Day 587 – The Bény Sur Mer Cemetery

February 9, 2016February 9, 2016Leave a comment

Is a beautiful four acre cemetery where the Canadians buried their dead after the D Day invasions. Americans have 170 acres of cemetery.

Something about spot is poignant. This is the favorite sketch of many on our cruise. They eventually started looking over my shoulder to see what I was drawing. This one got alot of that’s my favorite sketch.

It was quite an easy one to do so I find the comments interesting. Not complicated like the Centee Juno Beach sketch or the Pegasus Bridge sketch.

Simple colors too. A bright cobalt blue sky. Cerulean and Quin sienna for greys. Hookers with Quin yellow in the grass. Quin burnt orange for trees. Cerulean jeans. And that’s about it.

As I said a simple sketch and painting.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 586 – Ilenia

February 8, 2016Leave a comment

Ilenia 24″ x 30″ Acrylic I have been paying attention to what Al said and trying to block everything in exactly before I start painting even though it’s more fun to just paint paint paint but the results are always disappointing when it comes to the human figure. They are almost always just off a bit here and there.

Here she is blocked inat about 40 minutes of work. I didn’t notice till much later that her head was too big and as Dave said her haunch was too small. 😋

If u look u can see my hash marks from measuring her head. They are dark blue above her hip and to the left of her arm.

I actually had started measuring her from the orange hash mark on the far right when I realized she would be painted on the right side of the board. So I drew another hash mark and started measuring her from the dark blue one.

Here Ilenia is mostly sorted right before Daves she needs a bigger haunch remark. Funny thing is I had just told Charlie that he need to draw hers rear bigger on his drawing. That it was bigger than we think lol. An easy fix. Just add a curved swath of flesh color to fix her rear problems. Lol.

Here she is now. I think she could use a bit more work on her left eye and on her hand but hey I have a sweater to finish knitting.

Colors used cerulean cobalt Winsor purple. The green is one of the blues and nickel Azo gold. Combines for an interesting color. Flesh is cad yellow, pyrrole red and white. Sometimes I used the nickel Azo gold for the yellow. Can’t live without that color. Love it!!

Ultramarine blue and orange for her dark brown hair and brown shadows.

Thanks for reading.

Day 585 – Juno Beach

February 7, 2016Leave a comment

The Canadians built this beautiful museum to remember the D Day Invasion and the valiant men who fought there on June 6 1944. From above its shaped like a maple leaf.

The museum sits on the shore at Les Courselles in Normandie above La Manche, the Sleeve, as the French call the English Channel. Below are the beaches where the brave British, Canadian and Australian forces staged their D Day invasion.

Eventfully more than 4500 of them died during the invasion of Normandie.

Colors used. First a wash of Winsor yellow on the buildings. Next a wash of Cerulean and Quin burnt orange and Quin sienna. Shadows cobalt and dioxzine purple and more sienna and Quin burnt orange. Windows and sky cerulean. Grass yellow green and olive green with Quin burnt orange.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 584 Inside St Sauveurs

February 6, 2016Leave a comment

A quick sketch drawn while sitting in the lovely early morning quiet of the church. Not that Les Andelys is a hub bub of noise and activity!! It was lovely to sit in the still in the old rush seated chairs and admire the 16th century stained glass windows.

I think I really enjoyed drawing this one because we could not even stick our noses into the Rouen Cathedral or even see the whole facade due to the Christmas market construction at the base.

All that way and no good looks at Monets famed cathedral. Sigh! I guess I will just have to go back!!!

I coated the sketch with an initial coat of Winsor yellow and let it dry. I also used a lot of Quin burnt orange on the walls of the apex.

Shadows are burnt orange and Inathrodone. Not quite as dark as burnt umber and Inathrodone. A nice light alternative.

Windows – marine blue, ultramarine blue, purple and bits of Winsor yellow. Each color was allowed to dry before the next was added.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 583 – Eglise Sainte-Sauveurs

February 5, 2016Leave a comment

In Les Andelys. 10″ x 16″

This was drawn leaning on an old building across the narrow street. Very hard to get a good view. Hard to draw in a floppy sketch book with nowhere to put the book but hey how often do you get a chance to draw a church built in 1198-1202 a very short period for such a huge building.

Because of the short building period it’s very cohesive in its early gothic design unlike most of the churches and cathedrals which took two or three HUNDRED years to build.

This lovely gothic Eglise aka church sits in the heart of the small river town Les Andelys, Richard the Lionhearted’s stronghold on the Seine. A small park or market square sits beside it where the citizens could promenade under the trees and enjoy the weather.

Originally I painted it a little too grey so I perked it up with a very diluted wash of Winsor yellow and hits of Quin gold.

Most of the churches and cathedrals are really not grey but the color of limestone which is yellower. The grime of centuries has turned them grey.

A bit of history. Richard the Lionhearted would not allow the town of Les Andelys to be built til his Chateau Gaillard was built. What the king wants the king gets right?! Another interesting bit of history. Most French churches are topped with a crowing rooster.

More about the church at http://lesandelys.com/church/

Colors used. Winsor yellow background. Stone cerulean French ochre and burnt sienna. Inathrodone blue and burnt umber shadows.  Strathmore 500 mixed media journal, Konrad Noodler, carbon platinum black ink.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 582 – The Party is over

February 4, 2016February 4, 20162 Comments

The Party is Over – Acrylic 30×40 painted with a huge brush. 3″.

I thought it was a four inch brush but I picked up the wrong one. SCARY stuff. I have never painted a painting with that size brush aka HUGE!!!

There’s about five hours in the painting at this point largely because I started over on a bigger canvas.

Here the first go round is drawn with a 1/2 sable brush. It’s about 2′ x 3′ on hardboard. I did not want to pay for a frame SO I repainted it on canvas.

Interestingly enough it was much easier to draw the second time. I guess I had already worked out the problems on the first try?!

Here she is blocked in. Well kinda sorta. I kept having to paint out lines to correct the drawing or it would have been too confusing by can still see some of them shining thru the white.
Here’s a close up of the girl.

Here’s version two as of yesterday. I added in some of the blue lines and tried to get her face where it belonged. Not easy with a huge brush and a terrible photo. I finally thru on the big brush for a smaller one. That half inch sable.

Looking at it today I think perhaps the face is too defined. A well that’s why it’s a WIP. Should have brought it home to stare at for the weekend while knitting and tv watching however I didn’t. Oops!!

Bytw if. U ever want to paint a large painting fast get out a house painting brush. Yes it can be done. Hmm I need a bigger palette though. What should I use?!

Maybe a sheet of plexi?! We shall see because that huge brush is almost as big as my palette!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 581 – Erica

February 3, 20162 Comments

Erica Acrylic 20x 30?

This is one of the best paintings I have done at life drawing on Saturday. I actually listened to what Al Beyers been telling me and spent a lot of time doing the blocking in of the figure. Trying to get the proportions right.

Still need to adjust her right breast but otherwise I think she’s done.

Beginning to block on with nickel Azo gold.

Some negative painting to correct my lines.

Beginning to paint.

Tip- Most of this was done with larger hog bristle brushes. Smallest one was half an inch which makes it impossible to get fussy with the painting.

The word chin on right is to remind me to correct her chin after break. What’s up with it?! OOPS!!!

Only thing left to do is that too long shadow under her right breast.

Here she is with the shadow fixed.

Colors used – nickel Azo gold, pyrrole red, white, cobalt, burnt umber.

Remember use large brushes!!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 579 – More Chateau Gaillard

February 2, 2016January 31, 20162 Comments

I did say I drew Chateau Gaillard a lot! This was my first attempt and the same view as yesterday post.

I seriously ran out of room before I could get the whole town in at the base. Just rooves looked odd so guess what’s under the accounting ledger?! You got it!! The bit of town I drew before I turned the page and started over.

This turned into a fun opportunity to do a bit journaling, mixed media and add some stamps.

I chose this quote because Richard was the quintessential adventurer traveling from France to the Holy Lands, got kidnapped and ransomed, hung out with Robin Hood, battled the wicked King John and his lackeys. Now that’s a life spent in adventure. He even took on his father the original tough King Henry II to usurp the throne.

Colors – the same as yesterday’s.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to class in Aiken. Xxx

Day 580-One Last Chateau Gaillard

February 2, 2016January 31, 2016Leave a comment

I sat on the corner in Les Andelys watching my cruising companions hiking up the hill from which “many don’t return” according to my new friend Gus’ husband Bob. Gus and Bob have done the Paris to Normandy cruise several times annually.

This painting was done wet on wet and is one of my favorite paintings to date. I felt like I was finally getting Charles Reid!!

Since hill hikes make my asthma go crazy I elected to draw while they hiked. Les Andelys is just a charming tiny village. A cute row of shops. A church dating to 1200! Half timber buildings.

What’s not to love?! And Richard the Lionhearted walked these streets. Fascinating to me with our young American history.