Illustration + Nature Sketching
I shared how I’ve explored graphite sticks recently, and how that has been an enjoyable way to create expressive, simple sketches with big strokes. I found this has been an excellent way to loosen up and train my observational skills. I try to do one or two pages of these in the morning when time …
I needed a small break from painting recently after working on my new course for several months, so I went looking for a fun way to unwind and try out new materials. I was particularly interested in something that didn’t need refilling, cleaning or frequent change of painting water. My choice fell on graphite sticks. …
A few weeks ago I invited you to ask me anything you’d like, and I’ve answered some of those questions in detailed posts. I still have a few of your questions left, so I’ve bundled them together in one post. I hope you’ll find this mix of topics fun to read! Q:What’s your favorite blue? …
I got an interesting question in my recent Q&A about the notes in my sketchbook: whether I mainly write down colors and visual details for me to check at home, or also something about the location or points of botanical interests. Since I mainly take notes in German, I know my scribblings can be hard …
Green is a bit of a notorious color. There are many greens available from watercolor brands, yet if you use these straight from the tube or pan they can give weird results: very often they are very bright, very intense and not pleasant to look at. What I found is the key to mixing natural …
Today I have something cool to share with you: A creative online event with free gifts, lots of inspiration and many tips and ideas for sketching! Sketchbook Revival is back, and this time it’s: The SKETCHBOOK REVIVAL BINGE FEST 2025! (Yes they actually chose that name.) Friends, this is going to be a promotional text …
More apple blossoms! Every spring I sketch the variety of apple blossoms from nearby gardens and parks. They are in bloom just for a few days each year, and I love seeing the explosive dots of white and pink from afar, and the beauty and delicacy of the individual twigs. In my recent Q&A and …
Getting the amount of color and water right can be challenging, so today I want to give a few tips for that. I’ll start this by saying that I’ve been notoriously bad too with water control when I started out. I added tons of water to my mixes, resulting in very watery, diluted washes that …
Spring is finally here and every day is a new eruption of greens, blossoms and just new things sprouting everywhere. I’ve taken a (very) small break from painting landscape for my new course to sketch some apple blossoms. These are among my favorite things to sketch every year. With all the work for the new …
My course Introduction to Botanical Sketching is coming back as a feedback version at the end of the month! I thought it might be fun to do a spring edition of the course and I’m excited to go through a course with feedback sessions again! Starting on 28 April 2025, I’ll offer another live run-through …
I’ve recently shared my current palette setup, and I thought it might be interesting to share what the logic behind my color choices is, why I typically change only certain colors while others stay the same, and how you can build a palette from scratch yourself. Whether you want to set up your first palette …
I regularly switch a few of the colors in my palette around. I do this because I either need a new color, or want to do new mixing experiments, or I have a free space after removing that one particular pan in the corner that I didn’t use after all. It’s always nice to change …
Are you as tired of AI bullshit as I am? They always come up with more, the fun never stops. Today we’ll have a roundup of new AI features that nobody asked for, popping up on platforms that are popular with artists or art enthusiasts. Here’s the newest AI bullshit from Pinterest and Skillshare, but …
Over the past few days, I’ve started to revisit and repaint old landscape sketches, some of them for my planned landscape sketching course, some just for fun. I paused for a bit with the blue landscapes (here but also scattered over my last three posts) and looked through old sketchbooks to find examples to show …
Hey friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your comments to my last post. I couldn’t help but express my frustration and overwhelm when I wrote it, the constellation of my current personal and the overall world-wide situation somehow made this necessary. I’ve been very, very moved by all your supportive …