One day I'll fly away

While still thinking of 'La Dame aux Camelias' I set out yesterday to go and watch 'Moulin Rouge' for the first time. I've read it's partly inspired by the book. Or if you ask me a great deal. I was very delighted to discover that Satine (Nicole Kidman) sings 'One day I'll fly away'. This song (which is in fact one of my all-time favourites) makes for me the movie especially valuable. Here's a memorysketch I just made of Satine and some musical scribbles of the song. Somehow for me it was extremely difficult to figure out which exact chords to use. The melody is somewhat melancholy and eery at the same time. It allowed me to put in many dissonants, and I always like that.

LA DAME AUX CAMÉLIAS

Today I read the whole book of 'La Dame aux Camélias', also known as 'Camille'. It doesn't happen to me often that I'm 'sucked' into the story. Instead of drawing all day -which was my intention in the first place- I was transported to the world of 19th century Paris. And in the end I just sobbed tears while reading the heartbreaking story of the love-affair between Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval.
Perhaps one day I'll make a painting regarding the story and name it 'Marguerite'; a name I've come to appreciate very much.

Blue Too

Feeling blue

stuff

Some sketches of the prince I posted earlier on, and a quick illustration.

thumbnails

A week ago I asked a girl from an Alpha-course I'm following, if I could make a portrait of her. She said it was OK, and tomorrow I can shoot some pictures of her. But I totally forgot to work out some composition for the painting/photos!! These I drew just now, ...some of them taken from Sargent-paintings, others from the net or just from the imagination. I want to make it work, because it seldom happens to me that I can use a real model!

warming-up

A warming-up drawing I did yesterday (from a photograph), while preparing to do a caricature-like painting; hopefully very soon. It's drawn at my maximumspeed, but I like its spontaneity.

Garden of Ed(i)e(n)

With the weather today, my parent's garden was truly enchanted! It covers a large area of rockformations, old twisted treetrunks, little rivers and the most peculiar plantlife. Here are three shots I took today of a portion of it.

Fairytales#2

Another illustration for the 'fairytale' series I'm working on. As soon as possible, I'll post the link of the wonderfull website where the illustrations are used.

sketches

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.