Illustration + Nature Sketching
If your landscape sketch doesn’t turn out the way you want, it doesn’t mean you’ve chosen a bad subject or that you can’t sketch. Often flat-looking or confusing paintings come from not having a clear structure for your landscape sketch. To capture what interests you in a scene and show it on paper, you can …
Over the weekend I had quite a few questions about my new course Landscape Sketching Fundamentals, and I’m here to answer them. If you want to learn landscape sketching with watercolor, I think this is just the right course for you. Sure, take a look at my work, and at the introduction to see if this is …
I know many of you have waited a long time for this, and it’s finally happening: I’m very excited to announce that my new class Landscape Sketching Fundamentals is out now, available on my website. If you’ve ever wanted to capture the mood of a landscape that caught your eye and make it come alive on …
I thought it might be fun to share a small sketchbook tour again. I used to do these a lot a few years back. This summer, I brought this small concertina sketchbook with me and filled it bit by bit. I did not fill it completely or sketched a lot, but I’m happy with the …
I’m back from my summer break!One thing the relentless heat wave has given us in Europe this summer is endless sunsets in a clear sky. The moment when the sun finally goes away and you can open the windows often was the first moment of relief in the day.I’ve been sketching a few of those …
Are you as tired as I am from the digital noise and constant screen time that has crept into our lives? I’m taking some time off from that this summer. Ok maybe the title is a bit hyperbolic. I’m not prepared to stop using my phone or computer, but I’m limiting my interaction with screens …
In the last year, I’ve been struggling a lot with getting sketches down on paper. Often the sketches didn’t match what I wanted to express, or I found them lacking technique-wise. The latter problem, the technique, can be improved with a lot of deliberate practice. Draw (or paint) a lot of the things you want …
I want to look at one of the most useful pigments for landscape sketching today, and that’s Yellow Ochre and Raw Sienna. Wait, you’ll say, these are two pigments..and that’s right…or actually not entirely, since these are really similar pigments. I want to explore these two beautiful variants of the same pigment a bit more …
Recently I’ve explored sketching fire – a rare occasion. But the local easter fire tradition that signifies the end of winter and welcomes spring was a good way to explore that. Sketching fire is a lot like sketching water – a lot of times you just paint around it and add accents in the shadows. …
A common problem in landscape sketches is that they can end up looking flat, like there is no depth to them and it’s hard to see what’s in the foreground and what’s in the distance. This is because we need to consciously place cues for depth and volume on our two-dimensional paper to create the …
Sketching the delicate cherry tree blossoms in early spring is a highlight for me each year, it’s the sign that the landscape and the botanical world are coming to life again. I like exploring the delicate and soft blossoms in the sketchbook very much – the only thing I maybe like sketching even more are …
In the middle of all the landscape sketching I’m doing, it’s nice to change things once in a while and return to other subjects. Since spring is finally around the corner, I thought it’s a great time for some botanical sketching. I’ve chosen a pitcher plant, which feels a bit like cheating, since it’s further …
Today I wanted to share a very cool event that’s special to me and that’s happening soon: The Sketchbook Revival Challenge 2026.It’s taking place between Saturday, April 11 – Monday, April 21st, 2026, and I’m really looking forward to being part of it again! I met a lot of you during the past incarnations of …
Some of you have asked me what kind of brushes I prefer, so here’s an overview of the brushes I use most for my everyday sketching and especially landscape painting. Since I do not create huge paintings in my sketchbook, I mainly use smaller sizes, often mop brushes around 0-3, and classic round brushes up …
Today I have an idea for a pressure-free exercise for you to practice your color mixing and wet on wet skills with small color compositions. I like to create these small grids or stripes with artist tape (or washi tape), and explore a different color combination in each one. This helps me to learn how …