Basispotlood.nl consists of a large number of lessons from which you can make your own choices to your heart’s content. There is no compulsory order and even a single chapter or exercise is already a real drawing lesson! The three levels have an increasing degree of difficulty (in level 3, for example, perspective plays a greater role). As a teacher, you may find it useful to use basispotlood.nl as a supplement to your own lessons or a method used. Do you have questions about a lesson or about your own drawing work? Then send an email to info@basispotlood.nl. Are you proud of a drawing? Then upload it to the EXPO page. Have fun drawing!

Use of materials is simple: standard size drawing paper (eg A4/A3), a nice drawing pencil (HB/B/2B), colored pencil, a good eraser and a sharpener. Of course you can also use other materials such as fine liners if you like. Materials such as fine liners are of course fine, but not necessary. Digital drawing (e.g. on an iPad) is also a possibility.

The idea behind these lessons:
For most children, the age of about 9 is a threshold age when it comes to drawing: they drop out if they don’t really learn anything. I can’t blame them. It is the ideal time to introduce young people to drawing, not so much because of the formal visual aspects, materials and techniques, but rather because of the wealth of beautiful examples, subjects, ideas and stories. The sources are there for the taking, from drawings from art history to comics and illustrations. Of course, some of us have more talent than others (just like with sports, math, music, etc.), but with the examples and exercises from basispotlood.nl, everyone at any age who wants to can really learn something and use that to depict their own figures, situations and stories. All in all, I strive for communicative drawing lessons that stimulate the imagination and introduce you to drawing. Drawing and art appreciation in one!

About the author
Rogier van der Erve (1953) graduated from the Rietveld Academy Amsterdam in 1991, specializing in drawing and free graphics. In 1993 he obtained his first degree in drawing/art history at the HKU. Since that time he has worked as an art teacher for 20 years with children in the upper years of an elementary school. From 1994 to the present he works as an art teacher in secondary education exam classes havo/vwo in Rotterdam.