ISRAEL 24.4. - 2.5.2017

I realized lately, that its actually has been almost a year since my last post here...which doesn't mean that i haven't drawn for that long! I have been working on other projects and didn't really had the time to post stuff here - but thats going to change again.

So the reason, why i'm here now, is that i just came back from Israel. And I took of course a sketchbook with me (even bought a new one!), and I brought a selection of colored pencil (a lot of brown-yellows) and my watercolors, as well as fineliner and my beloved brushpen and pencils. I ended up using only one 0.3 fineliner and a 2B Pencil  - the colored pencils didn't work out, the brushpen didn't flow as usual, the watercolors were too much of a hustle. But on my next journey I will still take all of it with me, since you never know!

Ok, enough with the preparation, lets go to Israel:

Flying from Geneva to Tel Aviv on the 25 in the morning - i stayed overnight at a friends place. One hour after me, my girlfriend Eline landed from London.

The flight was packed - lots of orthodox jews with their newborns. There's not much to do on a flight, so i tried to get as much as possible in one drawing by "using" a fishlens.

As soon as I started to draw him, he would start to move and then go...always the same! It's also the only try with the brushpen...

Changed then to this two ladies - we and they were eating in this wonderful place "Kaymar" in Tel Aviv.

Next day we went to Jerusalem and of course to the old city - its super busy, but we managed to find a bit of a calm place to draw and for Eline to do some recordings.

Second day in Jerusalem - again in the old town, on our way to the golden dome, stopping to buy a card.

After the golden dome, where we didn't had time to stop, we stumbled over these street musicians. There was a strike going on, so almost all of the shops were closed, and thus as well less tourists.

"We serve soup" - Thats how you get welcomed at the wonderfull HaMarakia in Jerusalem. We ended up eating no soup, but shakshouka. This is the view from the garden in the back inside.

Next day in Tel Aviv, enjoying the start of shabat in a park, where I tried to draw the fascinating trees.

And trying to catch the scenery, this time with colored pencils, but....nope.

Next day, saturday, took a slow start, worked a bit at our Airbnb in the neighboorhood Florentine.

And then walked to the old town of Yafo (Jaffa), where there was more going on. The second i stood up after finishing this drawing, i got shitted on by a pigeon...

Relaxing afterwards on the beach just north of Yafo in the late afternoon.

In the post office, at the central bus station in Tel Aviv.

On sunday then with the sherut to Jerusalem again - its so shaky!

Jerusalem wasn't our final stop - Ramallah in Palestine was! Super busy city, so here a very calm and unspectacular corner south of the old town.

The next day again with the sherut and bus to Masada next to the Dead Sea (which you can maybe spot in the background). It was to hot and we had to little time to stop more, so only the bus station in the desert.

And then, it was already over again. After the security check at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, I had lots of time.

On the flight back then drawing a sleeping orthodox jew - he was a strange figure, with a shirt and comfortable wide pants.

By the way, if you want to see more picture of Israel i did, i have been there already some years ago. Here is the post from 2013: Israel in 2013.

The Two Trees

It's been a while...
strangest trees - i used the very warm weather yesterday and discovered a new quarter in Zurich (sketchwise). This is the Corner Luegisland/Herzongmühlestrasse, at the very cityborder - the whole street was lined with these trees.
5.5.2016, pencil.

Freiburg

I went to Freiburg with two friends this weekend. While enjoying Freiburg on saturday, we were quite tired on sunday. That's when i took my pen and sketchbook: I drew the first one from the balcony doorstep while the others were still trying to wake and get up. The second one in the evening, while we had a rest at the hostel, before we had to get back to Zurich.

Sketchcrawl with Urban Sketchers Switzerland

Today was the 50th Sketchcrawl - not my 50th though! It was cold, but sun shone brightly. We were about ten sketchers, which spread out to sketch the Museum Rietberg in Zürich and the surrounding park. Was fun!

The view from the Museum trough the trees on to the Villa Schönberg.

The reflexions on the greentinted glass entry of the Museum Rietberg. It was very difficult show the reflection and see through the lines!

And to end it a little perspective work. No colors here, because it was already a tedious work to get al lines right (more or less) and as i sat in the shadows, i was getting colder and colder...

market hall

Yesterday i've met with some other people from Zurich to do some urban sketching, and since it's still freaking cold outside, we went to the market hall in the "Viadukt". Its warm and one gets hungry because of all the different and tasty looking food. Lots of colors and lots of details didn't made it easier, but also more exciting to sketch though!
Next time I have to go buying my food there instead of sketching...or maybe pay with a sketch?

Parmesan cheese on the counter, at the right side there were dried chillis in a cork oak bark

More dried chillis hanging from the shelf. I actually don't know whats in the blue sacks, i guess its rice or pasta next to cans of tomatos.

BERLIN 6.1 - 10.1

It has been about four months since my last post here...
I have drawn some sketches since then of course, but i was much too busy to update the blog. Work and the University were the two things i had in the past months in my life. So i was very happy to take a break from the stress and go to Berlin with agood friend. Since it was brutally cold, i couldn't sketch outside, but luckily there are lots of nice bars and cafes, where its warm.

First stop was the "Ankerklause": fleeing from the cold and eating a warm soup.

I guess, one of the best breakfasts in Berlin i served at the "Nah am Wasser gebaut" - or is it called "The place to be"? Confusing, but tasty!!

Its getting dark early: This is the view from the "Freischwimmer", a restaurant located next to a canal, which was frozen.

Really loved the lamps over the bar in the "Rummels perle, the only problem was the light, which so reddish, i couldn't really see with which colors i drew!

Having wonderful Cheescake in the "Prachtwerk", right after having breakfast at 16:00! Now thats Berlin!

Before breakfast in the kitchen of our friend, where we could sleep for the four nights- Thank you again Linn!

The view from the airplane at the airport right before the take-off. I had to be really quick, before the sun and the plane changed their positions :)

Day four

After an day of washing heavy old machines, i was in desperate need of some energy to get me going for the evening. So I bought a coffee at the train station and did some ultra speed sketching: trying to capture the people on the escalator: i could see the persons for approximately 10 seconds, but at the beginning of those from the front, and in the end from above (or the other way around). I stood no chance - but it gave me the energy needed!

Brushpen, A5, 20 min, central train station zurich

Actually, it had a lot more people....but it was really funny

Day three

Today, I hadn't a lot to do (again...), but always something small. In the morning I still had some letters to transcribe (I started with them yesterday) and in between two of them i quickly drew my table. I love the contrast between the clumsy keyboard and the elegant handwriting of those letters. I wish that letters would be used more often today. They are also a more elegant time-document than what our emails and short messages will be in 100 years, if they even still exist then!!

Black marker, A5 (well, its always gonna be A5...), ca 30 min (or even more, those writings...), Schloss Lenzburg

i didn't like the first "B" so i had to rewrite it on separate piece of paper and put it over the old. I definitely have to get more exercise on writing nicely. 

Day 2

I hadn't a lot to do today, but never had time to sketch something - so i expect that there will be a lot of commuter train sketches in here.

Brushpen, A5, ca. 20 minutes

I have to get used to the shaking of the train - and a method of putting people on chairs which already drew...

Day One

Today I started my alternative civilian service at the museum in Lenzburg, which is located in the Castle of Lenzburg (actually, its on the "Lenz-castle", since "burg" already means castle). After spending the morning with getting known the castle, i spent the rest of my day doing almost nothing. I even had time for a sketch!

Pencil, A5, about 30 minutes.

These is the view from the north side, where my bureau is, to the south one, across the court, and between the "pallas" on the left and one of the biggest and oldest knight-halls (?) of switzerland on the right side. 

square

it's been a while...but i haven't stopped sketching. Trying to get more comfortable with colored pencils, so here are some small, square sketches:

Urban Sketching in the green. this is the river Sihl, that runs through Zürich

Humans and the nature (II): a small cottage in the mountains around Gstaad 

The nature (II) and the Humans: an artificial lake at 2000 meters over the sea and power lines of course. Also near Gstaad

Villa Hohenbühl

To end two weeks of absolute university-stress, i had eight hours of colloquium today - and was pretty tired afterwards. To get my head cleaned up i went drawing this wonderful villa, sitting on top the trainstation Stadelhofen and overlooking the city. The villa is actually part of the highschool, in which i went, and houses (mostly) the rooms, where the drawing classes are. It's so beautiful, and i really want to discover it more through drawing (although i did this quite often during school as an assignment - i don't have enough yet).

Villa Hohenbühl - 23.5.15 - Brushpen - ca. 21x15cm

This is actually the basement on the right, where the ateliers for 3D-works are located.

Beautiful weather

It's such beautiful weather outside, but i have to study for the university. Sometimes though I take a break, go for a walk, and do some sketches. Yesterday evening, the sky was so beautiful at the lake: the main difficulty was, that the light and the clouds moved so fast. Today, something different: blue, cloudless sky, so i sat in the shadow and sketched this nice little villa in front of this ugly big monstrum...

it even had a rainbow - i couldn't quite grasp it....

Bürkliplatz at night

I went for a short sketchwalk in the evening. I walked down to the lake, where the orange lights reflected on the darkblue lake...a shame i left my watercolors at home. As i turned around i could see through the almost black trees onto the bright street. The Brushpen died during this sketch, so for the second one, i had to use a simple ballpoint pen to get the rich contrast between the lit pavilion, where a lot of people where dancing to some swingmusic and the already dark surrounding.

art-history

Yesterday I had a course at the university, which actually has very interesting topic. But yesterday, the presentation given was...lets say, hard to listen to. So instead of doing art-history, i did some art myself.

22.4.2015 | SE: NL. KUNST (seminar: art from the netherlands) | Bruspen | ca. 20x27 cm

Thats the good thing, if you're sitting in the last row: you can do some urban (universitary?) sketching!

Sweden

I've done a little voyage in the north of europe: I went to sweden for a few days. I took a new sketchbook with me and quite a lot pencils, crayons and my watercolors, but i didn't used them a lot; i mostly drew with pencil or the brushpen. It's quicker - and captures more the moment than an actual scenery. Since i was not on my own, I didn't drew a lot of architecture - only from the warm inside of a Café. And since the landscapes were too beautiful too look at only one place, i tried to just look everywhere and save it in memory - for later.

It was a different kind of sketching; it was more a diary of moments than a studing of the foreign architecture and landscapes.

various techniques | 6.4. - 15.4 |

Titlepage

We were travelling from Zurich to Stockholm in one go: 24 hours (almost). This is where the train gets on the ferry to Denmark

And then, somewhere in the middle of sweden, we ate something, but hadn't the right tools with us...
On the ship again the next day: Vaxholm is lovely, Ramsö is the only island, where the ships goes, since "its still winter"

This is a bit mean: Marc was sleeping in the Bus back from Vaxholm

Välkommen! This is the view from a funny cafe on Djurgården Island, were we had a coffee.

Eating and drinking wonderful in the "gamla stan", the old town of Stockholm: Elk-goulash (lovely!) in the Sta. Clara Bierhaus.

Best thing at the Bierhaus: the cellar: Open Jam Session every wednesday, for the students. I had to be quick - the jazz was driving!

change of musicians

At the Restaurant in the "Skansen": Some little plants on the table and window ledge

After visiting in the morning the "Skansen" (sooo many people! No nerves for drawing) we went to drink a coffe on the Island Skeppsholmen. While the others already drank their coffee, i still had some left, before it landed on my sketch - which wasn't that bad, because i messed it up anyway!

We left Martina behind in Stockholm and took the ferry to Visby on Gotland. It was such a wonderfull day, the sky was blue and the sun was warm. We took a stroll around the old city wall, were i tried to catch the evening sun.

And again, trying to catch the shadows of the evening sun on the hilly terrain and the majestic city wall towers.

No Sketches on the 11th...An elderly couple invited us to show us around their home-island: Fårö, in the north of Gotland. Such wonderful Landscapes!! But it was a thight day, and I couldn't sketch - i did so in my mind!

A lovely little Crêperie in an wonderful little house in the old part of Visby. The inside was completly painted white/gray, everything was made of wood and the crêpes were delightfull!

 

We still had a lot of time to spend, untill we had to board the ferry back on mainland Sweden. So we were drinking another Coffee and i tried to capture the view through the window - only with b/w. It was really difficult, also because there were a lot of glassware on the table and the window ledge.

And then, at 4 P.M. the ferry MS Visby took off - the 15 minutes before i drew the view through the bended windows on to the harbour buildings.

On the train from Kalmar, where we only stayed the night, i did some color sketches of some views i encountered in sweden.

 No sketches from Copenhagen - it was much to windy and cold, and not as cosy as Sweden...

This is already in Hamburg, were we had 4 hours between trains, in the night train back to zurich...the thought bubble is an insider...