Last week I was sketching for an illustration about the Southern European habit of taking a midday-nap, mostly called: siësta. Part of this sketch happens to suit this week's Illustration Friday challenge, called "Bottled".
Unfortunately I'm a sort of taking a break finishing this illustration yet, but who cares? Finishing it "mañana" will be soon enough.

Broccoli

2011-04-05T12:36:00.003+02:00

According to Wikipedia the word broccoli, from the Italian plural of broccolo, refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage". It has nothing to do with Albert R. Broccoli, an American film producer, who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career and is mostly known as the producer of the James Bond films. Although he was born on April 5th 1909 (and died on 27 June 1996), but who says there's no coincidence in life?
Pen and ink and watercolor (shaken, not stirred)

2CV in black and white

2011-03-28T21:21:00.003+02:00

I noticed that I didn't have drawn a Citroën 2CV for quite a while. So I made this one: an old garage with a, perhaps, forgotten car in it. It was fun to draw and I made the drawing according what I had in mind. That's the fun part of drawing, especially when drawing cars. After all: they're men's favourite toy. Aren't they?

Recipe for a pizza

2011-03-20T20:55:00.006+01:00

Making a pizza isn't very difficult. First you start off with a nice sketch, based on a real life model or on a good picture.

Then you start with the inking. Already during the inking I use different styles and linings to add a bit of depth and dynamics into the drawing. In this stage it's important not to draw to much tone, because that can ruin your colouring later on and make your drawing look less brisk.

Then I remove all the pencil with a plastic eraser. I don't like to use the kneaded erasers. They leave behind a sort of oily substance on the surface, which doesn't let the watercolour flow the way I like it.

Then it's time to add the watercolours. I mainly use very small palets of colour. Just to be safe, but on the other hand I use brushes which are more than twenty years old to give me little surprises when adding the colours to the paper.

So there you have your pizza. Made in pen and watercolour on simple 150 grs white drawing paper. I hope you liked this little insight look about how I work and if you're getting inspired by this lecture please let me know the result.

Currant bun

2011-03-14T21:14:00.004+01:00

Current theme is the currant bun. A very tasty one, I must say. Colour and shape look good. Not all currant buns I know have this shape. Most buns look very pale and have not enough ingredients. That are currant buns made without love and only for the profit. That doesn't last long. I remember I've had a couple of years ago an intense discussion with the manager of the bakery shop here in our village. The shape, taste and looks of their currant buns changed overnight and I said to him that wasn't the right thing to do. They must not try to make the same products a supermarket sell. A bakery has to offer a (better) alternative for the consumer. He totally agreed with me, but said it was a companies decision. So he had nothing to say about it. I found that a weak excuse. Since then I stopped buying currant buns there. I'm still waiting they change their company policy about the buns. Besides that, nobody has to tell me how buns should look like!

Warning

2011-03-06T21:27:00.003+01:00

Eating pancakes comes at our home always with a warning: careful, due to unresistable deliciousness you tend to eat to much of them. May cause serious stomachproblems!
Luckily our kids are used to this, but the guests they invite to our home sometimes aren't.

Pen and ink and watercolor (the drawing, that is, not the pancakes).

Donuts

2011-02-28T14:06:00.001+01:00

The plain donut, the one on the left, tasted best...

Drawing exercise made fun

2011-02-11T09:14:00.003+01:00

Drawing ellipses is a very good drawing exercise, but can also become very boring. What I try to do to lighten up the exercise is making a subject out of the ellipses. For instance: donuts. They come in a very basic form, are therefore easy subjects, they can be bought mostly everywhere and, last but not least, after finishing your exercise you can eat your drawing model! Is there any other hobby with such an advantage?

Brussels witloof

2011-02-09T21:45:00.003+01:00

Although the name is "Brussels witloof", where "wit"stands for "white", the subject tends to be yellowish greeny white.
It's my third attempt to draw a white subject on a white background. And yet again the whiteness is suggested by using colour. Interesting how your mind translates the information seen through your eyes.
Pen and ink and watercolor.

Mushrooms

2011-02-03T21:28:00.004+01:00

Another attempt to draw white subjects against a white background: mushrooms. Luckily these weren't as big as the ones we once grew by ourselves. That was a fun thing to do, growing our own mushrooms. Very easy with a 1-2-3 starterskit, but it became such a success that we couldn't see mushrooms for a while!
Pen and watercolor.

Garlic

2011-01-25T22:17:00.003+01:00

As an ongoing practice I sometimes put a test on myself. For instance drawing white objects against a white background. I thought some pieces of garlic would be a nice challenge. It turned out to be less difficult then I was afraid of. When I looked close at the garlic, I saw all kinds of colours hidden in what I thought was a white surface. All I had to do was to exaggerate those colours to give depth and 'life' to the drawing.
Pen and watercolor.

Workshop

2011-01-18T20:32:00.004+01:00

Last saturday I attended a beginners workshop portrait drawing. One of the exercises was to draw a selfportrait. The difficulty was that you weren't allowed to look on the paper to see what you were drawing. Purpose of the exercise was to let your hand 'feel' where the different parts of a face are. At the end I'm glad I don't look like my self-portrait!

One of the things that is important for your brain to recognize a face, is mainly the shape and size of stains that are 'hidden' in a face. Your brain doesn't really recognize a person by the looks and number of detail in his or her face. So one of the exercises was to make a portrait just by painting stains.

I must say it was very enlightening for me, also because I'm used to draw in a very detailed way. It's nice to know that there are other ways to make a drawing. Or portrait, in this case. Certainly a very well spend day and challenging to see what I can do with that knowledge in the nearby future.

Croissant

2011-01-12T09:27:00.002+01:00

It's always a treat to start of the day by eating a croissant. I prefer them with strawberry marmalade, although a little butter with sugar tastes almost as good.

Pen and watercolor.

Deja Vu

2011-01-08T19:46:00.005+01:00

As I was making sketches this week for a drawing I plan to make about different kinds of bread, I had this deja vu of drawings I've made about 15 years ago. My nephew, who owns several bakery-stores, asked me to make drawings for a series of ads he was planning to place in the local newspaper. The drawings were supposed to be used all year round, so I made several different ones. Themes were: Christmas, Eastern, New Years Eve, and so on, and so on. Luckily I've found a print in my archive to share with you, cause the original drawings are long lost. No one knows what happened with them. Maybe they show up at an auction when my work becomes famous...

Happy New Year!

2010-12-29T10:53:00.003+01:00

Whisky drawing

2010-12-26T12:43:00.002+01:00

Ford Transit Mark 1

2010-12-01T10:06:00.004+01:00

Just another van I remember from my childhood days: the Ford Transit. This version is called the Mark 1. It was quite a sensation when it was introduced, because word was spread it could tow a broken truck when necessary. I tried to find evidence of that on the net, but couldn't find any confirmation. Above that, according to the guys of Top Gear, the Transit was often used by criminals for robberies. It was spacious and had a lot of motorpower to make a fast runaway...
The Transit is still in production, although not in the same design I've drawn it.

Pen, ink and a slash of watercolor.

Whisky tour

2010-11-25T12:33:00.004+01:00

At this time of the year I often develop an appetite for whisky. As does my father-in-law. We are planning to make a whisky tour in Scotland next year, not by our own car, but by bus. Looks a bit more sensible to us, although we're not notorious in our drinking habits. Just nipping is good enough.
To get in the mood I made this sketch, but I think it would be much better to make a ink and watercolor piece out of it.

Renault Estafette

2010-11-23T12:18:00.003+01:00

What me intriguied most at the Renault Estafette was the sliding door on the driver's side. As a young child I remember the postal office used these vans as did several other companies delivering goods at my parent's store. The sliding door was a very practical solution, because the driver could get in and out the van without having to open the door everytime.
The engine of the Estafette was dramatically underpowered, so it was mostly used for quick deliveries rather for movements of large and heavy loads.
Pen and ink, washed with watercolor.

Cartoon

2010-11-18T12:12:00.004+01:00

I was asked to draw a cartoon about measuring methods for bed sores in the hospital my wife works. It is not yet known if the method I came up with for this drawing will be actually implementated.
Pen and ink and watercolor on Fabriano 300.

Volkswagen Transporter

2010-11-17T09:13:00.005+01:00

I'm a bit into delivery vans lately. It's fun to draw them. For instance this Volkswagen Transporter, build in the fifties. It's a Type 2 Volkswagen. Type 1 is the world famous Beetle and Type 2 is actually based on it. Enthusiasts call this Type 2 also "splitty"or "split screens" due to the fact that the front windscreen is split in two. I found a lot of pictures on the internet of this model, so I guess I'm not the only one who likes them.
Pen and ink and watercolor.

Sketch

2010-11-04T20:56:00.004+01:00

As I was inking the drawing of the Citroën HY an idea popped up in my mind about how that vehicle could be used. It can basically be used for almost any kind of work. For instance delivery of goods or transporting people from one place to another. Or, as I sketched above, a tool for two brothers working in the publicity industry. It was great fun making this. For me, not for the two brothers, who aren't having a good time at the looks of it.
Anyway, I can see some elements that aren't quite right yet. Some things are out of proportion or missing. There's a lot of work to be done. I'll post the drawing in a couple of days/weeks when its ready.

2010-10-27T20:29:00.004+02:00

Sometimes history lies just around the corner. Take for instance this old church, destroyed in 1573, in a village not far from where I live. During the war with Spain the Dutch destroyed this church during the siege of Leiden, to prevent the Spanish soldiers taking shelter in the building during the cold winter. Since then the church hasn't been restored, making it a sort of war memorial 'avant la lettre'.
Pen and ink, 20 x 25 cm.

Citroën HY

2010-10-19T21:19:00.003+02:00

The Citroën HY was produced between 1947 and 1981. There were more than 400,000 sold, in all different kinds. Due to the fact that engine, gearbox and steering were all situated in the front, many varieties could be made. For instance campers, delivery vans, pickups or snackcars. A typical example of 'Form Follows Function'. Source: Wikipedia.
Drawing made with ink and watercolor.

Sketched Citroën HY

2010-10-13T10:38:00.004+02:00

As a result of this week's topic on Illustration Friday, namely "Transportation", I got inspired and made this sketch of an old van. It's the Citroën HY, which bring back good memories of childhood days.
Pencil sketch from a photograph.

Illustration Friday Transportation

2010-10-08T15:05:00.005+02:00

This weeks topic of Illustration Friday is: Transportation. As it's also harvest time everywhere and especially at vineyards I thought this drawing of a Peugeot pickup stationed near two winebarrels would be a perfect match with the subject. It covers at least three of my favorists: vintage cars, wine and drawing.
We also have grapes in our garden, but each year they taste different. This year, for instance, the grapes taste very sour. Although I've added quite an amount of chalk to the soil this Spring. Perhaps we've had a shortage of sunshine this Summer.
Pen and watercolor

Pen drawing

2010-09-26T21:43:00.003+02:00

Sometimes it's just fun to do a very detailed pen drawing. I saw this picture in a tutorial. The original is full-colour, but I gave it a little twist into a black and white pen drawing. I also changed the name on the lock into a much more known name: https.

Self promo

2010-09-12T14:21:00.004+02:00

It's such nice weather outside, I thought it would be nice to add a colour and countryside-like drawing to my blog. In the technique I like the best: ink and watercolor. As a matter of fact I've placed this drawing also on the homepage of my website .

Sketchbook #4

2010-08-30T22:03:00.002+02:00

Sketchbook #3

2010-08-25T10:11:00.005+02:00

A car and a lady, rocks and type.

Sometimes I sketch daily,

Sometimes at night.

Sometimes with pen

With a touch of colour,

But mostly in black and white.

(an illustrator is somewhat like a singer/songwriter, I think.)

Illustration Friday Atmosphere

2010-08-22T20:44:00.004+02:00

In this sketch I've tried to catch the atmosphere of a sunny morning in a quiet French village. What you see is a little service station, with the Citroen 2CV AZU in front of it.

Troll

2010-08-18T21:47:00.005+02:00

Last week I've read a short story about a little, grumpy, ugly man. It was a very funny story by the Dutch author Peter Schaap. Almost from the beginning of that story I've had a certain type of person in mind. After I've read the story I almost automatically drew this sketch in my sketchbook.

Sketchbook #2

2010-08-15T20:46:00.002+02:00

Sketchbook

2010-08-10T11:41:00.003+02:00

Some faces I've sketched, just to try out a new sketching-pen. It turned out to be a nice piece of equipment.

Double

2010-07-27T20:57:00.003+02:00

We went out for a short holiday-break. I packed my sketchbook with the intention to make sketches of people. But as often the case during my holidays, I didn't drew half as much of what I intended to do, nor something which came close to the subject. But that's also the meaning of a holiday I guess: doing as little as possible or at least nothing which look like 'work'.
This sketch in my moleskine is a quick one made of our mugs on the table in our little cabin. It's a bit of a coincidence that this subject fits this weeks topic on Illustration Friday. So, even when I didn't drew as much as I'd planned to do, I still can make a posting on my weblog. That's also a bit 'double', I think.

Parking prohibited

2010-07-13T23:08:00.003+02:00

Summertime

2010-07-07T09:42:00.005+02:00

It looks like summertime finally begins: lots of sunshine and high temperatures. Time to pack your camping gear and hike.
Five years ago we bought our first family tent. We went out to Italy, with our two kids. Mostly it's nice weather in Italy, but not that time. We had very low temperatures at night and lots of rain at daytime. On our way back home we even had a snowstorm on the Brenner. In June!
At least we discovered our tent was waterproof, although it was very cold at night. Luckily our daughter was too young to remember how cold it was during the nights. All she wants nowadays is going to a campingsite. Allthough she rather go with a camper. Maybe that's a result of the weatherconditions we experienced than in Italy. You never know. At this moment we haven't made plans where we're going to this year. Our son doesn't care, as long there's a swimmingpool with a big slide.
I made this drawing when I used the tent at a short paragliding holiday in the Jura. I didn't use the sleeping cabin, which make the tent twice as big, because wife and kids stayed at home.
Pen and watercolor on 300 grs Fabriano.

Illustration Friday Satellite

2010-06-29T22:53:00.003+02:00

Just too bad the French didn't recognize the full potential of the Citroën 2 CV.

Tarbes

2010-06-16T09:55:00.003+02:00

I always like to watch the Tour de France, which starts again in a few weeks time. If possible you can find me alongside the course at some point to see the cyclists. It's not only them why I like to see that race. It's also the anticipation of the people around me standing on the street about what's gonna happen. Sometimes you'll wait for several hours just to see the cyclists pass by in less than a minute.
I remember back in 1996 it was a very hot and sunny day in the south of France when the Tour de France took place. I was on a cycling holiday and only my cycling mate and me had plans to watch the Tour. The other participants of that trip choose to cycle that day on their own and climb some mountains (Hautacam, Aubisque, Soulor). Just for fun.
Anyway, my mate and I took our bikes and drove to Tarbes, a little town in the neighbourhood of Lourdes. We arrived at about 10.00 AM and the Tour would pass around 2.00 PM. So plenty of time to look for a good spot. We thought that standing on a corner would be nice and after a long search where the Tour would actually pass (nobody we asked could give us a solid clue), we posted ourselves on the corner of Avenue Francois Mitterand and rue Eduoard Dallas.
After about an hour our waterbottles were empty, due to the tropical temperatures, so we had to score some water. A gas station with the name "Station St. Christophe" seemed to be the right place for us travellers to fulfill our waterly needs. Alas, due to the passing of the Tour de France the station was closed...
A guy across the street noticed us walking with our empty waterbottles and waved to us, asking if we want something to drink. He offered us wine, being a Frenchmen off course, but we refused kindly by saying it was a bit too early for us to drink wine. We'd rather had some water. After filling our waterbottles he asked where we came from ("Holland", we answered) and then he asked if we would like to drink some beer with him. A cold beer is always welcome, so we followed him to his fridge. It turned out he only had two bottles of beer and being with the three of us made it a bit uncomfortable for him. His looked a bit disappointed, probably because he realised that being the host he had to give his beer away to two strangers from Holland. We saw him being in some sort of indecisiveness and suggested him to fill out the two bottles in three glasses. After this enlightend idea and some poor jokes about Dutch treats we almost missed the passing of the Tour.

Trail

2010-06-07T10:19:00.003+02:00

The Citroen 2CV was designed to ride across the French countryside. One of its goals was to enable the paysants to transport their fresh eggs to the market without breaking them during the ride on rigid trails. Not many modern cars can copy that nowadays!
Pen and ink and some watercolor.

Streetview

2010-06-02T10:00:00.005+02:00

A house somewhere in the middle of France, in a little village near Millau. I stopped by this house during a bicycle tour. It was hot, I was thirsty, and I've ran out of water. Luckily there was this house-owner who was so kind to let me refill my waterbottles.
Ink and watercolor.

Same drawing, now colored

2010-05-12T20:56:00.003+02:00

Small car in an old barn

2010-05-11T10:11:00.003+02:00

Just a loose drawing I made today from a photograph. Sometimes you still can spot them in the French countryside: old barns with old cars in them. Somehow the Citroen 2CV still appeals to me as a car made to be drawn. Unless cars made nowadays, which mostly all look the same. So I couldn't resist drawing this car and barn when I came across this picture. I believe it was on Flickr.com (great site btw), but I'm not sure.

Illustration Friday

2010-05-10T22:06:00.004+02:00

This week's challenge on Illustration Friday is: Fearless.
The sketch of the drawing above was the first thing which came up in my mind in relation to this subject: a little pirate on a small boat.
Pen and ink with washes of black Schmincke watercolor.

Liberation Day

2010-05-04T21:38:00.005+02:00

On May 5th we celebrate Liberation Day. Then we celebrate our freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion. We remember the people who gave their lifes, mostly young guys around 20 years old, for our freedom more then 50 years ago. Thanks to their greatest sacrifice man can give we now have the right for freedom, but also the obligation to respect that.

Illustration Friday Detective

2010-04-21T22:11:00.003+02:00

A good detective allways focuses on little details

Little Pirate

2010-04-14T21:06:00.003+02:00

Little pirates are always anxious for big adventures behind the horizon.

I was one of them when I was young. I still remember at the age of seven I made a wooden raft which didn't float at all. Disaster! I could never be a good pirate. Then I promised myself I would become a comic artist. Which didn't work out very well either...

Boy On The Look-out

2010-04-02T11:37:00.003+02:00

It looks like winter is finally gone. Spring is here to stay, so the time has come for playing outdoors. This little boy is already standing on the look-out.

The perspective in this drawing looks promising to me, but I still have difficulties in finding the right dimensions in, for instance, the little boy's arms, head and legs. I'll have to practice a lot on that stuff.

Waiting For The Bus

2010-03-24T20:45:00.002+01:00

One allways wonders what's the story behind a picture. Actually, I don't know. I was just making some sketches and this became the result. Who knows why this boy is standing at a bus stop with all that luggage...

Subterranean

2010-03-17T23:18:00.004+01:00

Everybody knows: treasures have to be kept in subterranean hiding places!

Not an ordinary sketchbook

2010-03-15T11:42:00.004+01:00

The time had come to buy a new sketchbook. After years using all sorts of sketchbooks, I thought it was about time to buy a proper sketchbook. A sketchbook many people talk about on the net. A sketchbook which has its own weblog. A sketchbooks with many admirers. Maybe more admirers then certain religions have. A sketchbook people might look at as if it is a religious object. A sketchbook which is more then just a sketchbook. A relic. An icon. My First Moleskine.
Now let us hope it improves my drawing skills. The first doodles are already made and are here in the open to be looked at. I made them with a simple black ballpoint pen. Just what came up in my mind, the old guy, or what I looked at: a window, a picture in a magazine.

Brave

2010-03-08T21:35:00.003+01:00

This week's topic on Illustration Friday is: Brave. It reminded me of the time I thought it would be fun to jump parachute. Well, the first jump was fun, because you don't know what to expect. But then, the jumps after the first one! That's a totally different story. Then you imagine what can go wrong. So, you have to be brave to make that second jump. And then another, and another, and another.

Ink with watercolor exercise

2010-03-03T14:35:00.003+01:00

This exercise should actually have been a little, wooden boat. According to Michael Warr's book "Capturing texture", that is. But I've drawn a boat two weeks ago, so I choose a subject which is a little closer to me than boats.
The exercise is about how you can put texture into an inked drawing by adding watercolor. In this exercise it also had to be a monochromic study. I like black and white drawings most, so that's what I've made. I think it has depth and a certain "breadness", although it's in black and white.

myPhone

2010-02-25T20:49:00.001+01:00

I usually had great problems with my cellphones: dust. I keep my mobiles always in the pockets of my trousers. Most people don't, I guess, because no one ever confirmed to me they have the same problem: dust in the phone. So you'll have difficulties making pictures are reading the screen in daylight, for instance.Untill I had a great brainwave: waterproof means also dustproof! So when my provider offered a waterproof phone for free in combination with a cheap subscription, the deal was quickly made. Now I'm dustfree calling, textmessaging or internetting. It even has a flashlight!

Adrift

2010-02-16T20:46:00.003+01:00

This week's topic on Illustration Friday is 'Adrift'. This was the first thing I thought of. Perhaps a bit empty on the horizon: should I have drawn a shore? Maybe it's better this way.

Pirate

2010-02-13T11:09:00.003+01:00

Hidden in a pile of old sketches I found this drawing in pen and ink. I made it several years ago, based on a painting made by the American artist Thomas Blackshear. According to the notes I made on the back of this drawing I've worked more than two months on it, with a 0.18 technical drawing pen.
I didn't find any print of Blackhear's painting I've based this drawing on so far, not in the pile of sketches nor on the internet. So I can't judge the result. I only know that I won't make much drawings like this one anymore nowadays. This technique is very time consuming and I don't have that much time/patience, let alone the fact that I was single back than...;-)

Happy Bags

2010-02-10T09:38:00.004+01:00

Among many other time-occupying activities I'm working on a commisioned job. It's supposed to be an eyecatcher on a new website, build by a friend of mine. The sketches took some effort, because I had a bit of a hard time drawing bags with a funny and happy outlook.

Now I've inked it, it looks more promising then I expected. All I have to do now is colouring the drawing, in the exact same colours I've coloured other drawing about two years ago... Wish me luck.

Illustration Friday - Focused

2010-01-29T16:06:00.004+01:00

My third camera ever, was actually the first one I really bought. My first camera was a price I won and the second camera I used was owned by my father.
At the age of twelve, thirteen I decided it was about time to buy my own camera. Due to a little hole in my hand I couldn't buy a really good camera, but the Agfamatic 100 was in mine opinion a good alternative. It worked well, using filmcassettes, flash cubes and a lens which stayed focused so every picture looked sharp. I remember I really made a lot of pictures with this camera.
It still works, actually, but when I look at the pictures with the knowledge I now have about how pictures should look like, I have to admit that they are more unsharp then sharp. But I had a lot of fun taking pictures back then and they bring back good memories of long forgotten holidays and events. And that's priceless.

Illustration Friday - Clumsy

2010-01-27T10:03:00.001+01:00

...it mostly happens in the last stage of the drawing.