When I was 11 years old I received my first drawing lessons from Beatus Nijs. I´ve written about him before. To him I owe much of the success of my entire career. He was like a father to me. He encouraged me enormously and made me draw everything that was available. He once gave me a table leg to study as homework. I found a drawing pad of mine from 1964 with this pencil drawing. I was 13 years old. If you look closely you can see on the right side Beatus´ drawing correction.
I became interested in every kind of drawing, including technical drawing. I must have been 22 years old when I took perspective lessons from a English technical illustrator. Later I made many “exploded views”, most of them in airbrush, and some “cutaway views” like this one of a Dutch steam laundry. An illustration in watercolour made in 1983. It combined my passion for engineering, construction, and technical drawing skills. I made this picture on my own initiative and published it as a poster. It was sold in the Zuiderzee Museum in Holland. I don’t know whether it still is available there. I loved the making more than the rest of the business.
Dear Ben,
I just received your latest newsletter! – Thank you so much!. I must tell you how fantastic and beneficial it is to see a photograph of the subject next to the final painting!. It gives real insight into what is important and what is not so important in portrait painting. The only thing I would say is could you upload larger images as that would be of great help in seeing the brushwork and viscosity of the paint.
I am also thrilled to hear you will be doing another Video demonstration. For people like me who live on the other side of the earth it is a god send!. I only wished I had found you 10 years ago when I lived in England & Germany.
In reference to your canvas preparation video, can you give a reason why you add Ivory Black and Yellow Ochre to the gesso, and do you do the same for all your canvases?.
Best Regards,
Sam
Dear Sam.
I am glad you like my newsletter.
I add some black and ochre to the canvas to make it a sort of off-white.I hate the white canvas to start with.
Best.
Ben