Sketch of landscape with windmills. From: Marine and Marken sketchbook.

<strong>Capturing the essence</strong>

<em>Here one might linger long, noting how the exact effect has been obtained by a few broad lines of chalk, a smudge or two of charcoal, or a wash or two of simple colour. </em>

‘Auckland Society of Arts Exhibition’, <em>The New Zealand Herald</em>, 1892

Van der Velden’s pocket-sized sketchbooks reveal his skill in capturing the essence of his subject in just a few lines or strokes. He incorporated certain motifs from these drawings into more developed sketches or finished paintings.