About

Being Dutch living in the mountains it isn’t hard to imagine where my inspiration comes from. I just have to look out of the window. But I also love to go hiking and cycling in the summertime. In the winter alpineskiing and skitouring are a great way to relax and get inspired. Whenever I go out in the mountains my camera is in my backpack.

I’ve been drawing with pen and ink for over 10 years, started off with portraits, animals, cars and other vehicles and now doing mainly landscape. I’m self taught and when I’m not drawing myself I’m searching the internet for inspirational artists, getting new ideas and finding out how other artist work, so I can learn from that. And I’m also one of the founders of the Urban Sketchers chapter Tirol.

Ink is non erasable and that is the part I like most about it. It is challeging not being able to erase mistakes, but work around them or try to cover them up (or just start over new). And I like the limitations of black ink. In fact you only working with black and white, but it’s still possible to make something with so much depth and contrast that people say they thought it’s a photograph.

156 thoughts on “About”

  8. I just discovered your blog and it’s amazing! Love your artwork! It’s really great. I’m so following!

  9. Hi Rik. Thanks for following a sinner. You have great artwork up here. I agree with you on analog over digital. When I wrote the first draft of my book Brownbeard, choosing between chiseling into a stone tablet or cuneiform was tough. Best, Cap’n Crusty.

  10. Dude, your drawings are awesome! And it’s always refreshing to find an artist who can still put digital to the side and just enjoy the art of pure drawing. And since you’re into pens (trust me, I may be all MAC’ed-up, but I still love my good ‘ol art supplies), my pen of choice is an extra fine point Lamy Safari fountain pen.

    Keep the great drawings coming!

  11. Hi- how long does it take you to do one of those drawings? I use a medium rotring pen but am a. Much looser drawer. You must have looked at a lot of Rembrandt and Durer drawings.

    1. It takes me 6 to 8 hours to finish a drawing, depending on the amount of black. I don’t really look to the old masters like Rembrandt or Durer, though I really like that stuf. I find more inspiration in comics like Frank Miller and Reinhard Kleist.

  13. Thank you for liking my post “Feel-Good Movies to Watch”… your support is greatly appreciated! Also, Thank you for following my blog. Your artwork is fantastic! Good luck in your future endeavors! Thanks again!

  14. Thanks for following my photo blog! Analog is the way to go…I still do a lot of film photography and listen to vinyl almost exclusively. There’s nothing like the “real thing”! Really enjoy your work and mindset!

  16. Many thanks for your ‘likes’ and for choosing to follow my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy your visits. You encouraged me to look in on your site and I thoroughly enjoyed the art work. I shall be returning – soon!

  18. I really like your drawings, at first glance they remind me of Thomas Nast (editorial cartoonist) and Winslow Homer (commercial Illustrator) from the mid to late 1800’s. Thanks for checking out my art.

  19. Hoi Rik
    Zou jij het zien zitten om Paula te teken.
    In mijn ogen kan jij gezichten zo goed na tekenen dat ik je dat durf te vragen.
    Denk er eens overna en ben er eerlijk in of je dat wil.
    Groetjes Carla en Bas

  20. Oh my God. I haven’t thought of the rapidograph pen in years. Way back when God was a boy, I was a drafter and we used rapidographs. We had to put ink in them ourselves. LOL Thanks for making me feel as if I’m in the rumble seat of a time machine.
    Now, I draw using a cintiq drawing pad on a MAC. I have to admit, though, seeing your AMAZING art, I might make a swift trip back to pen and ink.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m following you and awaiting your next projects.

    1. Thank you for the compliment. I can’t see myself drawing on a tab, it just doesn’t give me the feeling I’ve got with my pens:-)

  24. Hey I really like your work! It’s a style I find very hard and I think you’re great at it. Though I noticed you mostly draw people’s portraits, maybe you should try having a piece that has a concept/idea/message that you’d like to share with the world, a drawing in which every detail counts. You have cool details! Keep it up.

  26. Nice work, I really appreciate the patience it takes for this kind of rendering. Way back when they were pretty new I used rapidograph pens a lot!

  28. Thanks for the follow and, well…. thanks for picking up the pen in the first place. I wish i had something witty or insightful to say but i…er…. don’t.
    Please keep doing what you’re doing so well!

  29. Hello there! I was immediately “captivated” by your talk about listening to a record and hearing the scratches…I LOVE that! Especially listening to some cool jazz and just chilling out. Love meeting fellow artists, especially “inkers”! Pen and ink is my favorite medium, but I love em all…Looking forward to checking out more of your work here and on facebook.

    Cheers! Debi (aka Surrealistic Style)

  34. Great work, your style is very intriguing. Looking forward to see more of your work.

  35. I love seeing your portraits on your blog and think they’re amazing, so I nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! (I posted the requirements on my blog, ArtisticImaginings.wordpress.com.)

  38. Thanks for following my blog 🙂 It made me curious to see yours, and… you have amazing drawings! hope one day I’ll be able to draw this good. Keep up the good work 😉

  40. Old school methods are often superior, and the sweat required to produce works that way is worth every drop. Good to see someone working hard to preserve these traditional methods.

  45. ok your drawings…they are more like pen rendering than sketches…definitely curious about your techniques…any arrangement if we can share..??? thanks for having a look in my blog…

    1. Tanks! I use Rotring Rapidograph technical pens and draw a lot of lines:) There is not much more to it then keep a straight hand;)

      1. wow..nice! do you trace the image or do anything of that sort..?? i find it very complicated process to finish a drawing like that… keep it up..

  47. Really love your work and approach to art. Thanks for following my blog and I look forward to seeing more of your drawings – the creases of light and shadow attract my eye, inspiring me.

  49. Hey, thanks for the follow. Your drawings are AMAZING. I’m eager to see what you create next. 🙂

  50. Thanks for following my blog, Rik! I gave your blog a look and now my egg faces look like a 5 year old drew them. Haha, most days I am lucky to get a symmetrical stick figure. Following your blog now.

  53. Hi Rik, Thanks for the follow. Glad you did that so I could discover what you do. It’s amazinig! LOVE it!! Good idea for presents too with your hoodies etc. Are you based in the States or Holland? Your prices are in $ and your sizes are in inches – that’s why I am confused.

    1. Hey Gabrielle!

      Thanks for the great feedback. I’m from Holland (and living in Germany) but I sell on society6.com. It’s easy, but profits are only 10 percent. On the other hand they do everything for you, make it, sent it and pay you. The website is based in the States so that’s why prices are in dollar and sizes in inches.

      Cheers

  57. I love analog too. That’s how my creations come into being. I appreciate the digital because it allows me to share what I’ve done to a larger audience. But definitely analog for creation and production of art and music. Digital to spread the word, song, and the art..

  58. What a great body of work you have created. Love the tech pens as well, I too have a large collection of vinyl records for easy listening. I do use digital too. I started as a child using ink pens and an ink well, I still use them now after 60 years on a drawing board. It is hard to beat the rotring though. Your pen work is most excellent.
    Again thanks for sharing.
    eightdecades!

  59. Wow?!!! Excellent stuff! The detail on your work is crazy… I can only wish I had the same control as you do with ur line. You’ve mastered the craft of cross hatching!! Well done 🙂

    Definitely will follow ur work and see what you come up next.

    Thanks for following!

    Cheers, Allan

  60. Welcome aboard, Rik. Great to have you along. Love your work and it’s a total pleasure to see such draftsmanship.
    All the best, Miles and Pippa

  63. thanks for the follow. why would someone as talented as you would follow me is beyond me. your work is outstanding.

  64. Wow man. You just viewed one of my drawings so I stopped in and I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with your hatching and the process to get the values. Love the WIPs. 😉

  67. Your work is absolutely incredible! Your ability to capture such depth and detail in faces using cross-hatching shows awe inspiring skill.

  68. Brilliant body of work, I especially like the Django unchained poster. I urge you to look at a bank note it will blow you mind, as it did mine and completely changed the way i look at shading techniques.

    1. Thanks Mike! Will do that. Never noticed it before, but the €uro notes are not the best example. Gonna check out the $notes….

  69. Dude! Your work…. Awesomeness! Love how you have commercialised your passion. You fall into that category of artists you love and hate at the same time because the work is so frigging good. When you get the chance check out my new blog and let me know what you think. http://rwlamont.wordpress.com/

    1. Thanks! Love how you can love and hate me at the same time. It’s a great compliment. I will check out your new blog. Cheers

  70. Your blog has been nominated for the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award by the HewToons Editorial Board!

    Visit http://hewtoons.com/awards/ ‎for more information. (Please do not make inquiries of Mr. Walker. He is quite bitter that Keith Hodgesons named on the award given to HewToons.)

  71. You’re a frickin’ artistic genius!! I wish I could draw as well as this. You’ve got me feelin’ jealous.

  73. Thanks so much for following, but…
    Damn, dude.
    Remind me not to get in a crosshatching fight with you anytime soon!
    As a small side-note, I love physical work, but I hate scanning, which, I suppose is the primary reason I work digitally.
    May your ink-wells never run dry, and may your nibs remain pristine!

    1. Whats the problem with scanning? My only problem is that I have to up the contrast after scanning but for me the physical work beats the computer:)

  74. I love your artwork! I’m a big fan of texture and you do it beautifully!

  75. Thanks for following my blog. I really love seeing your “in progress” drawings. I also agree that a pen and paper the way to go — you don’t have to plug in your pen or your paper at any time!

  76. Amazing drawings! Thanks for sharing your art. Looking forward to see more your works.

  78. More and more I agree with that principle. I prefer hand drawing than other plastic techniques (that I badly Know, I must confess). But I don’t need all those digital equipment to be be happy and feel that I’ve done a good job! You’ve amazing drawings, keep on!

  79. your drawings are amazing!
    i love the detail, specially since they are made with rotrings…they leak;p

  80. Many thanks for liking my post and my blog! Your drawings are incredible and inspiring. So much skill! Looking forward to seeing more : )

  82. You are amazing! I always love seeing new styles of art and ingenuity.

  86. Love your blog! I, too, prefer traditional media (though I think I’m too caught up in digital artwork these days). Love all your drawings! They have a nice feel to them.

    Thanks for checking out my blog!

  87. Your drawings are gorgeous! Nice to see someone who loves putting an actual pen on actual paper. And thanks for liking my drawing and following.

  89. So you decided to join the small clan of Uncle Spike followers, sometimes known as The Spikey’s…. That makes me a happy blogger now – I really appreciate you making that special mouse click.

    Hope you like my upcoming posts and if you get bored one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too.

    If you have any likes, dislikes or suggestions about my blog, just let me know, either through ‘comments’ or via email. Always welcome reader input 🙂

    Love your artwork, very accurate. Wish I had a tenth of your talent – my 5 year old is better at drawing than me 😀

    Have a great old day…

    UNCLE SPIKE

  90. Your drawings are over the top Fantastic! Thanks so much for the follow!

  92. Thanks for the like and you have some really awesome drawings, i’m following you now! It is just very funny when i saw the skyline of deventer cause i’ve been born there! Haha very good work!

  95. The Institute for the Study of Slightly Varying Circumstances appreciates you joining the very exclusive club of those following the illimitable ocean of inexplicability. Your skills at capturing a likeness are quite advanced and no doubt highly prized. I am, just between you and me, a little jealous, but, I will get over it.
    Thank you
    The President and Founder

  97. WOW. That’s great!! I love your drawings. I hope i have an opportunity to show my art too. Sucesso 😉

  100. HI, Im doing a comparative study for my art class and your one of my artists, and i really would like to some background information on you and inspirations ect. please let me know if possible.
    – sara

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