Digital Doodles

Drawing on the iPad gives me great joy. It's like having an entire art studio in one little tablet that you can just take anywhere. Mostly I draw my patterns, but every now and then I do like to experiment in different approaches.

Here are five doodle drawings that I did on my iPad in Procreate:

These really were a lot of fun to do and I intend to do many more. I am also thinking about having a couple of these printed on canvas to hang on my wall. I'm very curious how that would turn out and I'll keep you posted when I do. 

Hope you are doing colourful things and wishing you a wonderful and artsy day!

A whole week of winter

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that I am a great lover of winter. You may also know I live in a place where winters are mild. On my island even more so than on the main land of The Netherlands. It's the influence of the sea. In summer that's a blessing, because I don't like hot weather and summer is usually cooler on the island than elsewhere, but in winter I am sometimes cranky if a whole year goes by without even a little frost. That's what happened the past few years and I felt cheated.

But this year halfway February we actually had some actual winter. A whole week of it! 

I know, it's nothing compared to those of you who have winter all winter long (I am so envious of you all), but for me it may have to last me for another three years.

Anyway, it being cold and having actual snow and all made me want to take pictures of ...well... everything. So here are some postcards from our winter week on the island. Enjoy!

I actually took afternoons off work so I could go on long winter walks. It was fabulous. 

Of course after that one week the thaw set in and since then we have been mostly moving towards spring. I would have liked it to last a little longer, but in this place I take what I can get.

Hope you are enjoying the weather whatever it is and wherever you are and wishing you a wonderful and artsy day!

Collages

Next to drawing abstract doodles and patterns, my biggest love is collage. From time to time I take out my colourful scrapbook and make a small series and I also like doing collage cards for snail mail.

Today is about my scrapbook though. Here are six collages I recently finished.

I think the ones with the black paper background are my favorites. It makes me think about buying a black paper scrapbook just for collage. But maybe I should just finish up this one first, haha. 

Hope you are all playing with paper, scisscors and glue, and wishing you a wonderful and artsy day!

Opposites

In my A5 pattern book which I often use for my morning art sessions (but not just for that) I have been fascinated with what I like to call opposites. It's where the pattern on the left page is in one form or another the counterpart of the page on the right. 

Here's what I mean:

I like how after al these years I am still not done experimenting with these pattern drawings on squared grid paper. I never tire of them and I keep getting differend ideas that always start with 'what if?'.

All these were done in felt tip pens by the way. Still my favorite medium to work with when I draw patterns. 

Hope you are enjoying something so much you can just keep playing at it forever, and wishing you a wonderful and artsy day. 

Around here lately

 Just some random photographs from my daily life in the past few months. 

The assistant fell asleep on the job, which happens very often.

Christmas at Casa Caatje. 

These were my christmas presents to myself. Thanks to Galen Leather. 

Of course I immediately had to put it all to use. 

Intruder Cat is becoming quite affectionate lately.

Putting the seals in my journal.

Together with a bunch of friends we folded origami cranes to support a sick friend. These were mine. 

Jane and I are in complete agreement. 

At the end of december storm Bella raged around the house and I made myself extra cosy. 

The journals of 2020 all together in one stack.

Morning art with an awake assistant for a change. 

New walking shoes, my old ones were starting to fall apart. 

Putting the spirit of Christmas back in its box.

The port of Harlingen in the early morning as I left for my vacation.

More journaling. Who ever would have thought I would  put mask packaging inside?

This was the night after I came home from my vacation to Schiermonnikoog. Home sweet home.

A workers meeting at the home office. 

More affection from Intruder Cat. 

Looking back on these pictures there's a lot of homey stuff in there and that's because I hardly leave the island these days with corona still going strong everywhere. I don't mind all that much, I know how to entertain myself, but it would be nice to go on a trip to a museum, visit friends or family, or do something else fun for a day or so every now and then. I am very much a homebody, but even I like a bit of variety and new impressions sometimes. 

Hopefully as this year goes along and vaccinations spread just like corona did, we will be able to get slowly back to a bit of normalcy. But we're not there yet. Patience patience...

Hope you are all coping wherever you are and looking for the good things in your life (and maybe take a picture of them) and wishing you all a wonderful and artsy day.