View through tree roots - a pencil drawing

 

During our short stay in the Val Joly region we made a walk that started in the Parc de L'Abbaye de Liessies and in a hollow road we saw how the sand was washed away from the roots of some of the trees. My husband had the camera and made some reference pictures for me.

This was the most 'dramatic' one and I made a pencil drawing while we were on vacation. 

These days I only bring some drawing materials with me on vacation because drawing is easier in less ideal circumstances such as not being in my studio.

This drawing is a small size and I will probably make another work using this tree as my inspiration.

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.

Snow - charcoal drawing

 

Last week we had a lot of snow, but it has been melting away because of higher temperatures. Last night and today it is freezing again, so what was left remains in its place today.

There is snow left on fields and I wanted to make a charcoal drawing of that last snow. So we went out to see a field that was still mostly white.

Very close to our home we found a nice spot for my reference picture. 

Today the sky is almost as white as the snow so the trees and their reflection in the water have the darkest colours. There is grass visible where snow has already disappeared and there is a trail of footprints - probably made by the moorhens that live here.

The result shas the atmosphere of (last) snow I wanted to capture so I am happy with this drawing.

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

Rose - pencil drawing

Last weekend I was part of the 'Af en Toe Kunstroute', an Art route not far from my home. Showing my art to visitors, talking to other artists and making a drawing was what I did that day. The weather was great, we had over 60 visitors at my location.

Just sitting for over six hours is not what I like to do, so I made several reference pictures of one of the flowers of the climbing red rose in my garden. Pencil drawing is relatively clean (no need to wash my hands every fifteen minutes or more often) and I can put it down, talk to visitors of the Art route and pick it up where I stopped without getting in any kind of trouble.  I selected some paper and pencils and packed these with the art I wanted to show. 

For the drawing I used the first two reference pictures, the flower bud still closed and the same flower bud opening a little bit. I took my time - there was no hurry at all - and after I had finished the two flowers I decided to add some leaves that were not to be as detailed as the flowers - just to suggest a background. 

In reality these leaves are there and many more, but this drawing just needed the ones I added to make sure the rose buds/flower are my subject.

The other reference pictures (the flower is completely opened now) will probably be used in later drawings.

The information about the materials I have used, the size of the drawing and its availability can all be found in my Tumblr blog. If you are interested in my art, please do contact me.

Lapje - a pencil drawing

 

When I am walking in our neighbourhood, to post a letter, to go to a shop or anything that might be needed that moment, I often meet the cats that live there. Saying 'Hello' is polite, so that is what I do. When I get an answer, we sometimes talk a little (me: 'How are you?' - he or she: 'Meow' and so on) and sometimes I ask permission to make a picture.

This beautiful Calico cat gave me her permission to make some pictures and I used these for a pencil drawing. I might also make a watercolour painting, but when I made the drawing I was at the 'Af-en-toe Kunstroute' and brought only some drawing materials with me.

The title is based on the Dutch name of a Calico cat: Lapjeskat, so it had to be Lapje. She was not very talkative and did not give her name, allowing me the freedom to choose a title.

For the black patches of her fur I mixed some dark colours, just like I would du when painting with watercolour paint because I had no black watercolour pencil with me.  Some of the dark hairs were more brown than black and using the mixing technique I could add brown to the fur without unnatural colour transitions.

The colour mixing may not result in a perfect black, it had to be a natural colour and I think I achieved that.

The information about the materials I have used, the size of the drawing and its availability can all be found in my Tumblr blog.