Do a landscape using a reed pen and ink. The reed pen sucks the ink in, as it is porous, when you dip it in the ink bottle. You can make about five or so strokes with the pen thus loaded. Find a bit of hedge or hill to draw. The reed pen was ideal for van Gogh, as he constructed his drawings with short hatching lines, rather than long ones. Create textures by building up strokes. Alternate hatches with stipples, little dots placed close together, to create darker areas.
The landscape was one of van Gogh's most common motifs. Emulate the hatch work of the drawing by executing the landscape by using a build-up of short, stiff brushstrokes. Use impasto, the heavy application of paint. The brush almost works as a trowel. Build curving or arcing areas, like those found in van Gogh's painting of cypress trees, by using short, curving strokes that are aligned.
One of van Gogh's most famous paintings is of the interior of his bedroom. In bold colors, he painted the simple room with a bed, chair and window. Shading is not used to show volumes. Outlines of edges and contours in darker colors delineate objects.
Irises and sunflowers were frequent subjects for van Gogh. They provide the opportunity to use brilliant color and complicated, interlocking forms. A small canvas is a good place to start, with a simple setup, instead of a huge array of flowers. Work briskly. If you are working indoors, add a background like wallpaper or similar print to enliven the painting further.