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Sunday 31 January 2016

Looking back at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

When I first decided to participate in Leslie Saeta’s 30 Painting in 30 Days Challenge I wasn’t sure if this was for me. I wasn’t sure how I would react to the pressure of creating every day, taking a picture every day (considering the murky Dutch weather), posting every day…
After my first aquarelle on January 1st I knew that the plan I had (drawing insects and flowers from graveyard Huis te Vraag wasn’t going to work. Already I felt a huge resistance to continue.
Next day I made a flower portrait. In my ‘drawing a day’ sketchbook I had been drawing a few flower portraits and decided to continue with those and there wasn’t a day I got bored with it.
Some days I feared not being able to do another one but every morning I would find a fitting face and flower. And in a months’ time I feel like I did grow in the way I told my story.

Lessons learned: I like working on projects like this. I like working on not too many things at the same time. I can (sort of) handle aquarelle paint. I can handle the pressure of having to finish a painting every day for a longer period. I enjoy creating and I can do this every day.
Creating makes me happy and no matter what people from the past or present have told me, I am an artist!

Saturday 30 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 30

The last flower portrait of this challenge. A bit of a creepy one. I was thinking about this composition a while back but didn’t feel comfortable to actually paint it and decided to save it for last.
Thank you Leslie Saeta for this wonderful challenge, I learned so much.
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Friday 29 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 29

Both enjoying and regretting the (almost) end of this challenge. Going to miss these flower ladies but also going to be happy about having more freedom in my daily schedule. I learned so much this month (I will get back on that in a later post) and I think it’ll have to show in my upcoming work one way or the other.
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 26

So here’s slightly different. Although I was pleased with the result of the portrait/ flower mix I missed having around ‘creatures’ half-way being a person and flower.
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Monday 25 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 25

This has been the 7th portrait of portrait being blended into flower. For the 5 remaining days of this challenge I want to try something slightly different…
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Saturday 23 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 23

Every time I’m sitting down to do these portraits I’m a little scared that I won’t be able to see any faces in the flower reference I have but again and again they keep appearing.
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Thursday 21 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 21

You’ve probably noticed I love how some flowers curl and twist when they wither. The flower I used as a basis for this portrait is a tulip.
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Tuesday 19 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 19

Since I’m trying to blend portrait and flower more and more I’m quite pleased with how this one turned out. As far I’m concerned I’m not there yet but well on my way!
Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Monday 18 January 2016

Sunday 17 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 17

This one is a little different from the previous portraits. Not only because of the background, I’m trying to mash up portrait and flower more and more and am very curious to where this might go.


Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 13

This is number 13 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge and number 12 of my floral
portrait theme. At number 12 I’m sure the best way to start my painting is first select a flower
and then find a portrait that I find fitting to that shape instead of the other way around.

The portraits I did in this fashion turned out much more exciting.


Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

Monday 11 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 11

Today was the first day of the challenge I felt a little resistance about starting but as soon I was ‘in’ I just went.

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch



Saturday 9 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 9

This is my favourite so far. In my neighbourhood grow a lot of hollyhocks. Last summer I caught these bees plundering a hollyhock, both bees are covered in pollen.

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch



Thursday 7 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 7

My goal is to integrate flower and portrait more and more in a natural way.
Happy about how this one turned out.

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

































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Wednesday 6 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 6

This one got a little elfin!

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

































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Tuesday 5 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 5

Really like how the hollyhock bud fits the ear!

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

































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Monday 4 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 4

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

































#30paintingsin30days #dailypainting #paintingaday #watercolor #watercolorpainting #painting #aquarelle #brush #worksonpaper #doitfortheproces

Sunday 3 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 3

This one is in line with the daily drawings I make right now. Maybe daily drawing and daily painting will drift apart again but for now it feels good.
If you’re curious about my daily drawings you can have a look at my Instagram.

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

#30paintingsin30days #dailypainting #paintingaday #watercolor #watercolorpainting #painting #aquarelle #brush #worksonpaper #doitfortheproces

Saturday 2 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge – Day 2

When I was thinking of a theme for the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge I first wanted to draw my insect encounters I’ve had at a small graveyard close to my home that’s out of use for 54 years now. I’ve drawn there a lot and also shot tons of pictures.
The butterfly I painted yesterday I met there, at graveyard Huis te Vraag (House to Ask – a bit of a weird name. It dates from when Amsterdam was still a small town. After traveling through fields and meadows this house was the first you would see and people would stop by to ask for directions).
But I changed my mind, for now at least. I needed my daily paintings to connect to my daily drawings a bit more and here is my first attempt.

Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

































#30paintingsin30days #jan30in30 #dailypainting #paintingaday #watercolor #watercolorpainting #painting #aquarelle #brush #worksonpaper #doitfortheproces

Friday 1 January 2016

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge

Next to my daily drawing that I’ve been doing since July 2015 I’m taking on a new challenge for the next month of January: Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days. It’s a challenge created by artist Leslie Saeta just to start painting more. There are no rules. If you can’t make it to 30 paintings, no worries, even trying to do so you will have painted more than usual. The only rule is to have fun!
My paintings are going to be in watercolour and I’m pretty excited about it. The first one has been quite a lesson because within the timeframe that I have I can’t do what I usually do to finish a drawing/ painting so I have to figure out how to solve that. I got at least the whole month of January to do that.
I found out about the challenge and Leslie Saeta through her podcast Artist Helping Artists which I highly recommend!!


Aquarelle, 25 x 18 cm, +/-10 x 7 inch

































#30paintingsin30days #jan30in30 #dailypainting #paintingaday #watercolor #watercolorpainting #painting #aquarelle #brush #worksonpaper #doitfortheproces