Sunday 29 April 2018

Near the "Jan Dikkeven" - a forest pond


The signposted walk we did last week in our Natural Reserve "Oude Buisse Heide" passes by a small pond. That pond and the area around it was donated to the organisation that manages the Natural Reserve by its latest owner Mr. Jan Dik. Hence the name Jan Dikkeven because 'ven' is Dutch for a pond in the forest.
The bridge only seems useless because there is a lot of very wet mud on one side and there is water on the other side. In months with more rain there probably is a small stream ending in the pond.
We did have to cross that little bridge to continue our walk and I made some pictures of the scene because I liked it. 

Springtime means fresh young leaves, lots of branches still visible and the earth is not yet covered with grasses and mosses. The little bridge is as lop-sided as I have painted it, it was necessary to concentrate when we crossed it.
I did like to paint the little pool next to the bridge with the reflection of the large tree in it. There are lots of shadows that suggest the presence of more trees behind my point of view. The big tree is a pine tree and most of its needles grow on the higher branches, out of sight. They do give a bit of shadow though.

Painting this scene was nice. I had to think about shadows, bits of grass and bits of bare earth and to leave open spaces in the lines of the branches for the beginning foliage. 
The big pine tree is very dark because of the shadows and it's not easy to make it round. I did learn from this one, so the next big tree will certainly be easier.

More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, availability) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Friday 27 April 2018

Dead tree stump - a charcoal drawing


The forest areas of our Natural Reserves are being managed in a way that enables the biodiversity to grow. Which means that dead trees are left where they are (only when it is safe for the people who visit the area) to decay and provide shelter and food to insects, rodents and birds as long as possible.

During our walk in the "Oude Buisse Heide" we saw this dead tree stump among lots of very young trees and some older ones. The sunlight was on the white wood of the dead tree and this view really did catch my attention. 
Because of the abundance of mosquitoes I did not stop for a sketch but took some reference pictures and walked on. 
I decided to make a charcoal drawing when I was taking the pictures, to make the dead tree stand out as much as possible . 

The drawing process was a bit - what shall I say,  I had to wash my hands more than once because I use my fingers instead of a feather or a stumper. But I did have fun and the result is what I hoped it would be.

More information about this charcoal drawing (materials used, size, availability, etc) can be found at my wbsite www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 




Sunday 22 April 2018

"Oude Buisse Heide" view from the Tea Pavilion


The weather was great, so we went for a walk in our beautiful nature. 
We decided to drive to the Natural Reserve "Oude Buisse Heide" and do a signposted walk of 5 km. 
The area of the  "Oude Buisse Heide" is really beautiful and famous for having been the summer residence of one of our most beloved poets, HenriĆ«tte Roland Holst. This signposted walk is said to be one of her favourite walks and has many information boards with her poems along the path.

The walking route passes many ponds and in this season there are lots of mosquitoes in the air. Every time we stood still they tried to land on my arms, my head, etc. So we did not stand still for long, just long enough to make pictures. 
This is the view from the Tea Pavilion. I rested the camera on the handrail and made some pictures for reference. 

I liked the wide view combined with the branches of the tall tree that stands next to the pavilion. The grasslands right in front of the pavilion have some ditches, not all are directly visible, their presence is only shown by the lines in the grass.
The tree is not having all its foliage yet, as the spring has just begun. In summer the view will be very different from what I have painted.

This is a small size painting, because I thought the subject is perfect for that approach. 
There are more pictures, so I will be painting and drawing scenes from this Natural Reserve in the future.

More information about this watercolour painting can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Wednesday 18 April 2018

Our chestnut tree in Springtime - a watercolour pencil drawing


A few months ago I made a charcoal drawing of some of the branches of our chestnut tree in winter. At that time I promised (myself) that I would try to record the budding of the leaves and flowers. 
The first weekend after Easter the leaves were starting to show just a little bit. So I made several reference pictures because the process of budding usually happens when I do not have much time for painting 'on the spot'. 
There are some more pictures waiting to be used, but I had to start at the beginning.

Because this subject is great for experimenting with all the materials I have available I decided to use my watercolour pencils and my Graphitint pencils. 
I started working dry and added some water when all the pencil work was done. I already know the colours that will emerge when water is applied to the Graphitint pencils so I only had pleasant surprises in these areas. 
I have been mixing the colours and the different types of pencil and the result really pleases me.

More information about this drawing and the other works I have made in which our chestnut tree is my model can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Sunday 15 April 2018

Erasmus Bridge, Rotterdam - stormy weather


The reference picture for this painting was made a few years ago in Rotterdam. We had planned a boat trip, a short walk, a 'ride' with the river taxi and a dinner as a surprise for my mother, the occasion was Mother's Day.
The weather was stormy, so the walk to the departure of the boat trip - crossing the Erasmus Bridge - was quite a challenge! 
Once on the boat we made several pictures in the harbour area of Rotterdam and the Erasmus Bridge of course. That bridge is still beautifully white and looks great with a dark sky behind it.
Now, a few years later my mother requested a painting of that bridge for her home and I found this picture. So it is both a painting of a very special part of Rotterdam and a memory of a nice day together with the whole family.

For the painting I used only three colours and white for the highlights of the bridge and in the waves. Usually I do not use a ruler in a watercolour painting, for the tension cables of the bridge I made an exception. They really need to be straight!
I had some trouble finding the right 'green' for the river and the clouds but after some experiments I had found it. The water and clouds really can be green here, in the right weather conditions.

I am very happy that my mother likes the painting. So this one is not available..

More information can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Monday 2 April 2018

Bananas!


Once again I have used one of the sketches that are published in 'Plaisirs de Peindre' to paint a still life. Most of the still life examples are about apples, oranges and other fruits, this one with bananas got my attention. I wanted to paint it using my 'white on black' technique and my new Metallic pencils.

The sketch was copied, not transferred so the dish is not as round as the example shows and there are some other 'mistakes' but my paintings are not meant to be an exact copy of the example given with the sketch. I am using my 'artistic license' here to make my own interpretation of the sketch that inspired me.

For this painting I have been using several layers to build up the colours of the bananas and I have added pencil lines in the end for the dark markings that appear on a banana peel when the fruit ripens. The dish was a bit easier as I have used only a few layers of paint. I did want the black of the paper to be shining through and I have used two of my new Metallic pencils for the lines on the dish, trying to give it a 'handmade' appearance.

This is a small size painting (again) because I have been experimenting with the combination of gouache, watercolour and pencils. The things I have learned while working on this little still life painting will be used again in other paintings.

More information (paints and pencils used, paper used, size, availability) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com