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For the personnel association of the Municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland I hosted a custom mandala workshop for 14 colleagues in Zierikzee. In this behind-the-scenes blog you can read how a phone call turned into months of preparation with 400 hand-drawn circles, a printer with a mind of its own and finally a very successful workshop evening. Looking for a creative team building workshop in Zeeland? This is how a custom workshop comes to life.
The price of a custom pastel portrait depends on three things. First, the size you choose — a larger drawing has more detail. Second, how many pets are on one portrait. And third, the background — a detailed background is an extra option. This way you only pay for what you really want.
That question has made me hesitate, stutter, and over-explain for years. Whenever someone at a birthday party asked "So what do you do?", I felt that little knot in my stomach.
Getting ready for an event always brings a mix of excitement and a little bit of behind the scenes chaos, and my upcoming trip to the Bruzz nazomerfestival is no exception 🎨 🌊
It all started a while back when a post popped up on my Facebook feed for an event called "Tussen Kunst & Iets" (Between Art & Something) at Atelier Het Raadhuis in 's-Heer Arendskerke 📲 After checking it out, I was super intrigued. It seemed to be purely about art, and I thought it would be really lovely to connect and talk with fellow artists 😁
We have all been there. You have your coffee ready, your favorite pencils lined up, and a crisp piece of paper waiting on your desk. But then, you just freeze. Your mind starts wondering if you can really pull it off this time. What if you ruin it? What if this drawing just does not work out?
It all actually started the day before, when we fully packed the car because we were heading out with the caravan to start off 🚐 Having everything loaded early made things so much easier. After a great night of sleep (fortunately it was not too hot 😴), we jumped out of bed at 7:30. Just a few last minute items like the thermos of hot tea, my phone, and the power bank, and at 9:15 we hit the road 📍 Luckily our destination was only about 2 km from the campsite.
A few years ago, I decided to specialize deeply in drawing realistic animal portraits with pastels. Bringing those soft eyes, fluffy fur textures, and unique personalities to life on paper became a core passion of mine, and I am still not tired of it at all! 🥰
When people think about teaching a drawing workshop, they usually imagine quiet rooms, the soft sound of pencils on paper, and easy step by step instructions. But anyone who has ever stood in front of a hesitant beginner knows the real story 🙈
It is a common struggle for realistic artists. We print our reference photos and notice the printer ink is a bit too blue. We look at the same photo on a smartphone and it seems vibrant, but on a laptop screen, it looks dull. This can make you feel like capturing the true color is almost impossible.
We all know that feeling when you are scrolling through your social media feed and you see these mind blowing pieces of art. For a second you might think why do I even bother. It feels like you will never reach that level no matter how many hours you put in. But let me tell you a little secret. Every single pro artist you admire was once a beginner standing exactly where you are right now.
