Koosje Koene

Watering the plants in my studio (and drawing them) before going to Paris, where I will do-teach the workshop “Paris Sketchbook”

Drawing in grey ink and wash of people at the table, with cups, glasses and fruit bowl in foreground

Have you heard of habit stacking?
It’s pairing something you do already with something you want to do more.
I like stacking coffee + sketching.

This morning I drew with a grey brushpen while having coffee with my husband and a friend visiting for the week.

An idea for your #inktober project?

YouTube video by Koosje Koene | Draw Tip Tuesday What I Learned Drawing Without Color

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

Sketchbook tour of a sketchbook in black and white only, no color at all!

Limiting my tools taught me so much about value, contrast, and texture. In today's sketchbook tour on YouTube, I share what I learned and why you might want to try it too.

youtu.be/CYNmHw1CBQ4

Sketchbook spread with drawing of woman sketching, surrounded by laptop, art supplies and books. Drawn with brushpen, painted with watercolors in a limited palette of blue and brown.

Studio days with a friend means accountability + progress. She works on her project, I on mine. Coffee, tea, breaks, and before we know it, boxes are checked. I sketched this during breaks: lines first, details later, color in the last pause.

Happy to be home again. And to be reunited with the man who is always a willing subject to be sketched (even if he doesn’t know he’s being spied on while he’s deeply focused in a game)

Also: a fresh, new sketchbook!

Materials used:
-Hahnemühle watercolor book, size A5
-Pentel pocket brush pen

Funny how something so familiar can turn into a real challenge when you start drawing it. Great practice, and fun too. Soon I’ll trade this view for Spain, where I’ll be teaching another workshop!

Take a workshop with me too! Check out koosjekoene.com/workshops

Everyday things turn into patterns when you look again (and again)

Great art exhibition in Museum Arnhem, coffee (in their fantastic sculpture garden), conversations, snacks and sketching with two dear friends. This sketchbook page is holding a precious memory of a special trip.

Illustration of a pastry display at the counter òf a coffee shop, in ink and watercolor

Today I had a coffee-and-sketchdate at a coffee shop with about 60 people!

OK, it was on Zoom but it definitely felt like we all hung out and were about to order a pastry or cookie with our virtual cappuccinos!

Join me in the next session:
www.eventbrite.com/cc/online-wo...

Three self portraits in the bathroom mirror, it includes clutter around the mirror, and also the drawing pad in hand is in view. Left drawing: wide view, middle drawing: medium frame, right drawing: close-up

September is #selfietember, the perfect excuse to practice self portraits.

Drawing yourself is a fantastic way to improve observation skills, notice new details, and build confidence.

It’s also fun to play with different views!
It stretches your skills and keeps your sketchbook dynamic.

Drawing in the late august sun, along with sketching friends, coffee and good conversation.

Without knowing where or what I would be drawing later, I prepared the spread at home with Quinacridone gold watercolor wash, and outlined it with ink.

Photo of sketchbook with drawings of a dog, in the background the dog is on the floor

I’m dog sitting this morning - great opportunity for cuddles and sketching!

Black and white drawing of people at a terrace under parasols

Lunch and sketch break

Materials:
-Hahnemühle Nostalgie sketchbook, A4
-Sailor Fude fountain pen (55° nib) with Platinum Carbon Black ink
-Faber-Castell watersoluble pencil, black

#lifeisbetterwhenyoudrawit #everythingisinterestingwhenyoudrawit #drawingmeditation #sketchbook
#urbansketch

Sketchbook spread in brushpen and watercolor òf people at tables, trees in the background, and festival tents

Sketchbook spread in black line and grey wash of my friend Ellen drawing in the foreground, and people in the background. Text written in Dutch: I almost can’t see anything anymore.

Earlier this week, I spent an afternoon in Utrecht with my inspiring friend @ellenvesters (founder of @vensteracademy, new semester starting soon; you can still apply!).
No plan but drawing. She suggested @theaterfestivaldeparade
Great vibes, good talks, and sketching until it got too dark to see.

YouTube video by Koosje Koene | Draw Tip Tuesday How I Drew This Bike Without Drawing It

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

Drawing something tricky? Try focusing on the shapes around it. In this sketch I used negative space to draw a bicycle, and it totally changed the way I saw it. Materials: fineliner, watercolor, colored pencil.
👉 youtu.be/9oWot74Lrto

Drawing of people at a terrace and view into the street. Black ink, grey was, green accents. Text balloons with random things I overheard from the two men sitting behind me. It was like a theatre performance, those two.

Drawing of the View over a square, with a person with sunglasses in the foreground. A variety of materials is used, in all kinds of green.

Today’s color palette: green.

I can’t believe how fast I am going through this sketchbook - just a few pages left and I still haven’t grabbed for my go-to watercolors. I better start getting back into it, otherwise I’ll be out of practice when teaching in Spain on the @_thebluewalk trip!

Photo of sketchbook held up before a square. The square is drawn in the sketchbook in yellow monotones. A coffee cup in the foreground is also yellow.

I went into town with just a few tools, so today’s page turned into a yellow/ochre study. And look at that… My coffee showed up in the same sunny yellow! Sketching in Amersfoort before heading to the museum with a friend felt extra golden.

Drawing of a view down the stairs at montmartre, Paris.

Just a little virtual stroll at MontMartre in Paris, because I feel excited about the Paris Sketchbook workshop I will be teaching in October.
You can still sign up: www.originalimpulse.com/paris-sketch...

Sketchbook spread showing a drawing in ink and a few colored bits done with markers, of my friend at the table on a terrace, and people in the background. Written text: lunch & sketch with Zeynep

Sketchbook spreads with four sketches of people on the train, done in ink and with pencil. Descriptive written text: Staring out the window Staring at the phone Staring at someone else Looking around her

Seeing all the posts by people at the Urban Sketching Symposium gave me a little FOMO. A day in Rotterdam with my artsy friend Zeynep, with good talks, tasty food, and sketching together, cured me of it.
What can you do this week to spark creative connections close to home?

If you’ve been seeing me posting my drawings here lately, you may have noticed that I’ enjoying watersoluble tools. I used to think I didn’t like watercolor pencils, but combined with other materials, and in a minimal palette, I actually love the versatility!

YouTube video by Koosje Koene | Draw Tip Tuesday I Didn’t Finish This Sketchbook

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

I let go of a sketchbook project I thought I had to finish. Turns out, closing the book can open new doors. Sometimes letting go is how you grow. Watch the video here: youtu.be/F3iSwuk5KuE

Took a quick coffee break to sketch with just pen and watersoluble pencil. The figure’s a bit of a giant, but I love his posture. And that white space feels just right, it gives the drawing breathing space. Still, maybe I’ll add a date or street name later in the right hand side corner.

Celebrating the weekend by hanging out with my drawing pals. Lots of chatting, laughing, and drawing together. Finally today the temperatures dropped from insanely hot to “should we sit inside or outside?”

Feeling stuck with your sketchbook?
On Patreon today: my go-to trick for starting when you’re blocked, examples from famous & modern artists, a 10-minute assignment, and daily prompts for the rest of August.
Join me there👉 www.patreon.com/posts/136233...

These are the pages I filled during my live online Mini-Workshop yesterday. We explored using black and white only, and how taking out color changes how you take deliberate decisions in the process.

Don’t miss next session, September 3!
👉 www.eventbrite.com/e/1451892532...

With a handful of tools, I tried capturing the landscape alongside the train tracks, where I took a Sunday Stroll

The sketchbook is a Strathmore Mixed Media art journal 500 series. The tools I used are in the last photo.

#lifeisbetterwhenyoudrawit

Sketching in town.

Materials used:
-Strathmore Mixed Media art journal 500 series
-Sailor Fude fountain pen (55° nib) with Platinum Carbon Black ink
-Tombow ABT water-based marker
-Neocolor II aquarelle crayon
-Derwent Inktense colored pencils, green

Oh these are so fun!!

Drawing of table with bowl, bottle of sauce, and table plant. In the background 4 people at a table, only that part colored - with blue/green, ocher yellow and salmon.

Vacation vibes on a Friday! Drew this over lunch with a dear friend, soaking in the joy of being together. Still skipping watercolors, I used Tombow markers, crayon, and my fountain pen in a Strathmore sketchbook. Just playing and enjoying the moment.

Black and white drawing of plant leaves, mini monstera

Black and white sketchbook drawing of contents of a bag: smijt, tissues, a box of pills, cash, sun screen, lip balm, toothpicks

If it’s a slow-start kind of day… there’s always something to draw.

You don’t need a big idea. Just a moment, your sketchbook and a pen.

Everything becomes interesting as soon as you start drawing it.

I thought to just give you a gentle reminder of it.

#lifeisbetterwhenyoudrawit