Since coming back from Paris, things have been pretty full on in the Floor household. We’ve al taken turns being sick with one bug or another (#nocovid), and I don’t think we’ve had one decent night of sleep between the 20th of November and today. Oh, and our nanny quit. Because we’re horrible people. No kidding, she needed more time for her studies, which is fair, stay in school and all that. It’s been a lot of juggling care and work, and scrubbing barf out and off of things, and we’re all feeling a little worse for wear.

Despite all that, we managed to throw Jacob his first real kids’ party, we celebrated Saint Nicholas with the fam, and the house is looking somewhat festive for the upcoming holidays. I’ve been working away on a London zine, and feeling terribly nostalgic about our time there as I’m drawing our favorite London spots, but I don’t think that will be done before the end of the year as I keep adding more pages (and well, sick kids and no sleep). Either way, it’s a bit of a non-update, but perhaps you’re a parent like me just trying to keep it together during Bug Season, just know you’re not alone.

Hope you’re all holding up ok and life is slowing down for you a bit and you’ve some time to nest and reflect on your year. I’ll be back soon, hopefully with more sleep, less bugs, and a healthy level of mulled wine.

We moved into our forever home (that we spent a year remodeling) last summer, and my office / studio is as good as finished now! I'm just so grateful to have this space, and thought I'd share with you how I've organized and set up the place! This is where I work, paint, create my illustrated journals, and comics!

Fun fact that I forgot to include in the video: the room was designed by the architect to make sure there was exactly enough space for the drawing table! (Meaning our bedroom is a bit smaller, haha)

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.

Hôtel Solvay

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!

Musée Horta

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.

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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!)

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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.

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The next morning we squeezed in a walk through the Ter Cameron forest to:

Villa Empain

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.

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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!

We had a hectic summer. Instead of our usual summer travel, we stayed home in favor of beach trips and lots of DIY. But there have been good moments. Good moments with little boys’ sandy legs and tousled hair, and good food, and friends you’ve know for but not seen in forever.

And then there was a lovely impromptu meetup with my sketch crew. My friend Ellen Vesters (talented artist and serial entrepreneur who set up her own art academy, Venster, like HELLO) had heard rumblings of Nishant Jain of the amazing SneakyArt podcast being in town and organized an Urban Sketchers meetup.

As small group of us met up in the shade of the Dom church in Utrecht, and we talked and sketched and talked, and attracted strangers from all over the globe along the way. Fellow artists out for a stroll, eager to join the conversation about art and life. Bits of our conversation have ended up in the podcasts (here).

Achter de Dom, Utrecht

Part of our group having lunch at De Rechtbank, Utrecht

Results and feet!

Some of us then went to have lunch, just around the corner, where I did another quick sketch. We all* left that day feeling exhilarated by the sense of adventure and possibility.

*All being: Nishant, Ellen, Vera, Jason, and Emma

Dude on the terrace of De Rechtbank

One of my favorite places on earth is actually pretty close to home: de Bussumerheide. Or the Bussum Heath. I can’t really explain why, but the place feels quiet and peaceful to me, in a similar manner to the way the world feels after fresh snow has covered streets and houses. Like time is standing still. The Bussumerheide actually has a very long history, with evidence of people living there, conducting (burial) rituals there, and grazing their cattle. I like to think it’s been a special place to many people throughout history, but I don’t really know. It’s special to us. No matter what the circumstances or weather, every day we’ve spent there has been special. On one of these special days in September, I took my sketchbook with me, and drew a bit. Quick sketches that I then finished at home.

Materials:

• Sketchbooks: small square Seawhite of Brighton travel sketchbook, large A4 Pith sketchbook.

• Pens & Pencils: Molotow acrylic pens, Caran d'Ache Luminance coloured pencils

Music: Spanish Moss by Chris Haugen

It’s been a busy couple of weeks with our move happening, um, well, tomorrow. 💀 Nevertheless, we found the time to hit up the ice cream shop this weekend.

It’s funny, these sorts of drawings are so much fun for me to make, but I know they don’t do very well on ‘the socials’. Everything that’s not a gag comic about parenting, just doesn’t seem to attract the same amount of views, comments, likes. And while I never have set myself a goal of growing my following on social media, I have noticed that my posting on various channels is lacking all spontaneity and directness. And since I don’t want to have to specifically sit down and brainstorm posts that’ll do well on the ‘gram while not posting what I am actually working on, I decided that would need to change.

Meaning: this blog will become more like a blog again. My socials will just have whatever I feel like. It might become more messy, and no one might read it, but i’ll be more fun. And if there’s anything I (and I would say all of us) need, it’s fun!

Over the Easter weekend, I had booked a little family trip to Friesland (province in the north of The Netherlands) for Jochem’s birthday. I got us a b&b in Woudsend, the village where Jochem spent many a summer attending and subsequently teaching at sailing summer camp. I’d also rented us a boat, with the hopes of the weather being nice enough for us to go out on the water. With the boys now being old enough (3 and 5), it was maybe time to bring Jochem’s long held dream to teach me and the boys to sail to fruition. To be honest, I was a bit nervous as the last time Jochem tried to teach me (this was pre-children), I cried at least three times. The wind, rain, and water were completely disorienting to me and I did not understand any of the instructions Jochem was ‘sharing’ with me. This time, however, we got lucky! The weather was absolutely perfect and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

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

As some of you may know, there was a time when our son Jacob battled a rare blood disease called autoimmune neutropenia. The two years during which he was ill were without a doubt the hardest of our lives. When he got better, all we wanted to do was forget all about it.

Luckily for me, the pandemic served as a helpful trigger for old traumatic memories to resurface. The flashbacks and panic left over from the years led me to try Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Through questioning my own beliefs and anxieties while looking the waving fingers of my therapist, I found my way back.

I created a comic about my experiences for Drawing the Times, a graphic journalism platform. I’m incredibly proud of this piece, and the responses have been overwhelming. I dug deep for this story, and if it helps only one person to feel less alone, I’ve succeeded.

Two, or actually THREE, sketchbook tours for you today, spanning from June to December of last year.

I’ve been feeling kind of blocked lately doing my illustrated journal pages, as it feels like nothing is happening. We’re in lockdown, have been for ages. We don’t see many people or do very many things that seem worth drawing. Yet, at the same time I feel so aware that we’re going through an immensely unique time in history and I might want to record these days for future record. The pressure!

Either way, these sketchbooks were kind of fun, as they include another quick trip this summer with my mom and stepdad, my sons’ birthdays, and my eldest first days at school (before we went into lockdown again). Also, a few abstract paintings and exercises creeping into the last sketchbook, which I kind of love.

Have a lovely week, all. Hang in there!

For as long as I can remember I’ve drawn and painted. In high school, my art teacher even suggested I go to art school for painting, but I decided I needed to show the world I was ‘smart’ rather than just talented and studied art history instead. But I never stopped painting and illustrating. The illustration part, I’m sure you’ve seen (since you’re on this blog and all), but (abstract) painting was something I did privately. For friends, family, myself.

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Over the years, I’ve had burst of inspiration - mostly when I’d get a commission. Most of my friends and family have since gotten ‘their’ painting, and when we moved into our new Utrecht home, I decided to paint one for our house as well.

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And with Covid/lockdowns/nowhere to go, lately, I’ve been turning towards abstract painting even more.

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All this to say - I’ve started a separate instagram for my painting in a bid to make myself feel less guilty for splurging on a shit ton of art supplies and to show a bit more of my work. You can find the account here. I might also post a bit on my painting practice here, if time permits.

No worries, I will still be illustrating and journaling as per usual. This is just to shed some light on something which has quietly been growing in the background, and is now ready to come out. Enjoy!

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.

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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!

Something different this time. A narrated sketchbook tour of my latest sketchbook. Not sure if this is better or worse, listening to my rambling - so let me know which kind of video you prefer!

The Netflix series I mention in this video are:

• Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

• Casa de Papel Would highly recommend both!

Materials:

• Seawhite of Brighton travel watercolor journal

• Bic mechanical pencil

• Winsor & Newton watercolors

• Pentel calligraphy ink pen

• Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 colored pencils

Music:
Daily Beetle by Kevin MacLeod used under a Creative Commons Attribution-licence, Source, Artist.

Watch me draw in my illustrated journal for May 19 & 20, 2020. When I drew this, the lockdown in response to Covid-19 was slowly lifting, meaning the boys went back to daycare again after a break of little over two months.

I’ve been journaling and drawing a lot during the entire Covid-19 crisis, and I’m aiming to scan my pages in at some point, but next up will be another flip through video (probably narrated and slowed down) - so keep your eyes peeled for that one.

Hope you are all keeping safe and well <3

Am a bit behind with filming these, but catching up! Here's a sketchbook tour of my illustrated journal from July 2019 to January 2020. This sketchbook is about our summer holiday in France, starting a new job, and lots of rain and bikes. I also did a LOT more observational drawing this time around - people, babies, buildings. So glad I picked up that habit (again).

Journal: Moleskine A5
Materials: pencil, watercolor (Winsor & Newton), ink, and colored pencil (Caran d’Ache & Derwent Inktense)
Music: 'Morning Mandolin' - Chris Haugen