Today I varnished my most recent work. I started it a while ago and got stuck, put it away
for a few months and finished it last week.
After the ‘30 Paintings in 30 Days-challenge’ from last September I finally knew how to continue.
Since I started working in colour more and more I also like using lots of different materials
(bistre, pigmentedink, water soluble (ink) pencils, soft pastels by Schmincke) at the same
time, just mixing them up.
Varnishing is possible because I work on aquabord by Ampersand and can be a problem
using all these different materials.
I start by putting on different layers of fixative letting them dry for 24 hours in between layering.
After that I put on a layer of matt acrylics varnish. This is the tricky part because if not
fixated well enough the varnish can partly dissolve the fixative and make the materials run.
All went well today.

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Published: 11 November 2016

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This was the second time I participated in Leslie Saeta’s ’30 Paintings in 30 Days’
challenge. This September was very different from last January, both the set-up and also
lessons learned.
In January I painted at home, used pictures I made and flowers I bought to make the
flower portraits I did.
This past September I got my sketchpad, my painting- and drawing materials, my drawing
stool and went on my way to the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest) by bike and then
went on by foot.
Being on my way to ‘the spot’ was very much part of the process but also took time.
Posting my blog and pictures with it, took more time. So a lot of time went into this project
which was hard sometimes. But I did it, I could manage the busy schedule for a whole month!
So in one way I’m glad it’s finished and on the other I’m sad because it also felt very good to
spend my days painting and drawing in the forest.
When the weather is good I will probably go back there to draw. This felt too good to quit!

My plan was to spend my time drawing plein air, drawing nature. I love nature but drawing or
painting it was a horror to me with all its chaos. During this month I think I moved in the right
directing to finding order in this chaos and putting it to paper.
Along the way I added more colour which I think turned out to be a good move. Adding
colour gave my work more depth.
Also just sitting down at a nice spot doesn’t make a nice painting/ drawing. I need to pick a
subject within the image I want to create and love it! This is wat happened on day 21 where I
fell in love with this tree stooping over the path. From that day on I tried to find a tree like
that again and again.
Spending more time (love) on one drawing also worked out for the better I think or at least it
added to the joy I experienced in making.
These trees still live in my brain, especially the ones that had fallen over. They probably will
find their way back as a subject.

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Published: 01 October 2016

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Deciding to draw outside every day in the month of September in The Netherlands is quite
risky. Usually it’s 18°C/ 64,4°F with occasional rain, so not the best circumstances for drawing
outside.
That’s why I decided to draw ahead. Every week the weather forecast said: rain! And every week
the rain was pushed back with a week until September 29th! So I’m really happy I finished
the challenge two days ago!!

I loved doing this last one. When I sat down next to these tree roots all kinds of animals and
faces kept popping up. Amazingly beautiful.

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Published: 30 September 2016

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Published: 29 September 2016

Hits: 10306