IF: highlights

illustration friday: highlights

One of the highlights this year was the creation of my Red Cheeks Factory
and another highlight was my project a face a day

Hope there will be plenty of highlights in 2012, happy new year!

portfolio update

Last days I've updated my portfolio on my website

IF: messenger

illustration friday: messenger

and the message is... merry christmas and a happy new year :-)

I'm on facebook too...

After joining blogger, linked-in, flickr, twitter, and even google+,
Now I'm finally on facebook too. Again a new world to explore :-)

christmas cards

I know I'm too late for printing these christmas cards, which I've made today.
I want to add them to my coming shop. It all goes a bit slower than I would like,
but next year it's christmas again ;-)
Not too late to wish you all a merry christmas!

I did join the Illustration Rally with these cards.

IF: sink

illustration friday: (hope we don't) sink

When I was young we had do a swimtest to receive a swim-certificate. One of the challenges was to 'tread water' (in dutch we call it: water trappelen)

We had to keep our fingers and our heads above the water and trample with our legs for one minute. You had to do your very best not to sink...

inspiration: Bieke Depoorter

Today I was with johbont in de Kunsthal and we saw an exhibition of photographer
Bieke Depoorter It was about  a special project: OU MENYA.

She travelled with a little note from livingroom to livingroom in Russia. The note said: "I am looking for a place to spend the night. Do you know people who would have a bed, or a couch? I don’t need anything in particular, and I have a sleeping-bag. I prefer not to stay in a hotel, because I don’t have a lot of money and because I want to see the way people live in Russia. Could I stay at your place, perhaps? Thank you very much for your help!"

She didn't speak the language and encountered many Russian families, they had conversations with hands and feet. She made a really beautiful photoreportage!

inspired by sloths

This morning I saw a very nice trailer for the documentairy
'the sloths are coming' about the daily life of the sloth made by Slothville

oooh and aaaah where my only words while watching this video, sooo cute,
it made my day and it inspired me to make this slothman drawing.

the Morran Book Project

The postman brought me a present today, a very special one! :-)

A book full of beautiful illustrations about Morran,
the Denish/Swedish farmdog from Camilla Engman

Some time ago there was an open call to sent in your Morran-illustrations for the Morran Book Project for a tribute to this special dog (she was ill). I also sent in mine

I'm proud to be a little tiny part of this inspiring project. It's a breathtaking beautiful picturebook. If you want to have a preview you can find it here
The entire profit will go to the WSPA World Society for the protection of Animals - Sweden

Unfortunately last week Morran past away... This book is a great tribute to her!
Thanks Morran, thanks Camilla!

IF: separated

illustration friday: separated

I had to think of the childrens game: blind man's buff
blindfolded and seperated from the rest...

winners anounced!

Remember these two moustache-illustrations I've published some time ago
for the Moustache Illustration Awards?

Today the winners are anounced, and guess what... I'm in the 'Moustache Wearer Category' the first runner-up :-) Here you can see the winners
and here you can find all participants

inspiration: Eric Carle

I recently bought these two books: One about Eric Carle's life and Art (for those who don't know him: he is a famous childrenbook-illustrator) The other book shows work from all kind of illustrators chosen by Eric Carle. It's nice and inspiring to see early work from them, sketches, their studio and finished illustrations.

I like this video about his new book: The artist who painted a blue horse and
I would love to visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

IF: brigade

illustration friday: 'red nose brigade'

a face a day: finale!

Tadaaaa! Here's the last overview of my face a day project:
the month November.

I started this project on the 1st of December 2010.
I've made 365 faces, a whole year long, each day one...
You can see them on my face-a-day-blog.

I'm very glad and proud I've made it!
Publishing a face each day was quite a lot.
But most of all: it was fun and it gave me red cheeks :-)

IF: round

illustration friday: round

Movember Friends

Moustache month to help raise awareness for the Movember:
for men's health. Moustaches are growing everywhere in this month :-)

Creaturemag is organizing the first Moustache Illustration Awards.
I did join with these two illustrations, they are published today in
Moustache Illustration Awards part 7

mouse 315

I made this guest-mouse for Marian from the 365 mouses blog
It's a nice blog, with all kind of mouses, Very inventive and fun to follow :-)

inspiration: various artists 5

Here's the fifth post in the serie: various artists.
So many inspiring artists with beautiful work!
Here are some parts of their illustrations, so you can get a small impression.
To see more of their work click on the links:

From left to right:
Tosya
Aris Moore
Ashley Percival
Corinna Staffe

IF: vanity

illustration friday: vanity

I had to think of one of my favourite fairy-tales: the emperor's new clothes,
the summit of vanity :-)

all about emotions

This was the last week Animals in Art class from the
Dancing Cat Art School. This weeks theme: Animals in Emotion

I've chosen the goat as my subject. To emphasis the different emotions
I've made this animated picture: 'mixed feelings'

IF: silent

illustration friday: silent

Adventures in Collage

Here are some works I've made for the Animals in Art class from the
Dancing Cat Art School: Adventures in Collage

This is an experiment with the environment as a collage into an animal.
Mixing polarbear and Northpole

Here I've tried the same to see if I could make a series. It could be a start...
Mixing lion and Africa

And a photo-collage: greetings from Paris
inspired by Paris and the Eiffel-Tower with a mix
of London men and giraffes.

When I was surfing on the internet I found a very inspiring blog,
with all kind of animal-art: the animalarium

IF: stripes

illustration friday: stripes

a face a day October 2011

Here's an overview of my face-a-day-project from the month October.

This is ALMOST the last overview.
Still one month to go and my project a face a day is complete!!

The countdown has started: still 29 faces to go...

IF: scary

illustration friday: scary

in memoriam: Hugo van Wijk

a remarkable and authentic man has died.

It was a friend from my brother. He was a huge fan of street organ music.
For a long time he went every week to the street organ museum in Haarlem.
One time my brother and I joined him on his trip.
I then made this photo reportage

When we were in a hurry to catch the tram, he said: "don't worry,
if we don't get this one, we'll take the next."
An inspiring attitude...

I dedicated today's face to him.

say it with flowers

This is the first postcard for a series
for my red cheeks shop, which I am building :-)

portrait with birds

The third week of the Animals in Art class from the
Dancing Cat Art School. This weeks assignment:

Animals and You
My challenge this week was to integrate subject and space.

Morran

Here is my Morran illustration for an Open Call
for pictures to a book full of Morran

Animals in Repetition

The second week of the Animals in Art on line class from the
Dancing Cat Art School This weeks theme:

Animals in Repetition using the Same Animal:
I've made this 'Cool Song'.

Animals in Repetition using Different Animals:
I was inspired by the fairytale from the Grimm Brothers:
The Bremen Town Musician.

I also experimented with monoprints. I found a nice blogpost
about how you can make a monoprint drawing.
With a little help from photoshop I've made these donkey-horses :-)

inspiration: Christian Duda and Julia Friese

Yesterday I've bought this book: 'Al zijn eendjes' (All his little duckings)
from Christian Duda with illustrations from Julia Friese

I saw this in the bookstore and I immediately fell in love with the illustrations.
They are full with expression and movement. I just LOVE them!
And also other work from Julia. See her website
The story is about a hungry fox who become friends with a little duck.

marabous, marabous and more marabous....

This week I started with the Animals in Art on line class from the
Dancing Cat Art School Six weeks of drawing animals :-)

the first assignment: Animals in Observation.
To warm up we've made some blind contour drawings.
(Quick drawings without looking on your paper)

We had to choose an animal to draw from real life
or from photographs you've taken. I chose the marabou.
It's one of my favorite birds, I always visit them
when I go to the ZOO

I have drawn the marabous in many different techniques:
pen and ink, with photoshop, charcoal and eraser, pastels....

And below the marabou in an environment, I began with a marker
and pastel on a cardboard and finished it in photoshop:

After a week of drawing marabous I love these birds even more.
I love their postures. They look a bit like old aunties or old men.
For me they are beautiful, very characteristic!

anti-vegetarian-club

a face a day September 2011

Here's an overview of my face-a-day-project from the month September.

Only two month to go, before I reach my goal: 365 faces...

breathtaking

Today I walked with my dearest brother and friend johbont in Driebergen-Zeist.
We started very early and just when the sun came up we were at Heidestein,
a beautiful heather. We saw a fen with tree reflections.
It really was breathtaking. So beautiful and quiet. It made our day!

inspiration: Camilla Engman (2)

Today my 2011 calender arrived!

I know, I'm a bit late, but there are still three month to go and the beautiful
pictures from one of my favorite artists Camilla Engman will remain in 2012 too.
It looks beautiful, as always.

Earlier I've bought the suitcase series. I wrote about that here

Her friendly dog Morran is in the calender too :-)
Camilla just started studio Morran: a blog dedicated to and about Morran.
The idea is to make an illustration book about him from all different artists
and illustrators. That will be fun!

inspiration: various artists 4

Here's another post in the serie: various artists.
There are so many inspiring artists with very nice work!
Here are some parts of their illustrations, so you can get a small impression.
To see more of their work click on the links:

From left to right:
Violeta Lopiz
Yael Frankel
Laura Kientzler
Daniela Tieni

IF: ferocious

illustration friday: ferocious

Again a word I had to look up in my dictionary, just as mesmerizing.
(theme from last week) A great way to improve my english :-)
First thing whch came into my mind was this ferocious lion tamer.

red shoes

hurray, I found my red shoes!!

A several years ago I bought very nice red shoes
and I was in love with them.
I walked on them till they broke in two, totally worn out.
I wanted new ones, but couldn't find them, till today :-)

I've also made an illustration earlier this year in January
about my longing for red shoes:
today red is the color of my shoes

IF: mesmerizing

illustration friday: mesmerizing
round and round and round and round...