Sketch Journal Project: Sketches and Finished Work and Chickens

 

I know…times flies! We are already past halfway January. Its about time I show my sketch journal. The weather is pretty bland and grey, but you won’t hear me complain because Charley and I are happily walking and enjoying the cold. But Nature wise, there is not much going on that inspires me to draw.
Above the finished proposal for the book cover.

And these sketches of rather voluptuous women are studies for an exciting project: creating a perfect pattern for a plus size friend. I have a passion for clothes and I love for people to have their own style and feel comfortable in the body they have or look after their body and looks, even if they are less satisfied. I am not talking about being vain and arrogant, I am talking about genuinely having self respect and believing in your own beauty despite the fact you do not look like Chanel ‘s Cover Girl. I am very passionate about this!!

When we visited an fashion art show together, my lovely friend sighed that she had such a hard time finding affordable, comfortable , well fitting clothes for a reasonable price. Now I can relate to that: I am a royal 6 ft+ and I am always hunting down the second hand stores and sales. Now I have a feel for what makes garments well fitted and i can draw. My friend is a fabulous seamstress…so together we hope to make it work. It will take some time, I guess ;o)

And than I felt like drawing chickens. I saw a few funny ones in a garden show and on homesteaders blogs…well I do not see any reason not to draw a few funny chickens, right?

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Fall , One More Time

I know it’s December and I should think about decking halls and trimming trees…but with that strange balmy weather for the longest time I felt that Fall had only just begun!
I just finished this drawing..my yearly Fall drawing ;o) So today still fall for me…
Tomorrow I will start thinking about Christmas.

A Nice Breeze

Autumnal Blis

And here my Fall drawings from past years too.

Have a great weekend!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Ps proposal for book cover…

Sketch Journal Project: More Sketches and a Knitting Retreat!!

 

I have only a few sketches to show for. Fall is definitely a theme here. In my sketchbook and for a personal project.

These little pigs are for a commission. This first sketch is approved and now I have to think about filling in the background.

However..I had no time to work on it, since a few fabulous friends and I traveled to Virginia for a knitting retreat!! We were taught in the fine art of Norwegian knitting at Knitxperience by Beth Brown-Reinsel. What a fantastic teacher she was!!! I learned so much, met wonderful people and walked in beautiful scenery. Sigh…my head is still in Virginia with those lovely knitting friends.

Ik heb allen maar een paar “start” schetsjes. Wat lekker herfst gekrabbel en een eerste schets voor opdracht met t thema varkentjes! Deze schets is goed gekeurd en nu de achtergrond verzinnen.  
Maar ik had t even te druk met een gezellige brei vakantie in Virginia. Zo veel geleerd en zulke leuke mensen ontmoet…zucht, ik geloof dat mijn hoofd nog steeds in Virginia is!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Lately: Sketch Journal Project and Knitting and More…

So my plan was to do Fall garden work…but the heat came back and I decided to focus on my other projects after a few very sweaty days.
And many of you commented on my last drawing that they missed the fairies…”its hard to see them and they never stand still” I replied ;o) So I had to give it another try!

So quite a few my other projects which involved lots of knitting! This is my first sweater knitted from the top down with wonderful Jamieson Shetland yarn I managed to purchase at a wool gathering last year. Finally decided on what to knit with it. Knitting from the top down is actually brilliant: since I am so tall (6ft+) I have to adapt all patterns and now I could put this all on life lines and have a fit to check if it works so far!! I am a very happy girl.

How glorious: blocking a lovely merino and yak yarn shawl on a cool day with the autumnal sun pouring through the lace curtains. I love the smell of of wet wool. I had so many leftovers from this year that I knitted the pattern to match it. Its going to be donated to one of my friends’ Church group, so it will bring comfort to somebody that really needs it.

More comfort knitting for a good cause are these lovely preemie hats for our Sick Kids Hospital. These are mostly knitted from my leftover silk yarns, so soft. I try to make something special of each little hat.

My poetry mittens are almost done!!! And I started with some Christmas stockings, another ‘how-to-use-up-leftovers’ project. I will knit a few more and I think they might make nice Christmas presents.

And this bear is my faithful friend for as long as I can remember. She was a hand me down from my much older brother and we have been inseparable ever since. Her name is Anne Marie and indeed she has a keen sense of fashion and several outfits to match the seasons. This pretty Fair Isle number is the latest addition. I was going to steek it but with so many WIP’s I just opted for pretty buttons and my dear friend was happy, as always.

A lot of this knitting, I did whilst I was traveling. I was in Toronto with the Walker Boys!!! We had a few lovely walks and a Thanksgiving Picnic in High Park.

And had to knit this hat in a hurry…because Mr. Walker took me for a wonderful trip to…can you guess where I was?

More about that tomorrow!

Och hemel, van die tuinplannen kwam niet zo heel veel terecht! De hitte kwam met volle vaart weer terug en na een paar wel erg zweterige dagen besloot ik me te focussen op andere projecten. Toevallig nogal wat breiwerkjes. Shawls en mutsjes voor t goede doel, kerstsokken en zgn poëzie wanten, een vest in wording en dat rode mutsje. Ik heb veel gebreid toen ik bij de Walker Boys was afgelopen week maar dat rode mutsje was voor een leuk onverwacht reisje. Ik vertel morgen meer!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: Fungi and Crayons

For a couple of days the weather was really cooler and for the first time in weeks Mr. Walker and I had a proper hike, up at Rowe Woods.
Nature is changing, the leafs are looking tired, some are falling already. The last flowers are blooming and lots of beautiful mushrooms and fungi everywhere. I love those, such extraordinary shapes and forms.

It inspired me to make an early fall drawing and playing some more with the water color crayons. I really like the possibilities and it creates a bit of roughness around the edges, so to speak. Not entirely happy with this but quite pleased.

And lovely to do now the heat has returned yet again…

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: Crayons and Finished Work!

I practically always work with color pencils and fine liners. I love it, I can make the drawings that are in my head. However, I do have a desire to make my work more ‘loose’ ,more movement in it, more like the 1950 plate decoration shown here and which I love so much. I am playing here with watercolor crayons and I really love it. I am quite happy after this first attempt and I will continue playing with it.

And finally, all the illustrations are finished for the Children’s Book (fingers crossed, though) These are last two. Hopefully within two months I will be able to show full finished result!!!(fingers, legs and eyes crossed here!)

Ach soms will je wel eens wat anders, eens experimenteren. Ik werk altijd met kleurpotloden en zwarte stift. Maar ik zou ook weleens werk willen maken dat er ‘losser’ uit ziet, met meer beweging. Zoals dat alleraardigste jaren 50 bordje bv.
En eindelijk de laatste illustraties voor t kinderboek af…nu flink duimen dat er binnen twee maand een boek op tafel ligt!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Lately…Important Nothings and Downton Abbey!

Well we had a little breather with cooler weather last weekend. Mr. Walker and I enjoyed a good walk at Rowe Woods..such joy!!!

Ragweed season has started and our Darling Girl is allergic to it. Her skin gets so itchy and she starts wriggling and crying. So immediately of to the vet for her shot and on coming home, she made sigh of relief and continued with her favorite activity.

With apologies for this rather blurry photo…but all this packing material was used to send  the three little bottles of vitamins in the front of it….

The Walker boys and I text a lot and send each other photos during the day. The Youngest Walker Boy received some doodles making fun of the difference in height between him and his Princess (she is adorable) and him spoiling those cats! ( there is always a lot of teasing going around amongst the Walker Clan)

I showed the Oldest Walker Boy this book and we decided to challenge each other drawing a map…this was his, of course so creative and original!!

Mine…your traditional medieval map. Good practice but not very original.

And what a great book this is!! Cocktails and literature…best of both worlds and beautiful illustrations to boot! 

And I leave you with all these photos of the splendid costumes from Downton Abbey!!! The traveling exhibition arrived at the Taft Museum and my friends and I ordered tickets all ready last spring and were of in a thunder gallop as soon as our time came up!! There was a lot of ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aaahs’ ….and I would be very happy with that red coat!

Have a great weekend!!

Love and Liefs,
Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: More Farm Animals

I am working on that children’s book and actually on a deadline. But my sketch book was calling me and so I did a few quick sketches to relax mind, body and spirit.

After a couple of cooler days, the heat is back again. And I have to find my outdoor fix indoor…well have a look at this wonderful website the kitchen garden. Cecilia tells about her daily life on her farm and takes marvelous photos of all her happy animals.
Such bliss and I could not help being inspired to draw yet a few farm animals again. After all , I did spent a large part of my youth on a farm and it brings many happy memories!!!  

Och hemel, na wat koele dagen is de hitte weer terug. Het landleven moet ik dus wel binnenhuis zoeken…gelukkig is er deze fantastische website , The Kitchengarden. Nouja, ik kan altijd wel naar boerderij dieren kijken (ik bracht een deel van jeugd door op de boerderij) en Cecilia maakt wel hele mooie foto’s van haar gelukkige dieren!

Love and Liefs! Johanna

Toronto and Art Again: Vilhelm Hammershøi and I…

 

So when we visited the AGO in Toronto last time, there was an exhibition on the master of painting serenity and stillness Vilhelm Hammershøi. To me, his work oozes that Scandinavian minimalistic style and elegance. The center of the exhibition was the painting “Interior With Four Etches”. A painting rarely seen before as it comes out of a private collection. I understand it is traveling around the world now and we were so lucky to admire it in Toronto.

The Walker Men thought it a rather gloomy affair but I was in love. The light, the muted cool colors, the perfection in little details…

This set up was a little joke the museum had set up to make it look as if you could be in the painting. Mr. Walker planted me on the chair right away and I was very happy.

Although, I posses by no means even an ounce of this magnificent painter talents in any way…I could not resist this drawing…And I know it does not look like me at all. I personally would have turned the chair around and poured the Lady and myself a cuppa anyway!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: Cicadas

It is fascinating how nature changes when summer/the season progresses. The swallows are gathering in groups, lots of birds are molding , the fireflies have gone again. Now the cicadas and crickets have started their chorus in full blast. Especially when the sun sets, the noise is impressive…those ‘love birds’ have lots of competition!

I read up on cicadas on this website and learned so much. But still was not able to determine what kind of cicada this is. Well there are 3390 different ones to choose from!

This is what’s left after the cicada changes from nymph to ‘real cicada’, an imago. If you look carefully you can see a neat cut, where he crawled out.

From a distance they look rather grayish and unassuming…up close it is Star Wars meet Aliens!  And they have amazing legs..you can hang anywhere on any material ;o)

We gaan duidelijke de laatste fase van de zomer in: de zwaluwen verzamelen zich, andere vogels zijn in de rui, de vuurvliegjes zijn weer weg. En nu is t de beurt aan cicaden en krekels…man, vooral als de zon ondergaat is t me een lawaai, allemaal voor de liefde (en de volgende generatie;o)) Cicaden zijn fascinerende beestjes, ze leven ondergronds voor 2 tot wel 17 jaar en dan is feesten en flirten en…doodgaan. Deze website verteld veel meer nog.

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Ps and to be clear, this cicada was already dead. Life is fast, flirty and short for cicadas…