Illustration + Nature Sketching
My 20 year old self would be very surprised to hear this: Birding is a wonderful pastime that I somehow never get tired of, and I see something new each day. I wrote a little ode to bird-watching just the other week as an introduction to this post. So if you want to know more … Read more
Winter is approaching quickly, and with it the leaves are falling from the trees. That means a whole bunch of activities is over for this year – observing bees, butterflies, flowering plants, mushrooms, and many more. Winter just puts its drab foggy hibernation coat over almost everything. Almost, because as every year suddenly I start … Read more
Announcement Before we go ahead with today’s topic, a short announcement: I’m currently filming for the last episode of the seasonal nature journaling classes – it’s summer and there’s a lot to see and sketch in nature. So far I’ve planned on taking a look at sketching summer flowers, tree shapes and portraits, insects, small … Read more
Many countries, including Germany where I live, are in the middle of more or less strict lockdown restrictions at the moment. We’re also in the middle of winter, which doesn’t make this whole situation easier. I’ve heard of a lot of people who are beginning to feel burned out, or are in the middle of … Read more
Today I want to talk about the creative process and how to get it going, what a creative inventory is and why it’s important to have one and regularly fill it. Here’s a video version of this post where I do a bit of sketching while I talk about this topic: Starting or rekindling the … Read more
Here’s part two of my Q&A about quitting social media. This time we’re looking at more personal questions, as well as my take on social media for artist communities and as a learning tool. Read part one of the Q&A here, or my original post on why I quit social media from last year. If … Read more
In this post, I want to try and give an explanation of why I think art is important, especially now. Here’s a video of this post: If you can’t see the video above, click here to watch it. My very first encounter with art as a child was probably a children’s book, or a song, … Read more
Today I’m starting my post a bit differently than usual, but we live in unusual times. Here in Germany, we are preparing bit by bit for a complete lockdown due to the coronavirus situation, a measure that is already in place in several European countries. I still have the hope that Germany can avoid it … Read more
At the end of the year, I always look back and think about the things that have defined the last year – what happened, what went well, what helped me to grow as an artist. I also look at what needs a bit of course correction. Looking at the good sides helps me to appreciate … Read more
I recently saw a wonderful documentary about the Japanese calligrapher Kazuaki Tanahashi – he is a brush master (and zen teacher) specialized in one-stroke paintings of Japanese letters. Each brushstroke is simple, made consciously and the brush strokes are ranging from barely visible whispers waving across the page, to powerful decisive strokes. All of the … Read more
When it comes to learning about all the different art supplies and tools out there, the internet is a great place. There are so many blogs (like mine, thank you for being here!), videos and resources where you can inform yourself about all the wonderful supplies that exist and how you can use them. There … Read more
The process of exploring nature, either through art or through simple observation, can set a number of things in motion in us humans. I want to talk about these effects today, and show why there are many positive aspects about being in and around nature and getting to know it better. I know that you … Read more