Reflection in the fen

 

A few weeks ago my husband and me went for a nice signposted walk on the 'Kalmthoutse Heide' where I made some (reference) pictures of the beautiful landscape.

As winter was very near the colours of the landscape were turning to a pale straw yellow with patches of brown, depending on the vegetation. The pine trees were still green of course and in backlight that green was a very dark one.

Painting the trees and the reflections needed a different approach than usual, I had to leave the tree trunks light coloured so the dark of the shadows  and lower pine trees had to be painted around all those trunks. With patience and a lot less water than usual I got the result I hoped to get.

This is the last painting of 2025 so I really wanted to post it before New Year (2026)

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Feather - a Conté drawing

 

Last summer my husband Peter made a nice picture of a lonely feather on the beach. During my painting vacation we discussed the possibilities of this reference picture for making a painting with an 'unexpected addition' and decided I was to paint another composition.

A few days ago the Sketch A Day app had the prompt 'feather' and I immediately decided to use the reference picture my husband made. 

That picture was used for this Conté drawing, showing only the sand, the feather and its shadow.

Maybe I will try other compositions with the feather, trying to find the best 'unexpected addition'.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in  my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog. 

Wreath - a drawing

 

The prompt 'Wreath' in the Sketch A Day app made me look for my black paper, my Metallic markers and some watercolour pencils. Using a jar to draw the initial round shape I had the base for my wreath.

With the metallic markers I made a first layer of branches, leaves and berries and with the watercolour pencils I added more to make a nice wreath. This was the first wreath I 'composed' on paper and I am happy with the result.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Cacao - a pencil drawing

 

The prompt 'Cacao' in the Sketch A Day app made me use one of the reference pictures provided by the app to draw the fruits of the cacao plant.

This particular reference was rather colourful with fruits varying from bright red to yellow so I picked three of the ones in the picture and arranged them to a new composition.

As before I made a layer of pencil, used water and added a second layer of pencil on the dried drawing to deepen the colours.

Now I have been using this technique regularly for a few months I can say that it is a great way to make a nice drawing.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Mistletoe - a pencil drawing

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch A Day app was Mistletoe and I really wanted to make a bit more than a quick sketch.

Remembering all the references that were given in the app I made a drawing of a branch with some leaves and berries. This was to be the one with most details so I used water to 'awaken' the colours and added a second layer of pencil after the water had dried.

The background branches have only one layer of pencil.

Looking back at the references I see I made a mistake, the berries should not be at the end of the branches.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Resting place

 

This watercolour is inspired by the many benches that provide resting places for those that walk in our beautiful nature. These benches usually are along the paths and sometimes a bit weathered and most of the times occupied by other nature lovers.

As we walked a path on the 'Kalmthoutse Heide' last weekend I imagined how it would be if there was a more luxurious resting place in the woods. 

The forest scene is real though a bit simplified, I made some reference pictures for this painting. The chaise longue is inspired by Internet pictures and 'added to the landscape' at a nice spot amongst the trees.

The result is what I hoped for, a nice luxurious resting place in the woods.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this watercolour painting and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Frosted - a pencil drawing

 

The theme 'Frosted' in the Sketch a Day app made me look outside to my own garden. The rose has a few leaves left and some weeks ago I made a (reference) picture of two rose hips before my husband removed them for the winter.

Drawing them in a nice looking composition was relatively easy. Now that I am drawing every day this gives me less trouble.

Again I have made one pencil layer, used water to 'awaken' the colours, let it dry and used my pencils again for depth. 

The white frost lines were added after the water, before the second layer of pencil so I could make corrections when needed.

The result is what I hoped for.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can be found in my Tumblr blog.

View on the Moselle Valley - watercolour painting

 

The prompt 'Landscape' in the Sketch a Day app was not as easy as it seems because... which landscape will I paint and how will I show it?

I decided on a view of which I had made a reference picture and used that reference for a charcoal drawing. A watercolour painting would be the first painting from that picture.

Because the picture was made just before or just after sunset, the colours were not so very bright. Painting the colours as they are in the reference would mean a lot of 'almost black' with shades of brown and a hint of green. That is not easy to paint, these shades are too full of pigment to give a nice result.  In the reference the bushes and trees in the foreground can still be distinguished, the painting that foreground would become a dark blur.

So for this painting I did bring back the 'daylight colours' a bit, but a bit muted because of the fading light.

The small town of mostly white buildings on the riverside can still be seen and that is what I hoped to achieve.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Books are magic!

 

A good book has the magic that it enables you to be at two places in the same time.

The prompt 'Magic' in the Sketch A Day app made me think of that line(I could not find the origin of the quote) and I made a watercolour painting that shows exactly that feeling.

The chair, rug, small table and books are placed in a snowy forest landscape with a large owl.

The open book shows the magic by an outburst of warm colours.

It looks like the reader has just gone for a cup of tea (or coffee, or hot chocolate) and left the book open on the table.

Of course I used the idea of placing an alienating element in a landscape that I have practiced during my painting vacation last summer.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this painting and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.