Index Card A Day - ICAD

Now, I've done this before (link has videos! go check it out!) and did not finish the challenge, but that's not to say it's no fun:

Index Card A Day is starting today!

For the months of June and Juli, Daisy Yellow challenges you to do something creative with or on an index card. They cost next to nothing, so you don't have to feel too precious about them, and you can draw on them, write poetry or single words or shopping lists on them, doodle on them, sew them, stick stuff on them, cut shapes out of them...

If you feel up to the challenge, go to Daisy Yellow's ICAD FAQ page and join in! I will try and do my best to do a card every day, but seeing how I feel about doing anything daily, I'll make sure I have 7 cards each week. Pinky swear.

And here is my first card: (Oh come on, you knew it was going to be a radish, right?)

Need inspiration? Grow radishes!

So I grew some radishes. First in my window, and then I planted them outside. Now, if you know British weather, you can guess what happened... They grew like crazy! And before I knew it, I had to take some out as my veggie grow bag was getting too crowded.


Talk about kill your darlings... most of them were not more than a slightly thicker stem, and not edible yet. But a few of them were and they were lovely! Even quite peppery, which is what I like about radishes.


But of course, before I ate them all, I had to draw one...


First I did a line drawing with my Lamy safari fountain pen. It's filled with waterproof calligraphy ink that's non-clogging.


Then I added colour, using my Winsor & Newton Cotman studio set. I've been trying to remind myself to use this one, as I often use cheaper paints. This set is quite large, and I haven't really played that much with it yet so I'm learning about mixing the colours as I go along.


And this is the full sketch. I'm not sure yet if I will add text. I'm tempted to, because I'd like to write about my very first radishes, but I'm afraid of messing it up. Maybe I'll do a mock-up so I can see what it looks like, or cut out some clear plastic as an overlay where I can put text blocks up to try it out....


What unusual things have you been drawing lately?

Grow your own

Growing up, my paternal grandparents grew their own vegetables. A large part of their garden was their vegetable patch, and us kids were not allowed in without my grandmother there. I remember us getting cabbages, beans and especially bundles and bundles of rhubarb wrapped in newspaper, which would mean my mum would cook rhubarb compote, which I loved.


My parents also had an allotment for a while. I remember me and my sister getting water from a little pump, and picking gooseberries straight from the bush, and carrots straight out of the ground, although my mum would make us wash them first.


Now I don't have a big garden, or even an allotment, but I do have a small balcony and decided to have a go at growing my own veggies there. It's just raddishes, lettuce and carrots, as I haven't got more space, but it's something. Let's just keep my not-so-green thumbs crossed that they'll do alright and I'll be able to have a nice salad this summer!

So we have a new King

As most of you know, I'm Dutch but living in the UK. I think I have adjusted pretty well, I say 'sorry' when someone bumps into me, I put salt and vinegar on my chips and I know which way to look first when crossing the road. But there are some days when I feel very Dutch...


On 30th April, our Queen Beatrix abdicated. She had been Queen for 33 years and decided that was long enough and it was time for her son to take over. We had not had a King since 1890, so it's all new and exciting. Amsterdam turned orange, our national colour as the Royal Family is 'Van Oranje Nassau', and aside from all the Royal guests and all the protocol and official business, it was party-time!


Thankfully, I could watch it all online, live as it happened, on a special Youtube channel that was 'on air' for 14 hours straight. I got to see Beatrix sign the official document, saw the new King's daughters wave at the crowd, and enjoyed the concert that was being held at Museumplein, right next to Masterpieces by Rembrandt and Van Gogh and so many more Dutch painters.


Of course I had to do an Illustrated Journal-page myself. It's the kind of thing I'll be doing for Summerlong, the online art retreat, too... (You can still sign up and join the fun!)

Illustrated Journal - again

Summerlong - a virtual art retreat

Have you ever found yourself drooling over art retreat announcements, but thought to yourself it's impossible to go there? Because they are too far away, or too expensive, or you couldn't possibly get time off work or find someone to babysit your pet goldfish?


The lovely Rhomany of Rhomany's Realm has created the solution: a Summerlong class, which will be held from May to September, and it's online, so you don't even have to dig out your passport! She asked six of her arty friends in Britain to take anyone who enrolls on a daytrip, and then create art from all the inspiration found when out and about.


And the best thing yet.... She asked me to be part of it! I'll be taking you for a walk in my new town, showing you all the sculptures we have here and then taking you back home to draw. Or... if I get really brave, I might even draw on site... But I haven't decided yet. ;)





The class will run from May 1st to September 30th, and there's an early bird sign-up fee of £50/$75 until May 8th. (regular price £55/$83)


Follow this link, and tell Rho I sent you by putting 'Eveline' in the message box.

I'm so so sooooo excited!! Hope to see you there!

Hellooo....? Is this thing on.....?

Test... test...... Yeah, I do believe this blog still works....

I know, it's been a long long loooonnnnnggg time since I last wrote a blog post. At first I was incredibly consumed with trying to find a new place to live, then there was the move, and Christmas, and my birthday, and then my sister had the most awesomest baby boy so we went to see him and the rest of my family in Holland, and before you know it it's April and I'm missing my blog...

I'll be honest, I haven't done much arting. The second bedroom, which will have my art table, is still a huge mess (car boot season is just about to start, thank goodness! There's so much stuff we need to get rid of...) and we now have wooden floors so I can't art journal the way I'm used to with tons of acrylic paint messes. Or maybe I could, but not yet.

So I'm baking. Bread and bananabread and more bread.
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And I've been crocheting like mad. First for my nephew, and then for us, and now for us again. And I've been getting used to my new surroundings, finding new places to go for a walk, or try new places to have a bite to eat.

The last couple of weeks I have been drawing again. I found the Lamy Safari fountain pen I had purchased before the move and filled it with waterproof ink and started doing drawings of all the new stuff around me. And it feels good.


So..... I'll see you again tomorrow! Yes, tomorrow, because I've got really exciting news, but I didn't want to throw that right at you the first time I blogged again in months. So tomorrow it is.