djkersten

[djkersten]

I printed this etch last week, and whereas I’d been struggling a lot with the first couple of batches, I finally got the hang of it!! I’m so happy :)) Man I love etching actually...

[djkersten]

For the past month and a half or so I’ve been fortunate enough to still be able to go to the local graphic studio! They’re open for visitors on appointment, and at the moment only one person can work there at a time.

I’ve learned lithography (so cool), I got to use the printing press for some of my older woodblocks (it’s so much easier and better than printing it at home hhh) and I made a new etch!

Etching is definitely one of my favourite printing techniques, although I’m still getting the hang of the inking process..

This picture is pretty crappy, I’ll try to make some scans of my work at the studio soon. So far it’s been mostly learning and testing though, so I guess it’s nothing spectacular.

[djkersten]

This year’s Christmas card :) The colouring was a bit out of my comfort zone for some reason, so I’m afraid I may have overworked it. At the same time I’m pretty pleased!

[djkersten]

Sooo I want to write/draw a comic about elderly people. More specifically, about the summer I lost my grandmother and I was struggling with some negative feelings toward myself about my relationship with her. I ended up getting a job as a domestic worker that summer and I met a whoooole bunch of grandmothers (and two grandfathers.) The experience made a big impact on me. It was strangely therapeutic, to see all their (grand)parental instincts kick on as soon as I walked through their door.

I’ve had this in my head for three years and I really want to make this, but honestly the thought of making this is really overwhelming. I really don’t know where to start. I’ve made several attempts to “just start” and went into perfectionism mode immediately so that didn’t work out. 

Today I got a very strong urge to just make super basic sketches of some of the elderly people. I obviously don’t remember what they really look like - apart from some vague details like their hair colour or general body shape - so I tried basing these sketches on their personalities and quirks I remember about them.

[djkersten]

Today is the first day of my last week at my regular job. I am a domestic worker and have a few clients that I’ve grown fond of, so I made them a little woodcut bouquet. I may have bit off more than I can chew with this complicated little thing, especially for only my third try at reduction wood, but I’m looking forward to getting better :))

[ID: Eight pictures of a reduction woodcut process. Picture one shows ten prints of a bouquet - with blue, lilac and dark pink flowers - in two rows on a table. Picture two shows what the woodcut looks like before it was used to print anything, and picture three after printing five layers: there is pretty much nothing left. Picture four to eight are pictures of layers one to five respectively. The first layer is lilac, the second adds dark pink, the third light blue, the fourth green and the final blue. end ID]

[djkersten]

I'm a bit art-blocked, but suddenly felt the urge to make a woodcut print! The materials I used are ply wood, shellac varnish, Indian ink (for the sketch) and oil based ink. I made that little folder myself to hold the woodcut and the paper in place while I press it.

[djkersten]

It’s finished! It’s fun playing with all the layers :))

[djkersten]

I’ve started colouring this landscape project. I’m making five versions of the same natural area, so most elements are separate so I can easily replace that puddle for example for a more geometric pond later. It’s working really well so far! I can leave out pretty much any element and it still looks like a landscape. The only thing left for me to colour for this version is a track and some shrubs!

[djkersten]

wip for a cool assignment I’m working on at the moment :))

[djkersten]

On April 5th I’ll be giving a workshop for kids aged 8-12 at De Wereld van KINA in Ghent on making comics! The idea is for them to pick one of these four drawings, decide for themselves what’s going on in the picture, and come up with a short story. They will then have to split their story up into about four pieces, and for each of those pieces they’ll make a drawing!

 It’ll be a basic but fun exercise, that a fair few of my short comics (i.e. the Stately Scarecrow) are based on. It’s been too long since I just chose a fun picture an just let my imagination run wild, and I should really try it again some time! 

[djkersten]

A little preview of number 3 out of 4 bug-themed colouring pictures :))

[djkersten]

Another wip/little preview of a drawing for the workshop I’m gonna give (which has been moved to April)!

[djkersten]

My sister used to write many, many columns and other for the paper. My dad, a journalist at the same paper, decided to make a book with all of her stories and asked me to illustrate some of them. :))

[djkersten]

I made this woodcut of my mum and Goran as a Sinterklaas gift :))

[djkersten]

The drawings for this year’s christmas card! :DD The first one goes on the front and the second on the inside

[djkersten]

Wip for a workshop I've been asked to do in January!

[djkersten]

A couple mooore