Sketchbooks!!

This week is all about administration (just finished 2012, now for 2013, ugh...). So sadly enough (almost) no drawing for me. Also blogging is not very high on my 'to do-' list, I can't possibly interest you in my admin adventures.

Yesterday evening, after lots of work, I was relaxing for a bit and came across this amazing webpage. It's by a blog I follow: Book By Its Cover. They publish about beautifully designed books. Book-lovers out there go check them out!

Yesterday I found out about the category Sketchbooks. To me there is nothing more interesting and inspiring to 'spy' on my fellow artists and have a look in their sketchbooks. It's also a great push to start filling those sketchbooks myself.

Can't wait for this week to be over and start experimenting!

www.book-by-its-cover.com/sketchbooks

This is a sketchbook-page from a few years ago. I was drawing on my balcony when I little bee sat down for a rest right on my leg :)

Dear diary (1)

This year (2014) I have some big changes planned, new beginnings and also endings.
First change started October 2013. I decided to quit at the artmarket Art Plein Spui Amsterdam. Saying that sales were not that great is an understatement. Especially since the crisis set in.
Next to that I noticed that I was producing for the market instead of enjoying my art.
In a way having a spot at the artmarket is safe. You have your spot, are surrounded by nice people who do the same thing as you do and nothing is making you go out there and find better things.
So that’s what I’m setting out to do this year, going out there and find better things! 

First plan was to start a blog and (this time) keep adding updates. My goal is 3 times a week. So here it is, my blog. Not finished yet, still tweaking lots and lots but there’s content. Now for some readers!
Next in line is my website. It’s terribly outdated so that’s my next project.

But what’s after that? I’m having trouble with setting priorities. Where to start and what do I want exactly?
I want to have exhibitions again. I want to look into my childhood dream and illustrate. I want to enjoy making art like when I was a child.
How to achieve all this? That's partly what this blog is about, finding out and pushing myself to make plans work!

Stick what where?

You might wonder: ‘What are these monsters?! What happened to the cute, lovely bees!?!’

Well, they are still in the planning but I had to do these first. These are Phasmatodea, commonly known as stick insects, walking sticks or stick-bugs. This particular kind is called Heteropteryx Dilatata PSG 18. They were part of a terrarium that was getting overpopulated.

For me this was a very good lesson in getting over my fear of insects. As you probably know insects usually fold their legs across their body when they die. So first thing I had to do before drawing was wait for them to defrost, then very carefully bend their little legs back to positions that would look natural and leave them to dry (out). I have to confess I used tweezers. I got the Phasmatodea through my friend and fellow artist Katja Berkenbosch. She makes wonderful paper art and often uses butterflies in her artwork.

While drawing the Phasmatodea I completely fell in love with their ‘armour’ and despite of it would find the same vulnerability I found in the bumblebee, moths and flowers. Especially when I realized that the biggest specimen I had (5 cm) was starting to develop wings. Wings that would never grow and take it anywhere. Next to that I realized I had drawn it as big as it could have gotten had it reached adulthood.

Still pondering colour...

Magnifying apparatus

And this is how I’m able to do such detailed drawings of tiny insects.
As I understand it it’s actually a magnifying-tool for soldering. It has two pincers to hold stuff that I folded in so they’re not in my way.
This apparatus is a really big help when you’re subjects are very small! :)

Wings!

After three bumblebee-drawings I realized I had only drawn this (former) flying beasty on its back with its legs up in the air. How about those wings?!

And how beautiful they are. So much detail, such beautiful reflection and shininess, how were these delicate slivers of ‘paper’ ever able to keep this bumblebee up in the air?

All my drawings up to now of the found insects have been in Indian ink (on Saunders Waterford watercolour paper) but I would like to add some colour too.

Back to the drawing board!



Flight of the Bumblebee

When my home wasn’t my home yet and up for rent I immediately fell in love with the big, broad windowsill. I could picture myself sitting there, reading and drawing on top of a huge pile of pillows.

This is where I found the little moth I enjoyed drawing so much. Occasionally I find other bugs there. Still alive they are set free, if not they end up being drawn by me. Buried beneath my huge pile of pillows I recently found a beautiful bumblebee. Just like the moth very dramatic, with two little legs stretched out into the air as if to bid a final farewell.

I have to confess my feelings towards insects are a bit ambiguous. They are useful, beautiful and can even be cute but they creep me out at the same time. While drawing this bumblebee time after time, I was captivated by its beauty, detail, soft hair and wings but sometimes I would feel shivers go down my spine.

In the near future I want to do something with this ambiguity towards insects but I'm still brooding on the how and what. To be continued :)

Flying flowers

A little while ago I found this small moth in my windowsill. It was just sitting there, as if it was still looking out of the window. Mournful about not being able to get outside and looking at the setting sun one more time… At least, that was the story that popped into mind when I found the poor little critter.

Not sure what I was going to do with it I saved it in a little box. I found more and bigger moths and saved them too in somewhat bigger boxes.

As you can see I ended up drawing them. For some reason the step from drawing flowers (blooming or dried up) to these insects was very logical. They have a resembling fragility that I find intriguing and feel compelled to draw.

 

Dead or alive?!

After doing lots of little drawings in and out of my sketchbook I thought I needed to grow a little. This is a bigger drawing of a vase of tulips, or actually a tulip. There were more but I took the liberty to cut them out of the drawing. I completely fell in love with this one tulip and even more with the beautiful curves the leaves are making. Dying they look more alive than ever!

The size is 38x55 cm, still not that big but I would like to make them huge. Very curious where this is going to take me.

New year new studio

Yesterday I picked up the key to my new, shared studio at Retort Ateliers. I will be sharing a space with my good friend Nanette Kraaikamp and I’m really looking forward to this collaboration.

Nanette and I both studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Education in Amsterdam. Only after graduating and bumping into each other years later we became friends. As we both are artists we talk a lot about (our) art, ideas and art related troubles. When one of us gets a bit disillusioned, talking about it makes us feel better and ready for the next hurdle in our studio.

Since 2013 we made these talks monthly, keeping each other in check and on the right track.

Together with 6 other artists I also share a studio called Grafisch Collectief Thoets, it’s specialized in graphical techniques such as etching, lithography and silkscreen printing. I won’t be leaving Thoets, I like printing and my colleagues too much to leave. I hope the addition of Retort Ateliers and working in the same space with a good friend will generate lots of inspiration and new art.

When Nanette and I stepped out of the studio to have a cup of coffee and hot chocolate a beautiful rainbow appeared. It stood in front of us like an arch only fading when we were about to go inside and enjoy our hot drinks. I think this new adventure can't go wrong :)

Photo by Nanette Kraaikamp