Zanglijster

Day two of the drawing challenge: draw your fave animal. Do you have a specific favourite animal? As a child I did. Every month another one. But now, I do not think in terms of preferential animals. The song thrush popped in my head first, when exploring my favourite animals. Why? I don't know exactly. Might be it's the lean shape, the speckled plumage, it's friendly glance or beautiful singing. But drawing birds is so difficult! I googled for a picture of a thrush and tried so copy the shape.

Just start

I had a copy of this drawing challenge in my planner for some time. But the first assignment, a self-portrait, was a difficult one. Today I took the hurdle. Me drinking a lovely chai tea from one of my new mugs. A sweet birthday present from my parents in law. From the Iitala Sarjaton series (we also have these amazing glasses). Personal drawing challenges are a great way to practice your skills with pen and pencil. On Pinterest you'll find many lists. Choose one and enjoy being an (beginning) artist some minutes a day.

Topdag

On my birthday, last week, I went with friend H to the Marlene Dumas exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum. In between conservations, we hadn't seen each other for a while, we studied her magnificent work. So much emotion in such simple lines. Looks like it is so simple to replicate her technique. But when I tried next day, it appeared pretty difficult. But I love this way of painting and maybe, with some more practise, I could produce a piece to be happy about. After a wonderful birthday in Amsterdam, my family picked me up at the train station to have dinner with the four of us in the Verkadefabriek. It really was a great day!

Het is echt een topdag vandaag

One day I found a little note in the kitchen. Written by our 8-year-old daughter. 'It really is a great day today', it said. On a regular, nothing special, weekday. I got all emotional about it and wanted to do something with this special note. I added an illustration and together we made two-coloured gocco prints. And put one on the wall in our living room, to remind us to live by the moment. Need a reminder too? I have put some prints up for sale on etsy. You'll find them here. Could also be nice sinterklaas or christmas gift.

Bask bliss

For years I had the plan to make a cookbook. Not to have it published, but just for the family. In it our families' favourite dishes. I will have it print as a standard photo book. Last week I made a small start by gathering the first recipes that came to mind. Here you see a very new favourite that will make it into the book. I don't know from which magazine it came, but these aubergine fries won't be forgotten. Aubergine already was my preferred vegetable and this dish just confirms that. I even found time to make an illustrated version of the recipe. When you like, I can e-mail you a printable of this illustrated recipe (in Dutch). Just send me an e-mail.

Going forward

A befriended family in our neighbourhood is going to move. They're realising their dream of building an ecologic house. We don't like to see them go, but wish them all good in their new home. As a going away present I made a drawing for them. They'll get the original, but I scanned it and experimented with some different backgrounds. The illustration course gave such a flow. Can't stop drawing.

Busy

Sorry guys, it's a bit quiet over here. The illustration course is taking all the available time and energy this week. The lessons are very inspiring. New techniques, new materials, new perspectives. Discovering/accepting that slightly awkward and frumpy is probably my signature style. Wonderful teacher: Ellen Vesters.

Practise

Next week the kids will be back in school again and this mom treats herself on a five day illustration course. I'm so looking forward! Since I have no real illustration experience, I set myself the goal to make a drawing each day during this holiday. For the messenger girl above I was inspired by this pin. Love the idea of incorporating the stamps into a drawing. I scanned my picture, so that I can print it on any envelop. This first messenger girl brings a 'take-some-time-off-package' to someone who really needs it. Enjoy H!

Addictive

Can't stop drawing these days. So here are more decorated easter eggs. Some went back to the family that gave us the goose eggs. Others are hanging in a hazel branch over our dinner table. I used golden wraps of small chocolate eggs to add golden details on the egg with the chickens. The kids also started drawing eggs this way. I'll show you when they've finished their pieces of art.

Wake me up in 2014

Happy new year! I hope you readers will join me in 2014 and will leave a comment once in a while. Thank you for doing so last year. Two thousand thirteen was a good year to me and us. New job, second book, a fantastic party and lots more. I hope this new year will also bring us good things. We're not into new years resolutions here, but made one yesterday evening. Re-install family drawing time: once in a while spend some time to make drawings around a theme. Last night we all discovered our own fox in the cracked pavement pictures.