Beatrix & Merkel

Beatrix and Merkel at the occasion of the official visit that the Dutch queen pays to Germany. Published in NRC Handelsblad 12 Apr 2011 with an article of R Koopmans who argues that the countries have a distorted view of one another.
The design was determined by the fact that it was going to be printed on two pages, with a fold in the middle.

Mark Rutte, het zonnetje in huis

Prime Minister Mark Rutte is a cheerful fellow, so why not picture him that way.
I'm trying to get acquainted with ways to draw digitally, and this is a first example.

Dry Brush technique by Igor Kazarin

Igor Kazarin, a Russian artist, is quite a master with the dry brush.  He uses oil paint, mixed with a few drops of oil. But that doesn't necessarily make for interesting portraits.  WHY make them in the first place?  Why not simply reproduce the photo that was used for reference?  See one of his videos here.

Hans Teeuwen

Was asked to make a portrait of the dark Dutch comedian Hans Teeuwen for NRC Handelsblad. 90 minute deadline.... Pffooi.

Sandro Veronesi XY

Sandro Veronesi's new novel XY weaves two stories into one: man vs woman, faith vs science. That is why this portrait is made in two lines, of complementary colors.

Willem Alexander practices regal poses

Soon, around April 30, speculation about Beatrix' abdication will flare up again. In the meantime her son, Willem Alexander is practising regal poses.

Four stages of tasting

Four stages of tasting:
Uh
Uhmm
Mmmm
OOOHH!
Made for the annual lunch with political cartoonists

Rik van den Boog

These are uncertain times for Ajax manager Rik van den Boog. How many more days can he hold on to his job? With how many law suits?