I’m actually an Egyptologist and mainly paint ancient artifacts, but I have a soft spot for anything to do with water (the great water… the sea). I could paint sailboats, octopuses, fish, and lighthouses every single day. I don’t know why. I wasn’t born on the coast, but I’m drawn to it.
Ps.: Some of it are available on ebay (link at the bottom of the page).
Nile geese have been around for thousands of years. Yes, they obviously come from the Nile, and they’re depicted in wall decorations in many ancient Egyptian tombs, but here in Germany, they’ve now made themselves at home. I was walking along the Rhine recently and was actually amazed that these very loud birds have become part of the cityscape. I think they’re beautiful. I love the various shades of brown and orange in their plumage and that funny “ninja eye mask.” 🤭😎
*Watercolor on cotton paper. Created as an illustration for a childrens book about ancient Egypt.
Today I tried my hand at painting stone textures in watercolor. It wasn’t that easy. There are warm and cool shades of gray. Smooth surfaces, rough ones, or chipped ones. Not all grays are the same. Wasn’t there even a movie about there being 50 shades of it? ;)
Today, I dedicated a good chunk of the day to painting and „knocked out“ a few illustrations I still had on my to-do list. The subjects ranged from pyramid shapes to an ancient oil lamp with a green copper patina—it was quite a mix. Right now, I’m racking my brain over how to illustrate the introduction to the „Mythology“ chapter—in addition to the depictions of the gods. Maybe the goddess Isis with her protective wings spread over a pyramid?
I am currently painting many small illustrations themed around archaeology and my fieldwork as an Egyptologist, because my children’s book on ancient Egypt will feature a special little highlight in every chapter: a personal note written from my perspective as an Egyptologist. I’m sharing something I experienced—something I found particularly fascinating—during my travels in Egypt. Naturally, these moments need to be beautifully illustrated.
For this, I’ve used new watercolor paper. This time, it’s 100% cotton paper, and I have to say—the difference compared to cellulose paper is simply huge. I plan to paint exclusively on cotton paper from now on, even if it means a higher investment. It’s worth it!
I discovered a great new type of paper that I just had to try out over the weekend. It’s PaintON by Clairefontaine. It’s very sturdy at 250 gsm and is supposed to “hold up” to watercolor painting. I was skeptical at first, but then I was totally thrilled.
I tried everything and incorporated all the techniques I’m currently using into a single piece: watercolor, watercolor pencils, pastel pencils, and ink. And what can I say—the paper is fantastic. It doesn’t curl, it doesn’t tear, and the texture for watercolor pencils and pastel pencils is wonderful. You can color beautiful, even areas, but you can also sketch with a pencil first and then erase it without the paper tearing.
I’ll definitely be painting on it more often. PaintON is also available in other colors, which I’ll most likely try out as well—for example, in a beautiful gray-blue or gray-green. The natural tones create such a subtle contrast to the bright pencils. I love it!!
My color palette isn’t getting any bigger right now, and I’m fine with that. I’m currently experimenting with different techniques in my sketchbooks. And sure, not all types of paper are suitable for watercolors, but that’s exactly why it’s just a sketchbook—a playground for letting my creativity run wild, a place where I can simply put down on paper whatever ideas come to me.
And I love the shades of blue and brown on white, cream-colored, or cappuccino-colored sketchbooks.
And my motifs don’t change either. My love for the maritime world is reflected time and again in the fish, shells, octopuses, and so on, while my soul is somehow drawn to antiquity. I’m still searching for the right surface texture for my next paintings, and before I “dare” to tackle larger formats, I’m still sketching around a bit.
I love toned paper. It always gives a piece of art that vintage touch. But it’s also difficult to work with, because highlights can only be added using white, opaque materials. Here, I opted for white pastel pencils and chalk, which I blended together with watercolors and watercolor pencils. It was a small, quick experiment. Not perfect in technique but I LOVE the colors.
After a rather sleepless night, I need my “Morning Pages” ritual more than ever today. Morning pages are a form of journaling where, every morning right after waking up, you write freely from the heart about whatever moves you, without overthinking it.
I do that sometimes, too, but somehow I find it hard to focus on the words that are supposed to express what I’m feeling. It’s easier when I paint. Much easier. All I have to do is let the brush, pencils, or chalk dance across the paper.
This morning, I was in the mood for orange, red, and green. No idea what that means. I use green quite often in my paintings, but the red and orange paint pans are usually the ones that stay dry. Today was different.
Well, now that I think about it, I do know what it means. I was angry last night. But at the same time, I felt calm, because somehow it’s all part of it. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but when you have small children, nights aren’t always that restful. The soft, warm green soothes me.
And by the way…I got inspired by this beautiful woman (Helen Norton):
Sometimes I just can’t think of anything to paint. I mean, I feel like being creative, but I’m missing that spark of inspiration. But mushrooms always work, somehow. Besides mushrooms I paint a lot (and I mean a LOT) of sea life creatures like fishes, turtles, octopusses, jellyfishes and so on..
I made myself a little sketchbook here out of scraps of my Arches watercolor paper. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that watercolors are wet—so wet, in fact, that the whole sheet of paper gets wavy. How do you handle your sketchbooks when you paint with very wet paint? Does that not bother you, or is there a trick to getting the pages smooth again? I guess I’ll have to spray them from the back with the flower spray bottle… but every single page? sigh
Maybe I’ll just leave it as is. Oh well… they’re just loose sketches. I really need to relax more.
