Original handmade
illustrations.
\ The Atelier holds my own finished drawings,
sketchbook studies and process notes.
This is where gathered inspiration becomes oriIginal artwork.
Washed Ashore
On the beach, seaweed is easy to overlook. Dark, tangled and left behind by the tide, it can seem like little more than debris…But look closer
Along the leathery branches are small air bladders, rounded shapes, forked tips and subtle shifts from deep charcoal to olive green. What first appears chaotic is actually full of rhythm, repetition and structure.
That is what caught my attention.
The branching forms became the starting point for the seaweed in my drawing, while the shapes of mussels added another layer of coastal texture. Together they turned into an imagined underwater garden, not a literal copy of what I found on the beach, but a translation of its shapes, colours and patterns.
From Phnom Penh to an Imaginary Garden
The central tree in this drawing was inspired by a remarkable Travellers Palm I encountered in the Royal Garden in Phnom Penh. Its leaves unfolded like an enormous fan, while the long stems radiated outward in an almost architectural rhythm.
I did not try to reproduce the tree exactly. Instead, I carried its structure into an imaginary Zendoodle landscape, translating the fan-shaped crown into layers of woven leaves and strong blue lines. Around it, curved stems, seed-like forms and repeating patterns gradually emerged, each responding to the next.
A happy Faber Castell moment
Today I finished this new TangleGarden illustration.
And afterwards I did something I had been putting off for a while: I refilled my ten-year-old Faber-Castell Polychromos case with brand-new pencils.
The pencils I use every day now live in a practical metal tin on my desk.
But this wooden case... I simply couldn't retire it.
There's something deeply satisfying about opening it and seeing every colour back in its place, perfectly arranged and waiting for the next idea.
Some tools become part of your creative journey.
This case has travelled with me through countless drawings, illustrations and now TangleGarden.
Ready for the next chapter.
Wandering through Veere, The Netherlands
This drawing on a Zentangle Phi Tile began with a walk through Veere.
Rather than recreating a single building, I selected a handful of architectural details that had stayed with me: the diamond lattice of an old window, an elegant wrought-iron ornament, the worn pattern of historic paving stones and the striking geometry of traditional shutters.
Back in the studio these separate observations gradually became one composition. Removed from their original setting, they started to relate to one another in a new way. What had been architecture became pattern. What had been decoration became rhythm.
This is how many of my illustrations are created. They are not literal travel sketches, but visual memories assembled from the small details that often go unnoticed.
Binky
Some companions never ask for attention. They simply share your days.
For nearly 14 years, Binky did exactly that.
He wasn't a lap cat, and he certainly wasn't interested in posing for photographs. He preferred the outdoors, always following his own instincts. A hunter, independent by nature, happiest when he could explore the fields around our home.
Yet, whenever I was drawing, he somehow seemed to be nearby. We shared the same space, each occupied with our own world.
Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to him. When I returned to my drawing desk, I realised something had changed.
I could still draw, but I no longer wanted colour. It felt too loud, too cheerful for the quietness I was carrying. So I reached for a graphite pencil instead.
The right side of this illustration was finished entirely in shades of grey. Not because it was part of the original plan, but because it was the only way I could continue.Looking at the finished piece now, I no longer see two different techniques. I see two different moments in time.
Sometimes we think we are making a drawing. In truth, the drawing is quietly recording a moment of our lives.
Long after we have forgotten the details, the paper remembers.
Goodbye dear friend.
Chiesa di San Nicolò all'Arena
It all started with looking down.
The intricate marble floor of the Chiesa di San Nicolò all'Arena in Verona revealed a beautiful rhythm of geometric shapes and repeating forms.
Back in my studio, those observations became the starting point for this illustration, a personal interpretation inspired by centuries of craftsmanship.
