People
25
Jan 07
Late lunch
…unfortunately the ink from the next entry slightly shows through this page…can’t be avoided as I used the small thin papered moleskine cahier.
24
Jan 07
Take a break
It was a good day, except for one thing. The figure drawing workshop I wanted to do is canceled. One of the students bailed out so suddenly, and now the teacher can’t get enough people for the class. 
how disappointing!!
9
Jan 07
Figures
It’s been 10 years since I took a figure drawing class. And I thought that it would be good to follow a figure drawing workshop this time. I made a call to day and (sort of) register myself to take the class. However, the instructor told me that she is still looking for 2 more students, before she will start the workshop on the scheduled date. I do hope she can get them.
2
Jan 07
People; Main Library
People at the internet cafe in the Main Library.
—————-
New Year = New Resolutions? I think I’ll keep it very simple this year. I could not keep up with last year’s resolutions due to some changes in my life and career (excuses…excuses). Anyway, my resolutions for 2007 will be:
- Keep sketching, drawing, painting, doodling….
- Keep it fun and enjoy the process…
- Relax, loosen up, enjoy life (life is short)…
- Less perfect is more!
- Spoil the cats more (their life is shorter…)
A short recap of 2006: Although there have been major changes in my life and mostly my career, 2006 was still a good year for me. I decided that I wanted to do more; do stuffs that have more meaning for me and my life. So I quit my job back in august/september and have been preparing my self for the study of Veterinary Medicine by following required courses for the enrollment. I passed the Chemistry exam in November and the Biology course will start next week. In the mean time I also do a little freelancing as architect/designer on the side. And I can combine all of these with my other hobbies: cats, cooking and sketching! At this moment, my life just could not get any better! Happy New Year to all!
4
May 06
04.05.2006
A minus point of this new journal is the thickness. I had trouble scanning my sketches. The thickness caused the shadow on the side of the image (s). Otherwise the new journal is great.
23
Apr 06
Sketch Crawl – Den Bosch
I joined the Worldwide Sketch Crawl yesterday from Den Bosch (‘s Hertogenbosch). Den Bosch is located south of Utrecht and only 30 minutes by train. It was still quite cold yesterday, but the sun did show up in the afternoon. I think, everybody must have checked the weather channel the day before just to make sure the weather would co-operate. Loads of domestic tourists were there to explore the city by foot or by boat. One can go around (under) the city by boat, see sketch #2 below. So may be I’ll do that the next time I am there and I think a boat ride around (and under) Den Bosch at night time will be very cool! Click on images to enlarge.
1. Uilenburgstraatje, Den Bosch. A corner of ther street.
2. Uilenburgstraatje, Den bosch. Another corner of the same street.
3. Zuidwal, Den Bosch.
4. Station Den Bosch. A person on another platform has had a great shopping day.
5. In the train on the way back, Den Bosch – Utrecht. A fellow passenger.
7
Mar 06
Imagine
Click to enlarge.
I bought ‘the artist’ magazine march 2006 edition (UK) this past weekend. In the magazine, there is an article by John Lidzey on ‘How to build up a subject from cuttings and photographs’. It was a very inspiring article, and no wonder they put it under the chapter ‘Inspiration’. It tells you how to do a painting from various resources: photos, newspaper clippings, reference book, etc. You isolate the relevant subject(s) from each source and put them together in one painting. So it is similar to photo montage. I was so inspired by this that I decided to experiment. But instead of making a (real) painting, I did a sketch (typical me). I loved it! The technique and process certainly give new possibilities.
So here is my first try, based on several sources. And it got my imagination going, a nice side effect. This could be:
- my next vacation destination, with me reading a newspaper under the sun.
- my villa somewhere in Southern Europe (if I get to be filthy rich), with me reading the Wall Street Journal (oops, de Telegraaf)…
6
Mar 06
Me
Click to enlarge.
My reflection. I was in the train going home. There was a problem with the train traffic and so I had to take a detour. I had to take the train to Groningen from Duivendrecht and get off in Amersfoort to take a train back to Utrecht. I had to stand the during the whole journey, because the train was really full. Luckily the trip didn’t take as long as I thought. I thought of drawing other people, but I was not in the mood for getting caught or looking for the ‘right’ subject. As I was standing facing the windows, I could clearly see myself. Seeing my own reflection made me think, ‘there, I have found the right subject. I don’t need to look to far’. I couldn’t let the chance slip away. So here is my entry for Everyday Matters Challenge #56 – Self Potrait.
20
Feb 06
Lips-tick
Everyday Matters Challenge #53. Click to enlarge.
A little note: those aren’t my lips. According to the challenge, I now need to journal about speaking out.
Thinking about it, I am more of a thinker than a speaker/writer. I am so bad with words. So I won’t say much.
19
Feb 06
IKEA Klantenservice
Click to enlarge.
Waiting @ IKEA Utrecht. Want some help or service? Take a number and wait for your turn.
2
Feb 06
Swollen
Well, when my health is acting ‘funny’, it takes care that it’s being ‘really funny’.
Sorry this is going to be another health post from me, since I have a problem with that right now. But this time I drew the related part instead of some non-related flowers.
It’s my swollen left eyelid to be exact. It all started with an allergy, then a nasty cold which gave me teary eyes for a few days. I have no idea what caused this last problem. My eyelid was a bit irritated earlier (read: itchy), so I touched here and there a bit and suddenly ‘poof’…it got thicker and thicker. Ok enough about this.
Click to enlarge.
18
Jan 06
Late etc.
Some sketches from the last few days. Gotta work hard, no time to play/blog. I experimented with a brush pen, which gave me an excuse to draw fast and simple. It’s incredible how a sketch can take less than 5 minutes only because it is done with a brush pen. This pen forced me to leave details out and stick to the primary items. My hand & arm do react different and handle the pen different. I’ll experiment more with it.
I went home late and while waiting for the train, I decided to do this one above.
Sketches below are result of experiment in drawing people. Kinda like it. One has a caricature feel to it, although unintended. These are drawn based on photos. They are well known here.
This last one is obviously my cat.
11
Jan 06
Watching TV
Very much absorbed in watching ‘Road Rally’. An MTV program about 2 rock bands, one Dutch and one Belgian, do a cross country trip across the US without any money. They have to go from East Coast to West Coast and earn money for food and gas by performing at local pubs or events. I believe which ever reach New York City first will be the winner. A very entertaining and funny TV show.
6
Jan 06
People sketches
I find sketching people can turn out very funny. If I am lucky, my sketches will look pretty close to the real persons. If not, a woman can turn out to look like a man (the long blond haired character, bottom right). It gives me a good feeling that I can laugh at the result.
Click to enlarge.
25
Sep 05
Just another passenger
We saw this person yesterday morning. He was just another passenger in the tram. Part of his face was hidden behind the tram’s seat. But the part of his face that was visible interested me to draw him. I had to do it quick. He looked a bit sad or possibly just a bit tired. Or it could be that he just has heavy lidded eyes. In general, his feature radiated or said something like, ‘I am a wise guy’. May be that was the thing that attracted me to draw him in the first place. I don’t know.
17
Aug 05
Hand
A drawing I made during a seminar in which I almost fell asleep halfway. The second half was so boring….zzzz….zzzz. But hey..it’s also an entry for everyday matters challenge #10. During the seminar I suddenly thought of the challenges that I still need to do (if I want to). This is one of them and the seminar really helped me focus..lol. I used the ballpoint pen they gave me and the back of the hard copy of their powerpoint presentation.
15
Aug 05
Mockamore in Utrecht
Many people may disagree with me, but I love Starbucks. I think it is very unfortunate that they only have a warehouse in Holland and not a few coffee bars. (Note: I can’t call Starbucks as a ‘coffee shop’ here, it might just be mistaken as a place where you can buy and smoke pot. So I’d better call Starbucks as a coffee ‘bar’). Yes it may be bad for the local economy (or something like that I heard)…but man, where else can you order a Venti Decaf Fat Free Cappuccino with Whipped Cream??? (OK I am over exaggerating my order here…and OK, in the US you might get this at other places, e.g. Pete’s Coffee in SF/Berkeley) Or a Frappuccino? And something that makes me even more jealous…got an e-mail from a colleague who works in San Francisco….They have Frappuccino ICE CREAM!!!! I drooled all over my desk when I read his e-mail. Even Bali has several Starbucks…why not here?! The closest Starbucks is in London Heathrow. Can they just open a very small kiosk outside their warehouse in Amsterdam’s harbour???
Oh well… while I am still waiting for future Starbucks to open in Holland…I found a place that I frequent most weekends to sooth my annoyance: Mockamore in Utrecht. They do not have Venti Decaf Cappucino or a Fat Free version but they do serve ice cold Frappiato with Bountys chocolate! A good enough substitute for me at the moment.
21
Jul 05
Mac Fan
Yep…. Here we go again! Another passenger in the train. But this time since I had to stand all the way to Utrecht Centraal, I could draw my model from another angle. The advantage of this angle is that my model was looking another way. So we were not face to face. I could sketch him like mad, keep looking at him, continue scribbling, and he was oblivious to everything. The Mac helped of course. He was so busy working with his Power Book. On top of that he was wearing headphone and sunglasses. He was totally absorbed in what he was doing. The minus point is that standing in the train is always quite tiring.
18
Jul 05
Little feet
I am trying to draw more people. I can tell you that it is very difficult. It is difficult enough to master the contour, but for me, I think it is more difficult to draw people without them noticing. I already have a few pages of aborted sketches. Mostly because the person keeps moving, which makes him/her very tough to draw. When they stay put long enough, I can tell that they can feel my eyes on them. A few stared back at me, which made me very uncomfortable. Usually when they catch me staring, I just don’t look up from my sketch book anymore or look else where and try to draw from my memory. So that’s why there are a couple of people sketches, which were drawn when I sat behind them.
Yesterday, it happened again. My model, a guy, who sat facing me but a few rows further, noticed that I was sketching him. He stared back at me and scrutinized me in return. I stopped right away, and found another model or part of her. There was a toddler sitting on her mom’s lap one row ahead but across the aisle. I believe she was sleeping. Her feet wearing cute little white shoes were sticking out over the arm of the seat and in clear view. So it was easy to draw. So I just drew her little feet.
19
Jun 05
Too Hot!
Ok, I am a whiner… I just can’t decide if I like it sunny or cloudy. It was so hot today that I think I was half fried on our balcony. We sat down outside and cooked our food on a mini BBQ grill that we have. But…. it was just way too hot for me. I decided to wear my hat during dinner to protect my eyes from the glaring sun. My next-door-neighbor saw me with the hat, and she looked at me strangely. Yes, I’m a fake asian….or may be not, since some asian do really protect their skin from the sun. Well, frankly I don’t care much for that, I just don’t like to get fried. I’ve had a bad experience with way too much sun on my last vacation. It was not an experience that I’d like too repeat.
But is 31 degree Celcius too hot? For me, yes!. I love it when the temperature stays between 20-25 degree Celcius. More is too hot, less is too cold.
So you can see that Nor and I were frying under the sun while frying our dinner. The ice cold ‘Palm’ beers did help a bit. It made us dreaming of some palm trees…..Too bad. The only palm trees that can live in Holland are inside the World Trade Center in Amsterdam.