The Beautiful Death

Today this fits, I'm in a rotten mood.

Above you see a path on the North Cemetery of Leipzig. I drew the postcard yesterday, the blue is actually a turquoise.

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Watercolors - such fun

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A few weeks back at the illustration workshop I got to try Gouache colors, I didn't like them as I told you before. Instead I had a strong feeling that watercolors would be just my cup of tea. After I tried them today I know that I absolutely LOVE them. It's such fun to use them. I love that I can be inaccurate when using them and it just looks great.

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Those three cards are the first time since art class in school that I used watercolors (that has been at least 16 years since) and I just love those cards.

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Easter came quite early this year

As you can see I went on a shopping spree this Saturday. Initially I hadn't planned to go to the artists supply this early again, but then I snapped.
The trigger was my "Ratzefummel", my (kneading) eraser, it was so dirty that I really couldn't or want to use it anymore and my other erasers weren't fit for that kind of accurate erasing that I need to do with my graphic designs. So this lovely white Ratzefummel that you see in the pic above had to be it. Naturally I didn't just buy the eraser, I've also got another Copic Multiliner, with a 0.25 nib. I find that it glides smoother and is much more stable than the 0.1 nib. I like drawing with it.

Then I decided that I wouldn't wait until Easter and got myself watercolors, the Sketchers Pocket Box of Winsor & Newton. I'll probably try them today.

And last but not least, I bought the cut magazine, which is incidentally not on illustration or graphic art but about clothing design. Now I don't want to start making clothes, but from all the books and mags they had on offer (which is a lot) this mag was the only one that has an interesting layout, design and interesting article and language. It's a wonderful magazine, so interesting and inspiring.

As you can see I've already sorted out some colors, I won't need white or ochre. Ochre is a color that I despise, I literally hate it. So, there is no chance that I will ever again have it in my watercolor box. Instead I'll get turquoise and purple.

What colors do you like or dislike?

Icepuddle-Beauty

My favourite!

Have a great new week everyone.

The ultimate park and some drawings

What a combination: the glamour of Sanssouci Park and the postcards I drew yesterday.

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Postcard 17/366 - My favourite

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Postcard 19/366

Postcard 20/366 - drawn with Copic Multiliner

Enjoy your weekend.

2 years, 665 posts, countless changes - a Blog-Birthday

Exactly two years ago I started this blog with this post. The blogs name by then was "The Man-Made Project", I had just bought my Lomo Fisheye No. 2 and had the idea to take pictures of normal everyday stuff but with a twist. I soon broadened this blogs horizon. Last year I forgot about this blogs birthday (blog birthday post 2011).

During the last two years I truly learned to photograph, specializing in Fisheye and Macro Photography without ever having planned to do so and changed personally a lot (back then I was a platinum blonde). I think it is save to say this blog evolves with me. I changed the layout, name, projects and goals along with my personal development. Two years ago the blog was just for my lomographies, now I share all my photography and my other artistic ventures. In my last post I shared my first ever illustration of a certain topic and who knows what the next years will bring? A wedding gig this summer for sure but aside from that...

And I have absolutely no issues with calling myself a photographer now. Monday I got another film back and with this I achieved something that I thought I would never-ever be abled to do. And that is, in my opinion, a sign of a true pro photographer: a film full of stunning photographies, without any bad pictures whatsoever.

So yeah, after 2 years of self training I am proud to call myself a photographer, specialized in Fisheye and Macro Photography.  I think getting to this stage with my illustration will take at least 2 years too, probably more. But I will have fun getting there.

So I hope you come along on this way.

Illustration Friday: Fluid

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What a creative day! I've been enjoying drawing all throughout the day and just a few minutes ago, I've finished my first ever illustration on a topic, for Illustration Friday. As it says on their website: "Illustration Friday is a weekly creative outlet/participatory art exhibit for illustrators and artists of all skill levels". I wanted to take part for a few weeks now, but didn't. This weeks topic is "fluid" and I thought it is a perfect fit for my stuff.

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Nevertheless I've wanted to do something special and came up with the "Fluid Fountain".

"Fluid Fountain"

It was fun to draw this.

Spring is coming, but no new music

When I walked to my dentists appointment at dusk yesterday evening the Spring birds were singing and the air felt like velvet. I love this kind of air, when everything becomes soft and the light brush of wind feels like a loving caress and as if someone is ruffling lovingly your hair. *sigh*

These days I feel like I'm becoming more and more myself. Something is definitely shifting. On Tuesday as rotten as it was, something big shifted. It felt like years passed in hours. I had the exact same feeling on the Tuesday before Christmas.

What is also changing are my expenses. For almost 20 years I spent quite a lot of my income on music. But I haven't bought one single song since November. I also don't lend CDs from the public library anymore. In fact I'm starting to listen to my vast collection of music. Currently I listen a lot to Matchbox Twenty, Hootie & the Blowfish, The Goo Goo Dolls and Tom Jones. I'm obviously not running from myself anymore, I'm starting to truly accept myself on a very basic level.
However my mind hasn't caught up with this development. It's funny (and annoying) how often during the last weeks and months I wanted to go music shopping (online and second-hand music stores or library) and whenever I did, I found that I'm not interested in anything. Nevertheless there is not a day passing by when I'm not thinking of buying some new music. I'm sure I will buy the new John Mayer LP whenever that comes out, but until then ...
But beware of me going to my local artists supply, then I really get into shopping mood. Good thing I'm now making it a point to pay cash, this way I'm abled to reign in my spending. Anyway, I've decided to gift myself a starters box of water-colours at Easter.

So what kind of music do you like lately? Any new artists?

Finally drawing again

Even though yesterday was quite a rotten Tuesday I'm proud to say that I drew again and it was pure fun. These are the postcards I drew. The first three pictures are from the postcard that I drew with my new Copic Multiliner SP 0.1. I really enjoyed it, though it takes a bit to get used to it.
The other three pics are three postcards that I drew with different pencils.

Classic Entrance and a little of mood shopping

This is the formidable entrance to the church of the little Saxonian town Wolkenburg.

Yesterday I had a really frustrating day, so to boost my mood I went to my local artists supply and got myself a nice little gift. A COPIC Multiliner 0.1 and a square sketchbook.

I have been lusting after this kind of pen for 2 years now. I've had come across them for the first time in my Manga phase. Then last year I've had them in my shopping basket time and again, and time and again I put them back on the shelf. Yesterday was the big day. It took me a while to decide the size, but I think 0.1 is just perfect for me at this moment, I can buy smaller later on.

The sketchbook was due to the fact that I want to do a certain project and for this I need a square sketchbook with real bookbinding. All my other sketchbooks are ring bound and not squares. I admit I have a crush on square paper. DIN A sizes are just too normal and remind me to much of writing paper. By now I have as much square paper pads as I have DIN A papers. And I really prefer to draw on squares.

Left side binding paper brilliant white, right side drawing paper.

And I prefer paper that is not brilliant white. Drawing paper for schoolkids is always this extreme white. No wonder I never liked arts class at school. The brilliant white of copypaper hurts the eyes, well, my eyes at least. And copy paper or school drawing paper is lacking structure. Seriously, it's no fun at all.

But I've got tons of funstuff now, so I'm going to use it.

Have a great day.

Withered Barn Series - Details One + a vote

News on the food front: My body voted yes for dairy-free too. I've got mixed feelings about this.

On one side I'm happy, because now I know how to get my skin in order and how to lean out effectively until summer skirts and dresses are back in season. But it also means that now I really have to think ahead when it comes to eating and I have to change my grocery shopping too. After just 5 days I'm already running out of olive oil, a bottle that had stood on my shelve untouched for months before because I used mostly butter.
Another positive thing from those 3 grain-, sugar- and dairy-free days was that I found that I do have the willpower to fight down chocolate-cravings, that is under perfect circumstances. I would probably succumb under stress. And I need to have a chocolate-free home. Any chocolate in and I would succumb.

Anyway, yesterday I shortly pondered if I still should do my Sunday ritual of Caffe Latte (milk), steamed milk with Amaretto-flavour (milk and sugar-molasses) and nougat waffles (grain, dairy and sugar) or if I should stick to simple tea instead. I've decided it is Sunday and I need it for my psyche. Well, might change my mind on this on the upcoming Sunday, depending on how my skin looks by then.

I wish all of you a wonderful new week.

Childhood Memories - The Concrete Elephant Slide and the Climbing Frame

It seems as if Thursdays become my exploration days. This Thursday I was restless again and in desperate need to see something new. Therefore I went out to use the nice weather photographing (it was sunny when I left home). I went by street car to the "Palm Tree Garden", which incidentally doesn't have any palm trees anymore. The garden is situated on the other bank of the Elster river, the bank that I had no memory of ever exploring it. Which is quite ridiculous since there are more than enough bridges to it.

Anyway, I explored it and found this playground containing this huge elephant slide made of concrete and the climbing frame. The usual concrete elephant slides that I remember were smaller than this one and had no metal chute.* Personally I always loved those old elephant slides. And the swings. As a matter of fact I still love swings and enjoy them occasionally. "Never lose your childish innocence" Katherine and Fefe from "Under the tuscan sun".

Today is my Offline-Sunday again (Caffe Latte, Waffles, no computer, no (cell-)phone, no wristwatch). Hope you enjoy your Sunday too.

* I'll eventually take a picture of one of those for you.

Withered Barn Series - Along the long side

Oh my, I LOOOVE this series. Ahhh. It's pictures like this, when I know I am an artist. I will definitely make prints of this series, frame them and put them on my walls.

Things finally seem to come together for me. I finally got rid of a bad habit, a habit of rebellion that I had for 28 years. So I'm proud on myself for achieving this. I've also been eating grain- , sugar- and dairy-free for the last 2 days. Considering that I'm in my monthly chocolate-craving week this is quite an outstanding feat. In any case I'm currently obsessed with creamy scrambled eggs, I ate them 3 times yesterday, 2 of those servings in the evening because of the chocolate craving. This amounts to 12 eggs yesterday. Well, it helped to straighten out my serotonin levels and beat my chocolate craving so I'm fine with it. Now I just have to buy enough eggs for today, tomorrow and Monday morning, since I guess that the chocolate craving will stay around for a few more days.

Yesterday afternoon I rearranged furniture in my studio. So now my easel is standing ready to use right beside my bed and at the northern end of my room, which is the career part of my studio if I follow Feng Shui. I'm no absolute devotee to Feng Shui, but it's the best place for my easel anyway, so it fits and maybe it helps.

Contrast Program - Summery Green and Business Cards

Since the winter is starting to really getting on my nerves, I needed a bit of summery green on this blog of mine. The Roman Baths in the Sanssouci Park on June 1st in 2011. It was such an amazing day. I loved this trip.


And just because I can and I really like them, I have to show you my brand new San's Visual Art - Business Cards. Aren't they fantastic? I designed them and then printed them myself.

Withered Barn Series - Looking Up the Door Jamb