crashing into something new

Yesterday I had some visitors: an art-committee who is interested in my work. I don't know if it's going to work out, so I don't want to say to much about it. Maybe it was just this visit and that's it, apart from making room in our living room to hang the drawings which was an evening of work. But at least it gave me another opportunity to hang my drawings and to try something new with an older drawing next to the new ones. The one I'm standing in front of is a drawing I just finished. I will post a better picture of it next week.

closer and closer

The summer is sneaking away and you can feel that autumn is slowly coming. In the morning and in the evening it's already a bit colder. I don't mind, I love the autumn with its beautiful colours. So I made this drawing to welcome a hopefully beautiful autumn in about three weeks. I wish you all a good start in the new week!

photogenic Pollock

This is another experiment with a lomo-camera. This time is not a fisheye, but a camera which has 4 lenses. The camera takes 4 pictures each time you push the button. It takes the pictures very fast and on one print you get 4 pictures. Each picture of my rabbit Pollock is as big as a creditcard and together they make a normal size print. What you see above is a normal photo. You never know exactly what the lenses capture, especially when the oject moves, like Pollock. It was a lot of fun taking pictures of Pollock, he just wanted to see if he could eat the camera...

all for a happy end

I finished this drawing even before I went to Norway. I realized that I forgot to put in on my blog, so much came inbetween: the pictures of Norway, the lomo-pictures, a drawing challenge, my shop and then I got sick. But at least I started to feel better this weekend, so here it is: my new Pippi-drawing!
I wish you all a good start in the new week!

and the winner is...

To all who left a comment on my post "news!news!news!" where you could win a pocket-mirror to celebrate the opening of my online shop. I did it the old-fashioned way: I wrote all your names down on a piece of paper and mixed them up in a bowl and just took one out. And the (hopefully) lucky one is Annton! She has this wonderful blog "the tiny fishbowl collection" so if you have time you should take a look!

I wish you all a nice weekend!

me, myself and I...

I'm still sick, but already doing a bit better. Thank you again for your nice words on my last post. I can't do very much at the moment which means that I also can't draw a lot. So I started to doodle in my sketchbook and I tried to make a comic-figur out of myself... Funny, but I'm not sure if this has a future ;-)

thank you and sorry

Thank you so much for your comments on my shop and your encouraging words! (don't forget: you can still leave a comment on that post to win the pocket-mirror).

And I'm sorry that I haven't been around this week in the blog-world or leave comments your blogs and look at your new post. I've been quite sick and to be honest I'm still not doing okay, so I can't surf around that much on the net, because I've to lie down. The hardest part for me is that I have to ask for help, which I find very hard but at the same time a good lesson to learn. But I wish I would feel better learning it! And hopefully I'll remember it when I'm better... I wish you all a nice weekend and a good start in the new week!

news! news! news!

Now I'm also one of those people who have their own online-shop, but I'm still pretty exhited! I don't have much items to sell yet and I'm not sure where it's going, but still: something new!
One of the items I'm selling is the "to die for" pocket-mirror: size 7,6 cm and perfect for your handbag or pocket. And to celebrate the opening of my shop I'll give one pocket-mirror away! If you leave a comment you can win this one! Next week I'll let you know who the lucky one is...
Please let me know what you think of my shop!

the fisheye view 2

I few weeks ago I showed you some experiments with a lomo-camera. We took the camera with us to our trip to Norway and here are some results. It's not so easy, you have to experiment a lot. If the horizon line is exactly in the middle you hardly see a difference from a normal photo. I still think it's quite funny, especially the one with the boat made me smile. Below a picture of our car, we drove 3.800 km on our trip...

draw a moment

These are some pages of my sketchbook that I took with me on my trip to Norway. Every night I wrote down what we did and what we saw. I don't take it with we during the day, because I find it very hard to draw or write in public or at the moment that I'm walking in such wonderful landscape. And actually I write more then that I draw, so it's more "write a moment".... I found out that it brings back memories sometimes even more then looking at photo's. I try to do the same thing at home but at the end I don't do it, probably because every day is a bit the same.

drawing challenge: crow

This weeks drawing challenge is hosted by Carole and her theme is CROW. I actually like these animals, I think they're beautiful. In Norway they where not totally black, like over here. They had also lots of grey shades. To bad I couln't take a nice picture of one.
Anyway: my drawing for this theme is a bit like an image of a fairytale, or at least a dream of mine: that I'm so little that I could get on his back and fly around the world!

If you want to see more, check out Carole's blog for more participants.

liebster blog

 I have been tagged my Malle for the Liebster Blog Award. The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have 200 followers or less. I think it's very sweet of her, so thank you Malle!

Appeartly there are some rules you must follow for this:

1. Each person must post 11 random facts about themselves.

2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and give 11 questions for the people you tagged.

3. Choose 11 persons and link them to your post.

4. Tell them you've tagged them. Remember, no tag backs.

Well ; I don't like rule number 3 , because I like so many blogs and so many of you who follow me. So: everyone who leaves a comment to this post can take over the Liebster blog! But please tell 11 facts about yoursels and if you want take over Malle's questions. 

Because I don't want to choose I made my own rule, sorry for that...

Facts:

1.    I’m an artist.

2.    I deliver mail to pay the bills.

3.    My rabbits name is Pollock.

4.    I love sheep.

5.    I drink lots of tea.

6.    I’m a fan of Wallace and Gromit and of course Shaun the sheep.

7.    I can loose myself in books, I read everywhere.

8.    I grow my own tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and so on.

9.    I’m tall: 1.78 cm

10.  I would like to wear black clothes, but I always end up in colourfull stuff…

11.  I like to frame pictures.

Malle's questions:

1.What is your favourite thing to cook?

I like making cookies or cake, sweet stuff.

2. What is something you dream of?

That I can pay my bills and make a living by selling my art.

3. Are you an introvert, extrovert or else?

It depends of the people I’m with and the situation I’m in, I can be both.

4. If you could have different kind of hair colour, which one would you choose?

Red and curly!!!

5. Where do you like to hang out most often in your free time?

In my studio or in the garden.

6. Tell me some of your favourite films of all time.

Lola rennt, Being John Malcovich, Adam’s apples, Mary and Max

7. How would you let foreigners know about your country? (What significant things about your culture would you tell them first?)

Well, if I tell people I’m from Holland they immediatly say: “oh yes, Amsterdam and marihuana, and wooden shoes and tulips! And oh yes: Vincent van Gogh”

I do my best telling that that’s not all, but what can I say?

8. Are you more of a tomboy or a girly girl?

A bit of both…I still like climbing trees but also dress up in a fancy dress.

9. How many siblings do you have?

I have one sister.

10. If you could have more time to do one thing, what would it be?

Draw more!

11. Have you ever heard anything of Estonia before? (lol, I just had to.)

mmm, not really….

I'm back!

I'm home again and just sorted out the pictures of Norway. It's a beautiful country and I did see so many beautiful things: mountains, glaciers, fjords. Nature is so beautiful over there. And now I don't know what to show to you...
I'm looking forward to blog again and I hope you're all doing fine! And one last picture for you, one of my favourites because I like sheep.

blog vacation

Tomorrow morning I'm going away on holiday: to Norway! I'll be back by the end of July. In the mean time I wish you all the best and maybe you'll miss my blog just a little bit ;-)

more...in store

I nearly finished drawing number 20 and it slowly becomes a problem to store my drawings. They have to stand up otherwise the paper will get a kink and the result is a "wave" in the paper, which you can see if you'll hang them. If I want to continue this way of working I think I have to empty the guest bedroom and turn it into a paper room...

the fisheye view

Ever heard of Lomography? Well, I didn't untill my dad came home with a lomo-camera...

In the early 1990s a couple of students discovered a small, enigmatic Russian camera, the Lomo Kompakt Automat, and created a new style of artistic experimental photography with their first unorthodoy snapshot cavortings. The approach: taking as many photographs (lomographs) as possible in the most impossible of situations possible and from the most unusual positions and then having them developed as cheaply as possible. Exhibitions, interactive projects, events and live visual performances have been the most significant forms of Lomographic communication over 12 years. The basic Lomographic idea is: be fast, don't think, be open-minded towards your enviroment, absorb everything.

You can buy the most extraordinary snapshot cameras: 4-lensed cameras, colorsplash, holga or the fisheye camera, which you can see in the first try-out photo's above.... And I must say, it's really a lot of fun. You never know what the result will be, it's a lot different then taking a picture with your digital camera.

it's in the abc of growing up

This weekend we will celebrate my sister's birthday with family, some friends and a lot of nice food.
I made a drawing of an old picture of us. The photo is hanging in my room and it's actually really small: 2 cm x 4 cm. I think it was a seperate test print of the actual photo. I love this sweet, small memory of the past...

full of play

I finished a new drawing and I'm very pleased with this one. I like that the girl looks so innocent and naughty at the same time. She is saying: it wasn't me, but you know she is guilty...

drawing challenge

This week the drawing challenge is hosted by Patrice and her theme is "I". She asked herself: who am I, outside and inside, what do I show and what not?

Well, I loose myself in these questions. I think we are a lot of different "things", it depends on the situation which one you are. I'm a different person if I deliver the mail or if I sit with my family. And the next question is: what do you show of yourself: at work or at friends and then the next level: at your blog. Everyone can see that and what do you want people to see? I had a lot of different ideas for this theme, also of course a self portrait and even a photo, but I guess I'm not really ready for that... And then I thought I just make a combination of ideas: I'm away for the weekend, I make a little trip to Rotterdam and I have to wait at the train station for my train. So that's the drawing and it also tells you something else about me: where ever I go, if it's far or only the waiting room at the docter office: I always carry books, magazines or newspapers around. You hardly catch me without one. I can totally loose myself in stories or articles, even if I'm at a public place like a train station...


Because I'm away tomorrow this drawing is posted a day early. Tomorrow on saturday you can find more about this challenge on Patrice blog!

so we wait

I totally forgot that I finished this drawing and show it to you! I finished it in May, even before the exhibition, but then so much happend.

The last weeks some of you asked me why I draw girls, inspired by Pippi Longstocking. I realised that I started working on this drawings about a year ago, which is a long time for me, working on the same images and themes. I get bored easy... But since then a few new followers came on board (welcome!) and maybe I need to tell you a bit about it. Just a bit what motivates me, because I always like it when people make their own story to go with a piece.

So: I know it's a bit violent but at the same time: what can shock us these days? And that is a bit what I'm working on for a year now, which is a bit weird at the same time, because I hate weapons. I take this figure of Pippi, and I wonder: how much longer does it take before they take away our childhood heroes and make them also "bad", along with the rest of the world. Maybe it's not enough for these heroes to be strong, or that they can fly or become invisible. They have to reach out to "our" weapons to be heard these days. To be noticed by people.