When my American bestie Danielle landed in Barcelona for work, there was no way a two-hour flight was going to keep me from our 22-year intercontinental friendship. So off I went, and what followed were the most incredible 113 hours!
I spent some time sketching on location in a dreamy little courtyard (Antic Teatre), but most of the artwork came together afterward. Adventures like these fuel my joy and creativity for months to come.
Music is 'Blue Night' by Magnus Ringblom via Epidemic Sounds
Short video about last weekend, when we spent some time in my mother's cabin in the woods. I made use of the gorgeous fall weather to do some outside drawing among the trees, and was even joined by one of the little artists for a bit.
Sketchbook is a Clairefontaine A4(ish?) sketchbook, I'm using watercolors, and an assortment of pencils (mostly Caran d'Ache). Music is 'In Place' by King Peaks through Epidemic Sounds.
Work took me to Paris, and I took myself on a little Louvre date, followed by new books and a beverage on a terrace. Only reason I came home l was because I love my children and I wanted to spoil them with overpriced macarons. And maybe because my French is terrible.
All jokes aside, a day like this - but to be honest also the very stunning and fun ‘work’ (is it work when you’re having the best time with some of the best people) I got to do the days prior to this day - just feeds my soul. For weeks. Months. And I cannot believe how lucky I am to live this life of mine. Ok soppy story mode off. Go and have fun, kids. It matters.
I keep planning to do a proper sketchbook tour of our summer holiday in the Provence, France, but we’re now nearly a month into the school year and I think I’ll have to accept it’ll be late no matter what. So here’s some of the more successful sketches.
While I’m happy with the sketches here, it took me a while to get into it. I brought ‘the wrong’ sketchbooks, and only after our trip to Aix-en-Provence where I appropriately bought a new sketchbook, did I really start enjoying it.
We were staying in Cotignac, about an hour drive east from Aix-en-Provence, and one of the cutest little villages in the region. We stayed here a few years ago (different house), and loved it so much, we came back. An unintended consequence of this was that we had the most relaxing vacation ever, as we had zero FOMO about seeing any of the touristic attractions - we’d seen them all last time!
And perhaps as a result of the true relaxation, I didn’t take much video, and I didn’t put any pressure on myself to create. Meaning there’s no real vlog, no video now, but just a few happy snaps and sketches. And maybe that’s the best outcome I could have hoped for.
For my 40th birthday this year, Jochem organized a trip to London with the boys. Although the kids were both born in London, neither have been back since we moved to The Netherlands five years ago and I have really wanted them to see the old neighbourhood and get to know the city they will forever be tied to.
Jochem found a bnb right across from our old house, which was just lovely.
But first. The journey. We had wanted to go by train, but the prices were so exorbitant that we decided against our better judgement to go by plane this time. And boy, did our karma catch up to us.
I needed many wines to recover from that day.
The next day we walked around our old neighborhood towards Stoke Newington where we hit the playground and did a nice lunch. Then, off to Islington Green for some serious bookshop action. In the evening we ordered Indian food, which, even if it’s “just” a takeout is still better than any Indian food we’d be able to get in NL. Yummmm
The next day was Easter and aside from the Easter egg hunt, we didn’t plan our day very well. But the museum was worth the wait and so was the sushi.
For our final day we hit another playground, and hung around cafes all day eating cake, drinking coffee, and reading the books we got this weekend. In the evening we flew back home and got home incredibly late (hoping we wouldn’t get told off by the kids’ teachers the next day for them falling asleep in class, but they managed)!
We miss you already, London!
I don’t know which is more unbelievable: the fact that we booked our summer holiday for 2023 before 2022 had ended, or that it wasn’t to a warm country. We had initially planned to go to Italy with the boys, but when my mom and stepdad asked to plan a joint vacation, we changed tack. My mom doesn’t do hot weather, and we missed the UK - always having felt bummed out that we’d never visited Cornwall while we still lived there.
And yes, it rained. A lot. But boy, did it not disappoint.
Cornwall is rough, wild, gloomy, magical, and some days we felt like the water was swallowing us whole from all directions.
I didn’t film every single thing we did, chasing instead to stay in the moment, but I filmed some. And I drew in my sketchbooks, mostly at night in the dimly lit dining room of the 17th century cottage we were staying in (which sounds romantic and kind of was but also was very damp and covered in moths, but that kind of give and take is expected after 370+ years). Here’s a video, including gloomy music and no talking, because after two weeks on vacation with two loud little boys, I think the whole world needs some quiet.
Some more scans below for your enjoyment. Click to enlarge.
Sketchbook: Seawhite of Brighton A4 eco sketchbook
Materials: Crayons, watercolors and colored pencils
Music: by Hannah Lindgren via Epidemic Sounds!
Last weekend was my birthday weekend! No no, it' wasn’t actually my birthday, but Jochem gifted me a weekend in Paris for my birthday and the day was finally here! We went sans the children, courtesy of the grandparents, and the sun was out. We spent lots of time walking around, sketching, drinking wine, and looking at art. I also managed to shoot some video for my first ever ‘vlog’, so I’d have something to remember it by.
The camera work still needs some work - it’s feeling a little Blair-Witchy to me, but it’s been so much fun to pull this together! A full sketchbook tour + update on which books I bought are still to come, but enjoy these sketches!
A long one this time, as you all seemed to enjoy the long form / chatty video last time instead of the quick sketchbook tour. Talking about how I draw trees (inspired by my 2019 drawings from France) and the Brussels trip! Materials: Pith sketchbook and Luminance colored pencils from Caran d'Ache. Some watercolor (Winsor & Newton) Music from Epidemic Sound - 'Lazy Art' by Martin Landstrom
This past weekend my dad and I spent a weekend in Brussels. Brussels is close to my heart, having lived there from about 2009 to 2013. I always used to say that 'Brussels makes a bad first impression, but an amazing second impression'. What I mean by that is that when you explore the areas around central station (or any of the other stations, to be honest), it's easy to get turned off by the brutalist architecture, the busy streets crossing right through the city center (although more and more areas are being made car-free), and the dirty stations. However, when you venture into other neighborhoods, the less touristy neighborhoods, Brussels actually is absolutely stunning.
My old neighborhoods of Ixelles and Saint Gilles are one of these neighborhoods. It's one of the areas I'd dare say has some of the most beautiful Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings, along cosy streets and stately avenues dotted with excellent restaurants, independent shops, and cafes. Leafy parks are all around, and if you spend a bit of time here, you'd know there's a pace to life here that's much less stressed and strained than in other places.
So! After meeting my friends and former colleagues at the old office for work, drinks, and dinner on Friday, on Sarturday my dad and I embarked on a self-guided walking tour visiting two special locations on Saturday.
First up: Hôtel Solvay. Designed by Horta and built over 8 years, this private home was only recently opened up to the public (my guess is to fund the renovations) and boy oh boy. My dad described it as 'overwhelming' - which I'd have to agree with. Our visit was limited to 45 minutes only, and no cameras, so I took my sketchbook in and drew like a maniac to the soundtrack of Downton Abbey (picked by the owner, the tour guide said, which I thought was a nice touch). I don’t feel like I did the place justice, because this place was absolutely stunning!
The home and workshop of the famous art nouveau architect Horta, who has built some of the most impressive art nouveau buildings around. I used to live quite nearby this place, and went many many times, but was incredibly pleased (and by pleased I mean out of my mind excited) that since my last visit, they'd opened up many many more floors and rooms. I spent quite some time drawing there, and although cameras weren't allowed, my dad took some sneaky photos of me at work.
In between, we visited a few of my favorite shops: Schleiper (art supply shop of my dreams), Le Typograph (a great independent shop and printer that make and sell stunning stationary and sketchbooks), and the local second hand shop (which is massive and amazing!)
After a nice dinner at my favorite restaurant La Quincaillerie, located in a former ironmonger’s shop in the Rue du Page in Brussels, designed by a student of Victor Horta, we went back to the hotel to give our legs some rest.
The next morning we squeezed in a walk through the Ter Cameron forest to:
A very interesting villa in true Art Deco style, built at the beginning of the 1930s by architect Michel Polak at the initiative of Baron Louis Empain. While impressive, we felt less connected to this building. Perhaps simply because the style is a bit more 'stern', but probably also because the building is being used as an exhibition space rather than focused around the architecture/original function of the space. I did very much enjoy learning about the building's history, and many of the textures and materials around the building.
We then hopped on the train back to Utrecht, where I snuggled the boys and fed them Belgian chocolates.
Hope you enjoyed this little tour!
A special sketchbook this time, as this sketchbook was different in size and paper from the previous ones and somehow this made me feel more free and excited to try new things. I did lots of nature/city drawings, drew lots of people from instagram / observation, and outfits. A little less of the 'day to day', as I guess with every day looking more or less the same (aside from the trips), this was a bit less interesting for me to draw.
Hope you enjoy and also interested to see how the lockdowns/covid life have influenced your sketchbooks!
Materials: Sakura A4 sketchbook, pencil, watercolor (Winsor & Newton), ink, and colored pencil (Caran d'Ache)
Music: 'Pink Sunrise' - The Great North Sound Society
Here’s a long video of me rambling about how I went from sketchbook drawings to a self-published zine (that you can buy here). It’s too long, and, like I said, rambling - but I have zero time and energy to edit my videos, sooo whaddayagonnado, eh? Hope you enjoy it nonetheless, and for those of you with shorter attention spans (or just a dislike of my voice), there’s a 30 second reel up on Instagram too.
For a little window this summer, Covid-19 seemed to be retreating, and me and my young family escaped our city home to run around the french countryside for two weeks. I decided to turn it into a zine (you can buy a copy here).
We had booked this holiday in December of 2019, when Covid-19 was a mere small rumbling far away, and just never canceled - hopeful that the whole thing would have blown over by then. It didn’t, of course, but the owners of the house we were renting assured us we could keep our reservation and move it at no cost last minute if needed.
We ended up getting lucky, able to travel legally and safely during this brief window of time where it seemed like Covid was on its way out. It felt odd, a bit scary, and liberating at the same time.
The zine talks about our nervousness traveling through this Covid-world, French food, pigeon poop, French medieval settler towns, castles, and how exhausting holidays can be with two adorable but intense little toddlers.
I hope you feel inspired to get a copy (please? I’ve got like two boxes of them in my mini studio now) and that It may provide some distraction as we head into the second wave. And if you do, let me know what you think!
This past month, every Tuesday evening after cooking dinner, I would quickly grab a plate and run upstairs to my studio desk (now also my office) to take an online course with the University of Arts London on illustrating books taught by Leni Kaufmann. Aside from it being a wonderful escape in the middle of a busy week of work, family, and chores - it also was incredibly productive! I created three new pieces, that have gone straight into my portfolio (see menu), I love them so much!
I’ve created:
A travel illustration for my hometown of Utrecht, which I adored. I so love drawing houses and adding historical information and insights to my drawings! It’s the art history major and history minor in me!
A character study using different poses and emotions. This lady popped out from my sketchbook a few weeks back, and I decided to give her more space
Finally, a book illustration featuring a piece by Cyrano de Bergerac on traveling to the moon using morning dew - something I came across in a science museum and was just delighted by, as it’s been heralded as the first piece of science fiction and description of rocket power (that latter one seems like a stretch to me, but hey).
In short: aside from the lovely teacher, wonderful inspiration and information - the key takeaway for me was that a few hours a week go a long way in creating some of your best werk!
Pregnancy is such a special time. You're huge, you can't eat the foods you like, you don't really sleep, your back hurts, your ankles are the size of tree trunks.
Nah, I kid, I kid, it's marvelous of course (ok not all of it, but most of it). It's so special to carry a little wiggly human being in your belly - it's a time so full of promise and hope. A new person is being created, hidden away for a bit longer, but ready to rock your world completely - show you who they are. Being pregnant is such an honor, being a parent is such an honor, witnessing the change is such an honor.
Being pregnant is such an honor, being a parent is such an honor, witnessing the change is such an honor. And, well, the hormones help as well. I've been feeling so happy and creative these past few months - which I feel you can really tell from my journal pages.
A bit of everything in here - travel, feelings, forests, food. Enjoy!
The first three months of this year have been incredibly turbulent for our little family. We made lots of big life choices -- that resulted in very little change for now.
Big news first: I am pregnant with our second child! Yay! It all went a bit quicker than we'd anticipated, but we're completely over the moon (and terrified). We'll be expecting another little boy end of September - a little brother for Jacob! We can't quite believe it, neither of us (and Jacob doesn't really understand yet). This pregnancy also has been so different than the last one, in so many ways. I few thoughts on that below, but more to come as well.
What else? Well, we decided very suddenly to move a few streets down the road to what must be the cutest place in London. I traveled to the US for work. We spent a long and very rainy weekend in Wales. Two more hospitalisations for Jacob (I don't know if I've ever really written about his neutropenia on this blog, but I probably should - as I'd never even heard of it before Jacob got it and it might be helpful to a few of you out there). Oh, and Jochem shaved his beard.
Anyways, lots of journal pages and comics below. Enjoy!
Boo! Yes, I'm still here.
You probably thought I was too busy partying and enjoying summer to draw or blog much. And you would be right if by 'partying' you mean 'sitting in a corner crying' and by 'enjoying summer' you mean 'living through this sh*t show of the summer'.
It has taken me a while to get back to blogging and uploading my scans because a) I don't want to complain too much when there's so much trouble in the world today that's way (waaaaay) worse than what we've gone through, but also b) writing it down just brings it all right back, and I fear I've got a slight case of PTSD.
I managed to keep a journal through some of it, though, which you'll find below. Enjoy and do let me know what you did this summer in the comments. For larger versions, please check out my Flickr account (I'm old school like that).
"Being pregnant is hilarious" said my friend, as she was describing how by 8 months she couldn't tie her own shoe laces.
Now that I'm 8 months along, I am enjoying myself immensely of course. Also, ordering decaf in Rome is almost as much fun as misreading signs ('deep tuna massage' anyone?) due to #babybrain, which I think is more like #Imnotsleepingandoffofcaffeinebrain.
Somehow I feel like I'm doing this pregnancy thing all wrong. Well, mostly I feel great, but people keep commenting on how I should be taking it easy and focus on resting and relaxing before our precious little one arrives to come and take it all away.
Rest and relaxation wasn't really what we had in mind when we booked our trip to Iceland and Canada earlier this year (before we knew we were pregnant), and work happened to ramp up right at the same time. So here's the story all about how, my life got flipped-turned upside down. Or, I mean how I non-stop traveled for a month while 6 months pregnant.
If you're a careful observer of these journal pages, you might have noticed I've been sick and tired a lot. The good news is this wasn't completely due to my loud neighbors, the shitty weather, or the travel. Nope, we're expecting a little baby Floor! I'm due December first, so there's still a while to go, but we're over the moon excited. Hope you guys like babies!
