October 23, 2010

Facing Forward…..in Amsterdam

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I adore the pictures that I see of Amsterdam…..Talk about a city with character and history!  No, I’m not talking about the red light district here, c’mon!

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To prove that I know what I’m talking about, here’s a picture of me with my sister in ‘96 in Amsterdam.  What struck me the most about this city is how old it is.   I was amazed when we went to an old book store and the concrete steps leading into the store were worn down by inches in the middle,  from the amount of foot traffic those steps have had over the years no…..centuries.



I thought this would be a fun picture (from flickr) to try to draw…..TRY being the operative word here.  I just have no interest in drawing straight lines like you see in  ALL….THOSE….WINDOWS!  I don’t have the patience to make it exact and it would bug me if I didn’t get it right.   So, I opted for a more whimsical version.



Having decided I wasn’t going to make it realistic at all, I grabbed those wonderful stencils and just stenciled up all three townhouses. 



The townhouses needed a little texture so I used these three doodle patterns for their background.



If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t put that stupid white bubble in there.  Ah, well.



Grabbed my favorite watercolor pencils to add some reflection to the water.

Townhouses

Here’s the scanned picture.  This was a nice piece to just sit back and color.  Well, it’s not much, but at least I drew and doodled today! LOL!!

11 comments:

  1. Well, I think it turned out marvelous. I am amazed at how something so simple, i.e lines, shapes and some color, can be maximized to something so gorgeous and complex looking.
    You inspire me!
    Peace~
    Dawn

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  2. What I remember most about this trip is Michelle's hair cut and Brad's determination to cook like his Dad!

    Was this really 13 years ago??

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  3. GORGEOUS- I love the use of the stencils and the use of the doodling. So many textures and colors, yet not fussy at all. I LOVE it!

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  4. lovely as always. PS: I got your card and it made me smile :) I'm sorry I haven't written you yet about it...in a yucky place right now.

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  5. This is awesome Eden!! I have so much to catch up on with your blog. Thank you so very much for your kind card and delightful coffee. You're the best and must have sensed my feeling overwhelmed with my move. I hope to get caught up with your sketchbook project this week!! This looks amazing!

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  6. I love the creative take on this one, Eden!

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  7. I love your more whimsical version!
    You are always such an inspiration.

    ♥Anita
    Friends are kisses blown to us by angels. --Author Unknown
    http://aseknc.blogspot.com/
    http://asesaj.blogspot.com/
    aseknc(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. What a wonderful place, and your rendition of the colourful buildings is exciting.Love your Blog!!SO full of LIFE!!Thanks!!!

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  9. hey don't sell yourself short!!! i am not a blogger and barely an artist. lol but love to doodle and love your fearlessness with color. keep doing what you do.

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  10. I love all the different layers and elements of this - my favourite "texture" is the woven effect.
    I found your doodle directory pages and they're so wonderful, I'm going to have to try that myself.

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  11. I love it! I so appreciate this, as I was just in Amsterdam and have attempted those houses as well! I also had no intention of getting all the lines correctly...rather just the idea. LOVE IT!

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