I’m happy to show you my new ‘Woodcocks’ business card,
with on the backside a House Sparrow.
With your individual or personal specifications.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Monthly Archives: August 2012
Put Different Elements Together
Putting different elements together is rewarding
In my drawing of a Pumpkin with Autumn Butterflies I’ve put put two elements together: a heavy pumpkin and contrary to the central heaviness of the pumpkin two light-weighted butterflies. If an object or element is heavy, it adds charm to a picture to complement it with something not-heavy, in this case fluttering butterflies. Different elements work great together.
Have a look at how Korean Designer Hun-Chung Lee shows in ‘The Ceramic Furniture of Hun-Chung Lee’ how beautiful he has put geometrical elements together.
We see a square, a rectangle, a sphere, and a block and they all make this wonderful bench to sit on. No…to sit on after admiring it. Or to admire it at the same time as sitting on it while resting your arm on the rectangular block. For more click here.
This Korean house design by Lim-geo Dang my heart jump too.
See how it combines cosy corners, in which you feel safe and at home, with openness and a far view. The house uses concrete and wood, glass and vegetation to combine elements. The light on the different elements creates a wonderful colour palette, mainly soft yellow. It is as if the sun shines, but if you look at the sky you clearly see an overcast. How would you feel in a house that offers you elements like space, cosiness and sunshine? More info here.
Even within a drawing of one type of flowers, in this case tulips, one can put different elements together.
Notice how the first flower on the left is opening. Follow the bouquet clockwise and see how the tulips comes to full bloom. Finish your mindful observation by observing the last, hanging tulip that represents decay and the end of a life. Even when you draw 4 flowers you can suggest all the elements of an old fashioned Vanitas theme: that life is short. The Latin Vanitas means “emptiness” and loosely translated corresponds to the meaninglessness of earthly life.
Putting different elements together is rewarding.
Paula
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
She is looking forward to hear from you.
Mindful Drawing Bags
Here are my tote bags, 100% cotton, no hidden advertisement.
They are strong, washable, and look creative and, equally important, much prettier than plastic shopping bags.
For prices, contact me at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
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Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
Stag beetle, Lucanus cervus
A drawing after (postcard) Stag Beetle by Albrecht Dürer (1505), by Paula Kuitenbrouwer (bigger drawing)
Stag beetles live in some places in Belgium and the Netherlands, but they are hard to find. In the area we visited there are two places designed for Stag beetles to lay eggs in rotting and fungi covered oak wood. They are Stag beetle nurseries or log piles, in Dutch they are referred to as ‘Hertenstoven‘.
In recent years my family has been visiting these places but never we were lucky to find a Stag beetle. I asked around and yes, some people in the area had seen one, but they are still very rare. I checked almost every oak tree that showed scars and ‘bleeding’ (red sap dripping our of cracks), but unluckily there wasn’t a Stag beetle feeding itself on the red oak sap.
Have you ever seen a Stag beetle?
Do they live in your area?
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
The Importance of Different Elements and Textures
I will show you three modern pictures with my comments and two of my drawings to show you the importance of putting different elements and textures together.
Look at the small, modern still life above. You see ceramics, concrete, wood, glass, metal, and water in the glass flask. All those elements make a lovely modern still life. To me it is a bit too low positioned, on the other hand the empty space on the right-up feels de-cluttered and ‘Zen’. Somehow we long for emptiness to quiet our busy minds. Therefore put those ‘full’ and ‘empty’ elements together.
Now have a look at this enchanting picture. Why is it so pretty? It is just a table with glassware. I think it is so wonderful because it combines only a few but beautiful elements: thick old wood, modern transparent glass, and open chair with a closed background (wall). These contradicting elements ‘open’ and ‘close’, ‘massive’ and ‘transparent’, ‘antique’ and ‘modern’ make a perfect picture.
Another beautiful picture! Look at its elements: the soft texture of the peony goes wonderfully with the hardness of the glass. The fluff of the peony contradicts beautifully the smooth surface of the vase. The old and unpainted wood should be positioned -as it is- close to crystal clear water. This is a lovely composition of contradicting textures and elements.
Notice how important different textures and elements are in a picture. How conflicting or contradicting elements beautifully enrich a painting or picture.
Now I invite you to have a look how I’ve complemented a massive pumpkin with fragile butterflies in this drawing:
and here I’ve done in essence the same only with a massive, dark coloured block of wood and fragile, fluttery Blue butterflies:
Put different elements together to create a rich drawing, painting or photo.
Why that is so, I have no clue. My best guess is that we feel happy and rich in feeling if we are invited to experience different elements; like the soft wind on our bodies when we make a beach walk, or the smell of wet grass when we open our windows to let in the warmth and light of the sun.
Paula
P.S. I have no idea who took the three modern still life photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.
Mindfully Observing Colours II
Have a look at the colours of these vintage bowls. I see warm, Bordeaux red, I see ochre yellow, moss green, deep purplish blue, metallic blue, rock-grey and whitish grey. I see golden yellow and earth-brown. What a wonderful colours in these seemingly faded vintage bowls.
Which colours do I see? Well, I see a warm red heart against a grey dead-coloured background. Is that what makes this so beautiful? Is it the story of how warm love feels against the knowledge that dead is inevitable? I see a small blue-white line around the orange centre. I see a bit of green on the greyish wood. I see a glowing orange right next to the dead black of the key-hole. Which colours do you see? Which story is there to unlock for you?
Which colours do you see in this old wood? I see the whole range of yellow to deep orange, even warm red. I see grey changing in blue. I see dark grey getting darker till black. There is lots of green, white and dark blue too. Because all colours are the effect of light on wood, and none of the colours shine, this is a very pretty colour palette.
Blue and Orange are complementary colours. This mushroom has all colours of blue as decorative rings around its orange centre. It claims its space by a perfect white edge, saying: ‘Here I am, and here I stop’. Notice how the centre looks like a lava pit in a deep ravine. The different colours of blue show geographical layers. Or is it that this mushroom wants to look like a cut through tree showing its age with its pretty layers? Whatever, it is very beautiful.
Paula
P.S. I have no idea who took the four colourful photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
Mindfully Observing Colours
I see light tan and greyish blue, soft greenish yellow and warm orange. Reddish brown for the hair and shadow. Soft violet for the neck and light blue on the back. Pinkish tan for the infant. Beige for the seat. Bluish purple and greyish pink for the background. You thought this fresco had faded? There is still a lot of colour.
Which colours do you see? Your mind tells you that wood is brown or grey, but which colours would you choose to make a blend? I see pink and tan. I would use ochre, pink and grey for mixing and use dark grey for the cracks in the wood. There is beautiful sea-green, with blue-green spots and even a tiny bit of yellow on the edge. So, this is about pink and green? Largely, but to put these colours together you need to have patience. Time has bleached the wood! No, colours change, they don’t die.
I notice so many colours in perfect tune. See the orange-sepia at the top of the head, move down to her eye and see the soft terra-cotta. The eye looks black, with green and soft red. I see grey at the eye brows and deep red in the nostrils. Her dangling hair is grey, green, blue as well as red- brown. Her dress comes close to greenish-yellow and her skin is tan in her face and chest. Just enough black to suggest depth, and enough ‘white’ to suggest light. So much beauty in one sketch by Da Vinci.
Notice the light on the hand that makes it come alive with almost warmth radiating. See how the tan-orange colour of the statue and background give the chest, arm and hand a feeling of a real human, while the soft blue reminds us it is a statute. Orange and blue are complementary colours, they offer balance. In this photo they confuse and enchant us. Notice too the dark blue praying rosary that offer a clever contrast with the soft orange.
Paula
P.S. I have no idea who took the four photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
Mindfully Looking at Colours of Different Objects
This terracotta red barn door meets its complementary colour green as grass. The light brown wood looks natural and the green and red leaves are enhancing the red door and green grass. See that green leave? And the reddish rusty metal above the door? It is always charming when colours repeat themselves elsewhere in pictures in just a little bit different intensity. Like in music…you hear a melody repeating itself to allow us to recognize it and sing along. Or like in a poem with rhyme.
Notice how wonderful the purple is at the centre of this photo sending an ethereal message of hope to us. Of course the door isn’t purple (nobody would paint a garden door purple), but the grey takes that colour because of the light. All colours in this photo are soft, except from the deep bordeaux brown on the left side of the door. The soft skin colour of the tree and the soft moss green and vague blue in the back complement the purple door perfectly. Heaven surrounded by earth to me. To you too?
Why is this so pretty? Because of its soft colours and because nothing shines. It is a wonderful composition. The busy red is at the centre and the calm, pale colours at the edges. The chair is old, the flowers have only a short time to bloom. This is a modern Vanitas picture: Vanitas is a type of symbolic work of art especially associated with Northern European still life painting in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Latin Vanitas means “emptiness” and loosely translated corresponds to the meaninglessness of earthly life. This old chair with the flower bouquet show us we have to enjoy life because it is short. Beauty however is timeless.
Paula
P.S. I have no idea who took the three colourful photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
Mindful Garden Inspiration
Honeysuckle 2012
Honeysuckle drawn summer 2011
Buddleja
Thistle 2012 with a sweet, little flower-fly
in 2011 I drew it with Goldfinches and a Painted Lady
Goldfinches like thistles and are able to feed on them without getting hurt. Thistles are also host plants for caterpillars of the Painted Lady. In this drawing I have showed the interdependency of the bird, plant and butterfly.
Paula
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
