Day 438 – Fishing time

September 21, 2015September 20, 20152 Comments

This was sketched on the docks of Laretto Creek across from Fort Palaski on Tybee Island.
One of my favorites painted recently because of all the whites I think.

He had noticed me sketching and asked if he could see them. I had been wanting to draw the fisherman but resisted because I might get caught undercover Sketching. As soon as he started fishing again I whipped this sketch off and quickly turned the page. I knew he would not mind.

It was painted with my Isabey squirrel mop #2 in a strathmore mixed media journal and drawn with my noodler cheaper ahab with platinum carbon black ink.

The bright fall sky was painted with cobalt and a bit of cerulean. Trees were painted with Quin gold and hematite with dabs of hookers green. So was the marsh grass. The water is Andrews turquoise with dabs of cerulean. Skin is Quin red and yellow ochre. Shirt hookers green and inathradone. Pants no idea. Yellow ochre and burnt umber w inathradone?!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 437 – Sacred Heart 2

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015Leave a comment

The altar of Sacred Heart. As a little girl I used to go with my best friend. Her family attended services here. The mystery and beauty of the old church always mesmerized me.

The stained glass in this Romanesque church is amazing. The nave soars high above the pews lined with banks of beautiful old stained glass clerestory windows.

The marble and gilt altar is unlike any church that I have been in. Ornate and loaded with statues of Jesus saints and angels. Topped off with soaring stained glass and a ribbed dome. So much to look at it makes you dizzy!!
I recently attended a meeting there and drew in a strathmore 500 mixed media sketchbook with a Carbon Platinum pen while I listened to the speakers.

More Sacred Heart tomorrow. Of course there are more sketches!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 437 – Sacred Heart

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015Leave a comment

A beautiful old deconsecrated Catholic Church in downtown Augusta. Supposedly it even has a ghost in one of the bell towers.

It’s hard to get a clear view of the entire front of the church. Trees have been planted that block the view so I only drew the top.

I knew the sketch had problems when it was drawn but painted it anyway. Painted with my Isabey mop #2. No control over it and should have changed to a sable to even up the towers. Oh well. I think it might be my Rouen cathedral to paint over and over.

From Wikipedia

It was built by Jesuit priests and its first service was on December 2, 1900. The church had been in Augusta for 70 years, until it closed in 1971 due to modern suburban advancements. While the building was vacant, it endured much vandalism and was near destruction.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]
In 1987, the Knox Foundation renovated the building and opened as a vibrant center of the city for cultural events. The building now host events such as wine festivals, choral concerts, and Christmas events. It is one of the best examples of redeveloping downtown Augusta.

More Sacred Heart tomorrow. The inside!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx whose actually reading a book instead of drawing or painting.

Day 436 – Ben

September 18, 2015September 18, 20152 Comments

Ben – watercolor on crescent watercolor board 28″ x 20″ SOLD!!

This painting has taken about three weeks working on it off and on.

Here are a few in progress photos of it. I use my cell phone to stand away from the painting and judge it’s progress.
His legs seem a bit short but I have measured and measured against the original photo and they are right. The photo is just taken at an off angle.

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret xxx off to sketch live at Arts in the Heart. Eeeekkkk!!!

Day 435 – lost post

September 18, 2015September 18, 20156 Comments

and maybe that was a good idea. Just realized it was lost. Posted it to be scheduled to go out today at 10:30 am. Nothing. Wonder where it went?! Then it disappeared again. So I will post this paragraph and then add to it. I HOPE!!

Originally I posted this picture but today I realized it wasn’t terrible it just needed a good crop. I wanted to make it about the live oak tree and the resurrection ferns on the sinuous boughs but it was really about the statute and the guys sitting in Wesley Square. I especially liked the guy on the right with the dreadlocks but all the guys turned out so well in the sketch.

And the two old guys on the left were just enjoying the fabulous fall weather last Sunday and having a great talk.

Live oaks by Al Beyer 4’x 8′ oil on panel
This is what a live oak should look like. I came out of the art studio the other day at USC Aiken, and this awesome painting was leaning against the hall wall. I told Al I had just been sitting under that tree in Savannah the day before. Just a wonderful painting. I wonder if I can out it on layaway?!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret bed late today!! 😳 xxx

Day 433- WIP Savannah Riverwalk

September 16, 2015September 16, 20157 Comments

pleased with progress off to class so moh later as my grandson Henry says.

Calling it done. My weapons of choice were an Isabey #2 squirrel mop and a Lamy Vista fine point with an ink converter lapsed wit carbon platinum black ink. Mop is from Cheap Joes expensive but worth it and cheaper than Dick Blick. I got the pen and converter from Amazon but the ink from Goulet. The Amazon ink was NOT waterproof though it appeared to be the same ink. Another good waterproof ink is Noodlers Lexington Grey from Sam Flaxs Atlanta and de Artrementis DOCUMENT Brown from Goulet pens.

Colors used cerulean and cobalt sky. Aurelion yellow, Quinn gold in roof. burnt sienna quin burnt orange inathradone for the Sphinx. Quin gold hookers green olive green and green hematite with burnt umber in greenery. Piemonte and cobalt blue shadows on buildings and sidewalks.

The sketch Lamy on strathmore 500 mixed media

If you like this style of sketching and painting aka urban sketching sign up for Marc Holmes class on Craftsy. Sign up thru his site http://citizensketcher.com/2015/08/29/travel-sketching-in-mixed-media-lesson-sneak-peek-silhouette-shapes/ for a $10 discount. A good deal for $20 and do it at your leisure.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 433 Savannah Sketches

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015Leave a comment

River walk

Got eight Sketches done on Sunday. Four in Savannah and four on Tybee. All of the Savannah sketches were done with my Lamy Fine point.

It was hard to resist those x’s ones the building. I think they hold the building together for earthquakes. I added the people as they strolled thru my view. If you want to give it a go feel free to use my photo.

The Cotton exchange and the Freemasons Hall. Also on River front.

The Sphinx fountain in front of the Cotton Exchange. How could you resist this guy?!

Wesley Square. Love the guys. John Wesley not so much. Better extend that live oak tree!! Oops. Actually I extended the drawing adding the men last and didn’t fix the tree. I had places to go and things to see and a timed parking place!! 😄

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 431 – Sketching Tybee

September 15, 20157 Comments

We packed up and left the house about ten am. The kids were off to Atlanta and it was SkEtcH TIME!!

These will all be watercolored soon but in the meantime I am sharing the sketches. I did eight total yesterday. A lot of painting soon.

If you want to draw this feel free. Shrimp boat photos are hard to come by.
I found the perfect spot on a fishing dock when you first come one the island across from Fort Pulaski. The fisherman had to check out what I was doing.
So I drew him after he checked out my sketches. Think I better straighten up that bucket. Oops!!

I switched to Lamy fine with this one. My noodles Konrad ran out of ink and my ahab was leaking. Guess I am going to have to fix it. 😳 That said I really liked the sketchiness of the fine line the Lamy does.

Not the best pelican I have ever drawn but he will look better when he’s got some color on him.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 431 – Two point perspective Trick(TIP)

September 13, 2015September 13, 20151 Comment

is tough to say the least. And mine was confused on this painting. The bricks were off especially above his head. Oops!!

Al Beyer showed me a technique that is easy to do when you have two point perspective, i.e. perspective with two vanishing points.

The vanishing points are to the right and left of the painting on the horizon line which runs across the top of the OPEN letters.

ALL parallel lines should converge at the vanishing point. The runs of bricks make up these parallel lines as do the top and bottom of the window and the bottom of the OPEN letters.

So how to get them done correctly.

Get a piece of paper. Lay the straight edge along the horizon line. Then fold the bottom edge up to follow parallel line. I chose the window sill.

This is the order you fold the paper in.

Match 1 to the horizon line to get fold 2. Of course you can’t see 1 now!!

Here it is on the painting.

Make fold 3 by matching up fold 2 with the horizon line.

Then make fold 4 by folding the paper in half between the bottom fold and the #2 fold.

Ideally before you paint match the horizon line on your folded paper with the horizon line on the painting draw along the folds with a watercolor pencil to transfer the lines to your painting.

Flip the paper with the horizon line on the bottom edge to get the top lines.

Some thinking is required. And the whole thing reverses on the right side to complicate your life. 😳

What you end up with looks like this. The lines were drawn with a brown watercolor pencil. The horizon line comes off of his shoulder.

Let me know if you have more questions. I will try to answer them. Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day430- Food Food Food!!!

September 12, 2015Leave a comment

We ate at Taj of India the other day. I actually liked the sexond sketxh best til I painted them. Guess which one I like best now?!!funny how things change. I had trouble with my pentel brush running on this paper so I never painted the cerulean around the name of the restaurant. I read somewhere recently that the Pentel brush pen will sometimes run on certain paper. Guess I hit the jackpot on this one. Strathmore mixed media paper. Usually it behaves but I do have two brush pens. I may have used the Kuretake with carbon platinum black on the second one. No runny problems on it. You have to love that carbon platinum black. NEVER runs.

My favorite dish was mine. The chicken tiki Marsala. It was painted with cad red then Quin gold. Last I added touches of green apatite to the bowl. Lots of wet on wet. The same colors were used on the kuchumba just watery. Quin gold and Inathridone on the rice. I actually used most of the same colors on all the dishes just in different variety.

Having never been to Taj of India before I was hoping for an exotic interior. But no. Gold walls with one lonely wall hanging and an alcove. However there was a birthday party in progress having a good time. The odd waiter who had hair like a rasta was added for some variety. His hair and huge beard were red and black. Very odd. He was a really sweet guy and kept the water glasses full. Good idea since the food was spicy. Not a spicy food eater.