Art by Medium: Pencil

A Second Tribute This graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism (Tribute to Anita Ekberg) – 22-06-23’ is not my first homage to her. Some years ago I made a first one. People must h...

Endlessness This graphite pencil drawing ‘Sands of Time – 23-03-24’ follows exactly one month after my last one ‘Cleopatra – 23-02-24’. They both are part of my series...

Roundism – 30-01-18 In line with my previous graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 11-01-18’ I rendered the model figure with such highlighted tones as if the skin was lube...

Roundism – 04-06-18 I was attracted by the musculature of the model’s back and wanted also to map this even more by emphasizing the oblique position of the torso by means of a...

Roundism – 05-07-18 I was very happy with the result of my latest session with my favorite model. She showed great triangular structures and edges. Besides that I have her use p...

Roundism – 26-03-19 The sheets on my duvet on which my model lay show nice checkered patterns. Her body contrasted them quite nicely and I decided to exploit this to the max. I ...

Roundism – 27-10-20 Just Abstract Last model session resulted in a nice pose through which I was inspired to continue my roundism series. The general idea was to build up the p...

First Roundism of This Year This graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 20-01-23’ is the first one of its kind this year. After ‘Venus Lamenting – 13-01-23’ I wanted to d...

Roundism – 17-07-18 Another session with my model and I used an unusual point of view: above her and it took the challenge to capture the foreshortened shapes of her body. Lucki...

Solarization This graphite pencil drawing ‘Solarized Roundism – 26-11-21’ concerns a pose I had my model strike a couple of sessions ago. Strangely it takes me back a year a...

Another Fine Dutch One Time for a tribute to Lourens Alma Tadema and why not? Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Mondriaan and De Kooning are house hold name...

Roundism – 11-01-20 Of late I was busy painting ‘The Restoration of Bettie Page’ and since a month or so drawings do not sprout from my pencil that often. But sometimes you ...

A Bit of Extra Fun This graphite pencil drawing ‘Hold Your Horses – 04-01-22 was a done deal in my head already during the live session. That was the same one spawning ‘Julia...

Roundism – 15-11-20 More Complex The previous drawing Roundism – 06-11-20 was set up rather elementary, contary to this one. As you may know by now I like to vary and decided...

Last One This Year This graphite pencil drawing ˜Roundism “ 30-12-22 is the last one of this year. After Neo Deco “ 25-12-22 I wanted to end this year in the style that brought me success the last decade. One could also argue that I just dont know where this particular style is heading for anyway. Surely I have this other thing, called ˜Neo Deco but I am not sure yet where this is going. Recently I wrote about my uncertainties with regard of serving something old as a new style. That is how it feels like, sort of. Maybe its just that I am trying to forge something out of dusty air of a bygone era. Its definitely a topic I want to delve much deeper into in 2023. For now I named all things round ˜roundism and cubistically straight things ˜neo deco. A pretty daft distinction perhaps. What do you think? Golden Ratio The motif for this actual work was derived from a reference picture taken by Walter Bird. The last one I used one of his photos for was Art Deco Nude “ 23-08-22. Even though the style of photographing is typically art deco I think his work stands out compared to many others. Not only did he use heavy doses of light and dark but also cropped nudes within the frame nicely. The result is a perfect bodyscape image. Due to the striking roundness of the breasts and tilted body position I thought drawing roundish shapes were almost unavoidable. I spotted some nice curves I extrapolated outside the female form. The ones besides her hip culminated into the golden ratio curves. A suitable ending for this year. The ending and the beginning of something entwined, as it should be. So is my search for the eternal and essential in the temporary. Graphite pencil (Faber Castell...

Meeting Julia It is time for the elevation of Julia Filament. Sunday 7th November I finally met her again and we went to the Singer Laren Museum. She is a fine artist, graphic des...

5 bestialities - 19-02-19 After my last drawing '11 bestialities - 09-02-19' I got the hang of it and decided to do once more. After all, when the artist's mind has been evoked, t...

Lorelei – 12-07-18 I always tell my students that art is about seeing one thing in another, just like tasting wine and describing it by comparing to something completely differe...

A New Model This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 01-06-23’ serves as a caesura after my long series of landscapes and cityscapes. The last one depicting the Nieuwe Kerk ...

More than Cubism and Roundism This graphite pencil drawing ‘Cleopatra – 23-02-24’ refers to a work under the same name I made back in 2018. That year I started my ‘Out of...

Roundism – 07-09-18 The second drawing I did of my Spanish model Julia Gómez Avilés. In preparation of the long pose for the pastel she did some stretching and almost dance-li...

Once Again Once in a while I get that itchy feeling again that makes me want to turn to roundism. The last one by that title I made half a year ago. In between lie an odd couple...

The Venus of The Hague – 09-07-20 Animals kept crawling in so it was inevitable to incorporate them into these series. The first one I saw was a lioness in her thight and second...

Solarised Look This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 09-04-24’ is the first one after a couple of pastel drawings. Seized by my currect oil painting in progress I kept th...

Roundism – 06-11-20 The Next One After Roundism – 27-10-20 I thought to postpone future colored pencil drawings for a while and return to graphite pencil. I kind of like chan...

Roundism – 17-03-18 Eroticism and art is as old as the Venus of Millendorf but always has been shunned and embraced at the same time. We all love sex, eroticism, nudity and the ...

Homage to Erin Olaf This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 20-09-23’ is a continuation of my recent quest. More than before I long for uniting all styles I invented or emp...

Back from a Sore Back This graphite pencil drawing ˜Roundism “ 22-12-22 follows after ˜Neo Deco “ 10-12-22. Usually I make one drawing per week but my mind was occupied with an oil i...

Roundism – 22-09-20 Roundism Once More After an odd month doing other project it was time to do one in my roundism style again. Actually it was inevitable to do this piece in m...

The Return of Lauren This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 18-10-23’ is a return to die hard art deco motifs. Initially I planned to draw more landscapes and I certainly ...

Roundism – 12-06-18 It is time to put down a kind of art statement for a change. Lately I came to think about my kind of art a lot, inspired by comments and questions like what ...

My Compliments This graphite pencil drawing ‘Third Rock from the Sun – 15-02-24’ I wanted to create for a long time. However, caught up in some projects in oil I had some ti...

Roundism – 04-04-20 This is my third solarized drawing I did since a long time and represents my regular model I know for years. Areas that catch the most solarization are the h...

Just Another Artistic Motif This graphite pencil drawing ˜Venus Lamenting “ 13-01-23 is a special one. It is an indictment of prudishness. My second to last one ˜Roundism “ 30-12-22 apparently shook up a bunch of people. Comments varied from great to ˜yet another tit pic. There also were prudes from various countries who scorned me for the subject nudity anyway. Throughout the years I became used to these reactions somehow. I also take into account the fact people from each and any nation are present on social media nowadays. With this variety comes a whole set of different opinions and views of life. I cherish them all. That is, as long as they cherish my opinion back. If they dont, then this art statement is for all those who lack the word reciprocity in their dictionary. Climbing the Barricades Personally I think the nude can be as much an artistic motif as any other. In fact I dont complain in the least about a world of other motifs. One could like to depict golden retrievers, red roses and other darling, save and sound themes. I see them on a daily basis on Instagram and Facebook among others. I probably wouldnt have made a big fuss because of contempt shown in the past. Thats what an artist is all about. I even like to provoke with my nudes a bit. A bit of sexiness but not too much. Just to be able to deny the presence of too much of it by underligning artistic aspects as well. Hmm, a bit of risque here an there. I love it! Why climb the barricades once again? Heres why. ArtKitchen In a dutch paper, called ˜NRC there was this item on Jeannette Dekeukeleires. She is the gallery owner of ArtKitchen in Amsterdam, known for its stimulating and provocative art...

Roundism – 30-05-18 This drawing is all about the sensuality of the female figure. Even though the model did not show too much tonal bandwith I was able to discover some real gr...

Different Styles Another variation in the Risque Series. After my last graphite pencil drawing ‘Risque – 22-01-22’ I was searching for something new. I just don’t like to ...

Preparatory Trip This graphite pencil drawing ‘Delft – 19-03-23’ is based on a trip to that city only yesterday. You see, I was visiting the place with my parents in prepara...

Third Drawing This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 29-08-23’ is a co-production with someone who calls himself ‘CapitalistTools’. A true enigmatic name! His profile ...

Consecutive Drawing This graphite pencil drawing ‘Delft – 24-03-23’ follows directly after my last one. In my art statement that goes with it I already told something about ...

Clueless as to Female Forms This graphite pencil drawing ‘The Magere Brug in Amsterdam – 09-11-23’ is rather realistic looking but let me explain why. Of late I started sket...

Another Live Session This graphite pencil drawing ‘Model Session – 06-10-22’ stems from an earlier session. However, I had a model session with my favorite model on the 6th ...

A Sort of Try-out This graphite pencil drawing ‘Berg en Dal – 25-10-23’ puts me back on track. Lately I was planning to do some more cityscapes, treescapes and landscapes. T...

What Name It Bears … This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 26-01-23’ counterparts my previous one ‘Roundism – 20-01-23’. The reference picture is from the same mo...

Cleopatra – 22-12-18 When I saw the reference picture I was inspired to turn the model sitting in a bath with lots of foam around her, into a donkey milk bath with Cleopatra in ...

Summer in Holland – 25-07-18 In the dead of summer it is so hot here in The Hague I had double vision. That is why I serve two women for the price of one. Graphite pencil dra...

Something Different And now for something completely different: Roundism again. After ‘Art Deco Nude – 11-08-22’ it was time to unleash my Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils on Roundism. I delved into my stash of art deco photographs...

Art Deco Feel Wag the dog was the first title that came to mind when I saw this beautiful photo. It stems from the 1930s I think. It has this incredible art deco feel about it. Ho...

Let It Rest This graphite pencil drawing ‘Solarized Roundism – 16-06-23’ I started quite some time ago. Directly after A Non AI-Driven Neo Deco Celebrity Nude...

After Two Interludes Graphite pencil drawing ‘Art Deco Nude – 16-09-22’ follows after two impressionist interludes. Park Hoog Oostduin – 14-09-22. I made because I was qui...

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head This graphite pencil drawing ‘Clingendael – 31-03-23’follows up my previous one of Delft. For no particular reason I wanted to draw a bit of nature again. Or is it that I long for nature blossoming in Spring? Whereas in the Po Valley, Italy and Spain people scream for rain we get it here in abundance. It’s raining cats and dogs during March and this everlasting wind. Bleh! Then again, March and April in The Netherlands are famous for their unpredictability. For the time being it’s sketching indoors and therefor I draw from the stack of last year’s photos. Lambs in Clingendael There is this specific spot near the entrance of estate ‘Clingendael’ where they keep some farm animals. Besides horses and cows, sheep can also be found there. I never have been a sucker for depicting little lambs, darling ponies and golden retrievers. The spot that marks this drawing was special though. The picture was from last May and sunshine was creeping through tree leaves. All of a sudden a little lamb was caught by the light, just about to drink from the through. Just a lucky shot with the camera I think which comes in handy on a rainy day like this. The moral of the story is this. A subject can’t be corny enough as long as it is lit in a beautiful way. Not the First Time When I come to think of it, I have done some animals only themes in the past. Homage to a Dying...

Sans titre – 26-10-18 When I was looking at the reference picture of Angie Dickinson my colleague at Studio Brugman, Gilbert said her face looked almost chiseled like a statue. ...

The sheik of Araby - 15-10-17 I always love this jazz song and when listening to jazz doing my nudes in my apartment I made the connection all of a sudden, as I often do between v...

De Smorenhoek – 17-12-20 A Beautiful Meadow Some time ago I visited De Smorenhoek, a small but long meadow surrounded by wood embarkements. From Beek-Ubbergen it runs upwards to Berg en Dal. For years I haven’t visited the area and I thought I should visite it once more. Unfortunately it was a drizzly day and even though the scenery showed great motifs it was too grey to spot some exciting tonal ranges. Lucky for me my dad...

Ms Bacall This graphite pencil drawing ‘Sans Titre 30-10-24’ is inspired by a picture of Lauren Bacall in a satin dress. Not the first time though I immortalized her in graph...

This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 21-07-25’ is yet another display of darkening things up. As was the case in the last drawing by the way. Model Assia never ceases to in...

American Celebrity and Moviestar This graphite pencil drawing ‘Sans Titre – 02-06-25’ depicts American celebrity and moviestar Jean Harlow. A mixture of art deco and cubism ...

Solarize It Again This graphite pencil drawing ‘Solarized Roundism – 02-03-23’ follows directly after one with the same name. You see, I quite got the hang of it. I’m tota...

A Mixture of Styles This graphite pencil drawing ‘Louise Brooks – 02-09-25’ is a mixture of surrealism, cubist styling and art deco. Louise, two cats and an elephant combine...

A Second One This graphite pencil drawing ‘Art Deco Nude – 06-08-22’ follows one day after the first, done with my new pencils. In fact, immediately after the completion of the first one I started the second in my studio at Brugman Art. However, finished a day later but within an hour in total. Surely this shows my enthusiasm. The Pitt Graphite Matt pencils and the Ingres paper to me are a perfect match. You have to know that I like to search for new ways to quickly put my ideas on paper. Charcoal simply is too stainy, even though it is quick and easy to correct. Pastel is also quick but falls off the Ingres paper quite easy without fixation. They are not very handy to carry around in my backpack as well. Pencils I easily can carry with my in my handy Derwent pencil folder. Deco Again This Deco title is a bit of a laugh really. Art Deco is a pre World War II art...

The Hague Forest – 21-06-18 When I ride my bike through The Hague Forest (Haagse Bos) just around the corner I see only beauty. Leafy light and shadow play. But at one time I bi...