Most people think of cute cottages and endless winters when Sweden crosses their mind. Not entirely untrue, I'd say, but there is definitely more going on than that- or at...
Drawing as a way to deal with the state of the world. Forest fires in Europe, from images on the news: A local forest fire, from an interview on the...
Vintage cars, loud music, lots of people,...
Except for lots of swimming and ice cream, summer is also the time to fix anything and everything before the next winter! it's absolutely great to adopt the concept of "that...
Summer is for dusting off the history knowledge and diving into the world of Vikings and jesters. First stop: Tuna Ting* Borlänge, an annual market held at the Gammelgården and organised...
We only noticed a small Facebook post, rather last-minute, that the Modified Run would pass through Ludvika (a town not too far from us). I'm not really into cars. Especially not...
June is always a special month. It can be bone-rattling cold or melting us away, but the light is incredibly energising. Where we live, we still get a sunset followed by...
After returning to Sweden, my plants showed me loud and clear they did not appreciate me being away. And at this point, I didn't even know about the bits of chaos...
Am I the only illustrator who didn't go to Bologna? It's still on my wishlist, though. One day :-) Instead, I unexpectedly traveled to Belgium for a friend's funeral and stayed for...
It's been the coldest February in years, and I've been absolutely loving it! When it keeps freezing: -We drive on snow, which is soft and silent. -The ice grows thick and strong so...
So here we are. It's February and this is my first post of 2026. Only last week it started to feel like the light was returning- and with the light my...
Another year full of drawing, sketchbooks, and experiments flew by, and in between celebrations and planning for the year ahead, it's nice to look back. Especially when it's about art...
I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate the longest night together with fellow creatives. Mor Art Group organised a lecture + drawing session for charity that explored the winter solstice...
It looks like I haven't shared much of my sketchbook recently, but I have been drawing and painting a lot. - I've had an A3 Royal Talens sketchbook for over a...
Ok, I have to admit that I wasn't particularly pleased with that clock change - I'm still pretending it didn't happen- but amai these autumn days make me so happy. From...
Oh, I've been eyeing these art supplies for such a long time that I thought I'd never see them in real life :-) But then, my partner had to be in...
I know, I know, it's absolutely ridiculous how much I enjoy cleaning and polishing old metal objects. On an evening walk, we passed a local farm that had a sign "Loppis"-...
This spring/summer, the main thing I wanted to adjust in my art practice was sketching more. I've been joining different Patreons, and working at the studio a lot, but the one...
Last month, on Tj's Patreon, we experimented with collage. For years I've been keeping all kinds of silly scraps for when I'd ever be into collage, but of course, I...
It's been a while since I sat at my easel. A prepped canvas had been waiting for me for months as I kept walking past it. You might not have noticed...
Chaos is part of the process, but so is clearing the desk- and the mind :-) ...
Do you know what an artist's date is? I had no idea. Until I watched a video by Katie Moody on Youtube. Katie is a sketchbook artist and she's reading (and doing...
With Midsommar (Midsummer's celebration in Sweden), there is no place I'd rather be than home. Surrounded by flowers, lakes, and wildlife. This year we were super lucky with beautiful blue...
After months of counting down and dreaming of sunny days, the time had finally come: the sketchbook art retreat in Portugal with TJ Marston and Katie Moody. I had never traveled...
We're already rolling into a new month, and I haven't photographed all my sketches from the past month yet- so I might quickly add them before this post goes live,...
Where did February go? Is it gone already? Recently, I saw a video on Instagram where a person was talking about sketchbooks and how artists shouldn't call books with 'finished' artwork...
After two inspiring weeks with friends, beach dogs, and good food, I'm back at the studio. On Monday I started right away with a printmaking session with Emma. Oh that felt...
I would say that I feel like a child who just got his lördagsgodis (Saturday's candy) but this is definitely way better for my teeth :) + I get to...
The end of the month arrived faster than expected, and until I collected all the photos, I felt like I didn't sketch as much as usual. Back in December, I decided...
The plan was to take it easy this month as December is such a dark month that I wanted to unwind, reflect, and make plans for 2025. It turns out that...
2024 is coming to an end, but not without a few (small) celebrations and taking some time to reflect on the past year. After many years of feeling the need to...
In November, I made some changes to my sketchbook practice. I continued drawing with several of the Patreons that I follow, but also added 2 personal sketchbook projects in which I...
October has been a hectic month and it feels like I've been drawing non-stop! I've had a few different projects going on, and had to fit all activities within daylight hours-...
And just like that, Inktober 2024 is done! It's been a busy month with many experiments, some illustrations that I really like, and some that I'm hesitant to show- but they...
Autumn has been incredible this year, and while many places are just letting go of the summer heat, we're already getting ready for the first snow. It's been unusually warm, and...
Paper made of stone? It was hard to imagine what it would be like. But it tickled my curiosity and I've been experimenting a lot since my first blog post about Karst. The...
Another inky week flew by! Inktober Week 3 has been a mix of creativity, exploration, and catching up! Although I skipped one prompt, I made up for it by diving deeper...
It's week two of the Inktober drawing challenge! Because of drying prints and offline time with the dogs, I got behind with posting- but that's ok. It's a challenge, not a...
Week one of the Inktober drawing challenge is done, and as with many challenges, the start went rather smoothly- as in being on time and coming up with an idea...
Just like that, another month has flown by! September is always a nice mix of busyness and beauty. But I managed to draw a lot! (Sketchbooks and a bit of prep for Inktober) ...
September is flying by, and in October, the challenges are back! The first one that I will probably join is Inktober. So what is Inktober? "Inktober is a month-long art challenge created by...
My perfect autumn morning, it does exist! I'd wake up early to see the sky slowly getting brighter, still from the warmth of my bed sheets. But I couldn't contain my...
Earlier this week, I got a chilly reminder from autumn that its arrival has already begun. When I went for a walk in the woods with my dogs (they all dressed...
The days get shorter and colder, but I think autumn also brings a special kind of inspiration. It feels like a pulse, a push and pull between bundling up inside...
Oops, September has already arrived and I thought I had a few more days before jumping into a new and busy month. But first...
- Call me by your name (2007) by André Aciman. - The Illustrator's Guide (2023) by James Hughes - Pressing Matters Magazine - De geliefden (2022), Willemijn Kranendonk - Stil de tijd, pleidooi voor...
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to try the innovative stone paper and woodless watercolor pencils that Karst gifted me. Update: If you'd like to try the stone paper...
In June, just before the summer break, I've been screenprinting like a maniac. There were so many things I wanted to try, but so little time :-) One of the prints I...
Still inspired by my visit to Belgium, the month started off strong with pencil drawings, gouache experiments, and many Patreon drawing sessions. I also tried a few days of the...
It was meant as a fun summer project, but as one of my dogs unexpectedly needed surgery and it kept raining, I already did a few experiments. Materials: - Lego plates in...
In this old cemetery, most gravestones date from the 19th century. As you wander narrow paths, some stones and decorations are broken, and some texts are no longer readable. Others...
Millions of years before the first human appeared, gigantic and fascinating creatures roamed the planet. Some fun facts: - The earliest known dinosaurs appeared during the Triassic Period (approximately 250 to 200...
Another busy month has flown by and I think I have been drawing every single day. The Royal Talens sketchbooks I used the most, but I've also been scribbling in...
Hergé is the comic strip artist behind the famous Tintin and the funny Quick and Flupke. In Louvain-la-Neuve in the French part of Belgium, there is a museum dedicated to his...
The last part of workshops about drawing comics (Stripgids Academie) was dedicated to risograph printing*. The first time, Marjolein Schalk of Wobby Club (riso printed magazine) guided us through the...
In 2024, it's been 75 years since the Belgian artist James Ensor died. Ensor 2024 is a year dedicated to his inspiring legacy and all creatives get a chance to...
Constant Permeke (Antwerpen, 31 July 1886 – Oostende, 4 January 1952) was a Belgian expressionist painter and sculptor. He is considered a leading figure of Flemish* expressionism, often painting fishermen...
In April, I finished the Moleskine sketchbook and started a new one, Royal Talens this time. Just to switch it up + because they are less expensive which can be...
James Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker who lived in Ostend (Oostende, a city by the North Sea) for most of his...
After the snow melts away, the earth slowly gets back to life, revealing the most magnificent textures and colors. When you look reel close, you can spot a bit of fresh...
I'm always excited to explore different materials. From acrylics to printmaking, from pencils to digital brushes. I love it all and even when something isn't 100% for me, I'll never...
In March, I've been drawing a lot, but not that much in my sketchbook. So let's take a look. On Katie Moody's Patreon, this month's focus was sketching from life. In...
It is a day dedicated to our forests, a day for celebration and raising awareness for the immense challenges we're facing and the needed action. The theme for International Day of...
So much is going on in the world, but on this day, I want to pay extra attention to all the things that make me happy. 1. Early signs of changing...
I was one of the 3 winners! You might think of Rembrandt as only very serious oil paintings by the Dutch Baroque genius from the 17th century (1606-1669), but it's also...
Curious to learn more about comics and how to make them, I joined a course by one of my favorite magazines "de stripgids". It's a Belgian/Flemish magazine dedicated to comics,...
This sketchbook session is a bit special, so it gets its own blogpost! Earlier this week, 'Nordic winter' was the theme of TJ's Patreon session, and we were going to draw/paint/sketch...
In February, I've been using two sketchbooks: An A4 Royal Talens, and an A5 from Moleskine. As in the previous month, I worked a lot with the Artgraf, a bit with...
It happens to all of us creatives. Writers, illustrators, painters, and everyone who creates might find the well of inspiration and creative energy run dry occasionally. I used to be surprised...
International days/weeks are opportunities to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity,...
1. Meer dan Muze (2023), de kunstmeisjes, Meulenhoff A collection of essays/chapters that not only celebrate female artists but also provide context on how women have been/are treated in art and...
1/ Knetterijs pins. Knetterijs is a group of freelance illustrators and I finally got some of their pins! it was hard to choose only a few, but they are so cute...
A little over a month of drawing in about a minute of video. This sketchbook was started during the first holiday drawing session with Emma Carlisle and Sarah Dyer, but it...
Acrylic paint is often my weapon of choice as I love the versatility. Even with only a few colors, you can mix, layer, and create texture. But I've been trying...
The dark field method is a subtractive method of printmaking. In this case, you start by covering a copper plate with lithographic ink (+ 10% miracle gel). Compared to, for...
It's been years since early winter was this cold and this beautiful. Postcard beautiful I'd say! There isn't much wind so the snowflakes have been balancing on the trees for weeks,...
This December, the holiday and festive spirit were the main focus of my sketchbook for several reasons. First of all, with all the sh*t going on in the world, combined with...
Home for the winter holidays, home on the shortest days, so let's hang pretty lights and light some candles! (Sunrise: 09:02, sunset 14:55) The last few months have been rather busy but...
Sometimes November can feel like a very long and dark month, but not this time! December arrived so fast and now that I'm collecting all the sketches, I realize that...
Some pages from the rough sketchbook where I doodle thumbnails and let lines search for the story that I used for Folketale week. These small boxes with lines that don't...
Finally, after almost a year, I could revisit some art stores! Up north, we have some hobby shops and home interior/building stores that sell a few things like paint or basic...
My first-ever folktale week is a fact! It's been hectic, fun, and somewhat stressful. Folk what? Folktale Week is a week-long art challenge in which a story comes to life, guided by 7...
After a sketchbook session that was all about mushrooms, these fascinating fungi kept haunting me at night- but in the best way possible. While almost falling asleep, I suddenly had...
Another month flew by. Blink once and it's autumn, blink twice and we've arrived in winter wonderland. October has been a busy month that started with tons of energy, but as the...
Merry , euhm happy Halloween! The seasons got a bit confused here up north. Instead of gloomy autumn days, we got the prettiest dance of gentle snowflakes slowly covering the earth. This...
In last month's sketchbook overview, I mentioned my renewed interest in gouache paint, which I had not used since high school. My first choice has always been acrylic paint with...
The seasons are changing, and the earth gets ready to hibernate, but September was bursting with colorful sketchbook explorations, challenges, and new connections. I'm uploading the images, and I don't know...
it's the 3rd week of the Endangered Sketchbook challenge and we traveled to the Tibetan Plateau. Tibetan Rosefinch: Birds are hard! Yamdrok lake: Przewalski’s Horse: I think my last horse drawing was when I...