FAIRYTALES

Two in a LARGE series of illustrations I'm making for an assignment. As of today, I'm also living back in Doorn again, with my parents, for a period of 4 months. It makes me feel blue, because...as it often happens, you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone. Only know I realise how precious and special the time is when you're a student living the 'studentlive'..in a large city with friends and freedom. It's hitting me like a ton of bricks..and I'm going to play the piano.

sketch and illustration

A sketch and the eventual illustration. I like the sketch way more, but a la, I'm new at Painter.

more scribbles

comic strip

Our modest attempt..; it's about two pigs who are very happy with their new home. Proud enough to 'claim their right' as stock, and to take control. As the camera zooms out it becomes clear to us what actually happened: the pigs have been transferred to a 'Varkensflat': a 'Piglets-flat' where they will be chopped into meat ready for consumption. In the last frame you see two butchers laughing out loud become of the whole irony of the situation.

Well, it's been quite a weekend: the cartoon which I made with a friend for the national comic-art competition won second prize! I will soon post our entry.

I also discovered an interesting new illustrator who's art is exhibited in the Groningermuseum: Akseli Gallén-Kallela. An example of his work:

And I've been selected to illustrate the household magazine of Flexicare (a local homecare organization)!

scribbles

Well, this cartoon could be I guess the start of some real illustrations? It takes my stagefright away and I might try to make more illustrations like this..who knows in acrylic? Thanks to my sister this scan turned out just like the original in PS!

Wow I draw so little these days, that it's a real pleasure to make these sketches! The top drawing is a thumbnailsketch for an illustration I made two days ago. I'll post the illustration asap. The two other sketches are preparatory work for a comic-strip I made with a guy from the studentclub for a national comicart-competition. I'll also post the comic-strip really soon.

doodle'adoki

Restless

Two sketches I drew while watching 'The Nightmare before Christmas'. I notice it now, and when I play the piano: there is such a restlessnes in me. When I play music, my hands move to fast (faster than I can play a given melody) and it's also when I draw; my hand moves so fast, it's ridiculous.

Decor

I haven't had time to post anything lately. Here are some sketches I made for my studentsclub as possible suggestions for the decor of a theaterplay.

It's almost finished, but I wanted to show it already.

Peter van Straaten

These are some illustrations Peter van Straaten made a long time ago for the childrensbook 'Mark en de soldaten'. I like his style very much because it's messy.

Yes, soon more Peter van Straaten and a painting!

Soon some illustrations Peter van Straaten made for a childrensbook titled 'Mark en de soldaten' ('Mark and the soldiers') The drawings are wonderful! And -I hope- really soon another painting.

painting exercise

A quick exercise to get me started again. I almost haven't drawn for a whole week, due to my transfer to another home. Today I was so happy that I could paint a little!

musical scribbles

Here are some of my musical scribbles (partly 'My funny Valentine' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame; so many times out there...') Even though they are I guess uninterpretable for everyone, I like the look of them.

Sorry, no Peter van Straaten!

The book that I bought full of his lovely work is unfortunately to weak and old to put under a scanner; if I do so, it will fall apart. So here's part of a sketch he did: it's a 'memory sketch' he made of a girl he knew when he was young. Anyway, the work of Peter van Straaten has been published many times so you'll be able to get a look at it at another place.

on the move

I just moved to another appartment with 3 roommates, but now, for the next two weeks, I'm out of internet. I'll soon post some drawings and also (for the fun of it) some pictures of my piano-transcriptions of Disneysongs. When you look at them, scribbled down in blue pencil, it has a certain artistic quality to it...
I'll also post some images of a rare comicbook by Paul Gillon that I bought; beautiful black/white images (virtually unmatched in their craftsmanship) and some doodles by Peter van Straaten: one of Holland's greatest cartoonists/illustrators.

Chinese economy

For a roommate's researchpaper I made this cartoon. It shows China 'locked' in the so-called image of Orientalism. It's ready to break out and charge in for the kill. Meanwhile, in Holland, everyone is unaware of this danger.

scribbles

New drawings are on their way!

Boekenlegger

Whenever I read a book, I like to put a 'boekenlegger' between the pages -most of the time a little piece of paper. And I use this of course as an opportunity to draw a little sketch. This one's originally in black and white, but I coloured it on the computer.

inking stuff

Another inking exercise. The sketch has more of an attitude and I think I like it more because of it. My 'inking process' is much to elaborate, since I don't use a pencil/brush(?), but a very fine pen instead. Once I'm in Amsterdam, I'll buy me some fine inking pencils.

illustration+sketch

A while back I posted two sketches I made for an illustration about praying. Here's the finished illustration.('If I thank God for the peas, will He know I'm lying?')

PS

My 'first' real PhotoShop-picture! I now know a bit how to work with layers.

on a personal note: my drawing enthousiasm is up-and-running again! Yesterday behind the tv I was sketching until my pen ran out of ink. So I'll post them soon.
In the mean time, here's an illustration by Skip Liepke. His paintings are quite nice!

roommate sketch

Lately I have had so little time to draw anything, and when I do, I don't know what to draw. Strange isn't it? A friend of mine plans to publish a childrensbook and has asked me to illustrate it. I'll bet it's a good project to get me started again.
greets,

Abraham

Pinguins in love!

For my studentsclub. Not coloured in PS because that's something I still have to practice more before I put drawings on the internet.
greets!

sketches

wave #2

roommate

Today I drew a roommate while she was sleeping on the couch in front of the tv. Usually I don't draw with charcoal, but I always think of the drawings of J.S. Sargent. His figure-drawing in charcoal are amazing and inspiring.
greets!

composition

Every now and then I have these 'moods' and I start studying specific subjects on how to draw them. Now more and more I'm interested in composition. So I sketch little frames and draw shapes in them and I try to figure out what's interesting to look at. I find it's really a craft to make an interesting picture! I read this whole section on composition in a 'Famous Artists Course' book (my parents have one of the original books, lucky me!), but I guess it all comes down to practice. Perhaps this one is for a painting?

(I'm also looking forward to the publication of Hans Bacher's production design book...I can't wait!)

Let's go surfin' now!

I haven't posted anything for so long so it's time to make up. This one's an illustration for my studentsclub. Another student will digitally place a text on the illustration which will make it appear as if it were surfing the wave. Ambitiously I started out looking for surfing photo's as a reference and in comicbooks. In the end my father mentioned to me the famous drawing of Japanese artist Hokusai and I used that as a reference.

greets!

Lady Justice

It's a cartoon I made today for a roommate's Bachelor-thesis. Technically speaking..it's not the greatest cartoon you'll ever see, but it was much fun to make it and I like it. (it even has a bit of a 'Peter Pontiac edge' to it)

old drawings

I haven't posted anything lately, but yesterday I've bought a painting easel, so there's more to come!

greets