Day 309 – something a little different.

May 14, 20152 Comments

Procrastinating.

I thought you might like to see the layers I did to arrive at this strange but I think pretty background color. Just remember don’t do it in a journal because it may leak thru. The above rectangle is 8 washes of different colors. The one with Maestro Z is 16 washes.

Sorry about the colors in the following photos being off. I did take a photo after each new wash.

Cerulean is the first layer.

Burnt Sienna is the second.
Hookers green is third.

Cerulean is layer four.

Orange is layer five.

Cerulean is layer six.
Then Orange layer 7.

Cerulean layer 8.

I actually did this twice. The washes where more opaque.
Layer 5 Orange. Second time around. Difficult to the color Correctly.

Layer 6 cerulean second go round.

Second go round layer 7 Orange.

Cerulean layer 8. Second go round the washes were more opaque. All of the plots are opaque of you do not use thin washes. U will get a very dark color this way. The sample really is almost an olive green.

If u want to make it as dark as the maestros photo. Reverse the above order and then do 8 layers backwards. Then add 8 more layers like the above eight.

Day 308 – a Few more of Maestro Z

May 13, 2015Leave a comment

There are actually ten pages of these but this set messed up the other eight already finished pages. I was bored after painting the first eight and decided to try something different.

Fealing gave us an example with this wash on it so I decided to try it. The background is a wash of 16 washes of color. I applied the first eight backwards so I did 8 more in the right order and the washes leaked. It’s a great color BUT not so great I wanted to mess up ten or twelve other pages.

See below for color combos for the background.

Here are the pages that were messed up. Even worse I had finished painting them ALL. There are grey blobs on all of them. One set of pages even got stuck together.
I did use some white gouache on a few to try to fix them with varying degrees of success. White gouache my BFF.

Just a small leak on this one.

Big lean on this but it didn’t show so much.

Thank goodness nothing to mess up on these pages.
The 16 layers of washes are

Cerulean

Orange

Cerulean

Orange

Cerulean

Burnt Sienna

Hookers green

Cerulean

Then I did them in the right order

Cerulean

Burnt sienna

Hookers green

Cerulean

Cad orange

Cerulean

Cad Orange

Cerulean.

Now I think I will try another one with just the last eight washes. The correct way lol. It does make a beautiful blue grey.

Day 307 – Reportage Accordion Style

May 12, 20154 Comments

Maestro Z

Drawing the conductor Maestro Z at Pops under the Stars was so much fun I wished I had brought an empty accordion book. This is just half of one. It would be fun to do a ballerina like this.

Detail 1

The blacks were made with Inathridone blue and burnt umber. Grey on the jacket is cerulean and burnt sienna or cobalt and burnt sienna.

Detail 2

The background is Quin gold and Quin red painted on with my big Isabey squirrel mop and allowed to blend when they were wet. I think I might cover up Maestro Z and splatter this strip.

Detail 3
Drawing this was so much fun I drew ten pages of these in my sketchbook. Will post them tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret XXX

Day 307 Reportage?! Part 2

May 11, 20151 Comment

Love these new Isabey and Richeson squirrel mops that I got during my class with Fealing Lin. Not cheap but love the soft loose look of the paint you get with them. She paints all her landscapes with them.
Been busily painting the sketches I did during Pops under the Stars Saturday. This is Brad Means warming up the audience at Lady Antebellum Amphitheater in Evans Towne center.

I sketched in the audience as they headed to get snack or a better seat. There was a lot of movement. People standing and sitting down yakking with their friends. Sipping wine. Some people dressed to the nines. Others wore jeans and tees. I am sure there was some champagne in the crowds song with bud lite!

Gesture sketch of the orchestra warming up. The violinist was serious.

Lee Anne enjoying the calm while Drew chased the perpetual motion machine Henry.

Henry’s first concert. Every now and then he took off like a rocket with one of his parents racing to catch him. The child has a career as a future star sprinter. Get ready Decatur High School.

Tomorrow more Pops Under the Stars. I only drew about 30 fast sketches and half an accordion book.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret XXX

Day 306 -Reportage?!

May 10, 20152 Comments

Happy Mothers Day.

Last nite we went to the annual Pops under the Stars with the Augusta Symphony. I drew about thirty pages and half an accordion book. It was a lot of fun and felt like I really was in the groove. Pages of sketches of the conductor. They are so energetic. Just wish we were closer to see Maestro Z better.

So here is part of what I drew. Can’t wait to slap some paint on these.

Sketching the orchestra warming up!!

Maestro Z

The conductor was very energetic!!

Sketching the orchestra warming up and some of the crowd.

More Sketching the orchestra warming up

Henry loved it. His first fireworks and he thought they were amazing.

One of my favorite sketches. Lee Anne.
The crowd nearby.

More later. Gotta run. Mothers Day company coming!!
Thanks for reading!!

Margaret XXX

Day 305 – a Review of the Weeks Paintings

May 9, 2015May 9, 2015Leave a comment

As no doubt you have noticed we all loved out week with Fealing Lin at Cheap Joes in Boone NC last week. If it weren’t for Mother’s Day I think we would still be there painting. A great teacher and the set up at Cheap Joes is just awesome. Everybody has their own table. A huge flat screen tv to watch teacher demos. Awesome lunches. What more can I say. Take a class at Cheap Joes(www.CheapJoes.com) and or a class from Fealing (www.fealinglin.com).

Most still need a few more touches but will set them out and stare at them first. Then they are FOR SALE!!

Man from Shanghai or Opium smoker. 15×22 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller

The debate still rages over what exactly is in his pipe.

Ben

15×22 cold press 140# Fabriano

He recieved several proposals from mothers of single daughters!!

Kenyatta 15×11 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller

Hair needs more curls and that brown spot on the left has got to go.

Fisherman from Falmouth

15×11 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller
From an old photo from around 1900 aka out of copyright

TIP: Did you know that all government photos are copyright free. The Library of Congress has a wealth of old black and white photos COPYRIGHT free at http://www.loc.gov 

Boone

15×22 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller

I am I love with painting old wrinkly weathered guys with beards and mustaches.

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret XXX

Day 304 Homeward bound

May 8, 2015Leave a comment

such a great class we were all loathe to leave.

Our parting shot – a sign to remember us by. I lettered it.

Fealing painted it.

Quick peek in the candy store aka Cheap Joes warehouse.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret XXX

Day 303 – Feeling Fealing Part 3

May 8, 20152 Comments

Another great day with Fealing Lin. I highly recommend her. Just the best most giving teacher.

We worked and worked and a lot of work is getting done. Tomorrow critiques!!

The egg. Did you know if you draw on a BOILED egg or a plastic one like this it mimics the perspective of your head as it moves around up and down. Great way to teach it.

Black and white value study she did of two men in Chinatown. She doesn’t use pencil because it takes too long but instead uses Cheap Joes American Journey Warm Black and a big brush to whip it out.

Kenyatta

I added some bubbles and some pebbles aka some curls. I think I will do more. I also need to bring her shirt into a little better focus. Less busy color. Aka knock the color back! But I am pleased with her.

Boone

After

I worked on my Man from Shanghai some more as well as my fisherman, Kenyatta and Boone. I knocked the background back with Inathridone blue.

Before. The background is pretty but easter eggy. I also added the “jewelry” and some bubbles. I think his mouth is still off a twitch and I need to fix that. I am

Pretty happy with him. More work probably but we were off to show Fealing Mast General store in Valle Crucis a lovely secluded valley near Boone and buy some shoes for our achy feet.

The store has an old potbelly stove complete with rocking chairs.

Lots of old barns and lovely mountains. Not the greatest photos but the sun was not cooperating today.

Rhododendrons were starting to bloom. Lovely things. Of course we didn’t need to drive twenty miles to see them. When we got back we noticed a bushful next to our hotel!! We did have a great time laughing and googling and taking pictures!!

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret XXX

Day 302 – Feeling Fealing #2

May 6, 20154 Comments

Sketching Fealing when I should be paying attention.

Another one when I should have been paying.

Ben maybe finished.

Kenyatta mostly done.

My old fisherman

Beginning Boone Walton.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret XX

Day 301 – Feeling Fealing!

May 6, 2015May 6, 2015Leave a comment

I actually drew a sketch of her today but it’s back on my table in Cheap Joes studio. Wonderful teacher. So thorough so accessible and so thoughtful.

We started off the day with breakfast at our hotel with 6 or 7 classmates and our lovely teacher Fealing. The day was off to an auspicious start.

Then back to Cheap Joes to work. Mike and I worked till 6. And this is what I did.

The paintings are done in layers of washes.

Ben

Layer 1 should have started at the top and been colors. Blended softly together. Got in a hurry because the teacher called us to class. Pesky bubbles from painting wet into partially drying wet…groan!

Ben

Layer 2 Linking shadows softening edges.

Ben

Layer 2/3 adding more darks softening edges

Ben

Layer 3 Adding more darks and color and trying to keep it soft but focused!! Still more to do but that’s all I have done as of now. Think I am find to lift some of the dark blue on his eye. The beard was done with a wash of cerulean. It was magic the way a beard just popped off the page!! Ultramarine blue and burnt umber In the hair. Keeping the edges soft.

Boy does his mouth need work…hopefully sooner or later it will work!!

The Chinese Man

15×22 300# Stephen Quiller cold press

I call him Inscrutable. Dads photo album called him “Not Many Left.” This is how he looked this morning.

The Chinese Man

More Layer 3 – I added a lot of darks. Can you find them!? And some reds. Darkened the hands, the eyes. Added some reds. Killed some of the whites. Added darks to the frog closures on the jacket and under the right collar. Added blue to the hat.