On a Sunday. Once I got home I decided her eyes were too high and her body was too pale. Maybe I should have just darkened the background. Who knows?! I never can decide. I do like the darker background.

The left side was sprayed with water and then blotted before it was dry giving the splotchy effect.

Anyway I quit. She can collect dust with the others.

The sketch

First break 40 minutes

Second break. 60 minutes or so.

At the end of the session. The palette and the brushes I used.

The head down like that is hard to get right. Next week I am doing the back. Lol. No eyes and ears to contend with.

Drew Murphy 2×3’acrylic

Earlier

First break. He wished he had quit here after forty minutes. Drew is fast.

Told Jeremy he looked like he belonged in Montmartre in Paris drawing.

Jeremy’s gorgeous pastel.

Coach Larry’s great charcoal

Lawyer Lee always uses the almost cubist angles.

Alex’s beautiful pastel. Oddly the white shows up much better on the camera. first break.

HOPE he doesn’t erase it like he usually does.

Amy’s large painting. Second break. Never saw it finished. Really like it a lot.

First break. Great start.

Bills fascinating oil on metal panel. Really like this a lot. Said he used a lot of quin magenta.

Tom Needham’s quiet watercolor. He said he thought he overworked it but I like it. Very soft and delicate.

Dentist Fred who finally has returned from his Italian sojourn.

A second small oil by Coach Larry.

And that’s it. Back to my bird drawings. Back porch at the feeder. Ok so there’s a squirrel or two. Such silly annoying animals. Drawn with watercolor pencils.

Hugs Margaret xoxoxo

Ilania scroll to see the progress on this 90 minute painting #uscaiken #lifemodel #nude #lead #pencil #sketching #watercolor #allaprima #aquarelle #canson #board #danielsmith #holbein #mgraham #albeyer #aiken #augusta

Drew Murphy. He would love this. I took quite a few years off him. I won’t tell u how old he is BUT he’s older than he is in this painting.

Marge the back view. I don’t know if u like it but I do and that’s all that matters right. My website my way.

Still working on my Saturday painting. It might or might not be done. Will decide and post tomorrow one way or the other.

Hugs Margaret xoxoxo

Not too long after I got back from Olmsted Plein Air I realized I should be drawing people I know.

We have all been taking a MFA class from Al Beyer at USC Aiken and Al was retiring- the end of an age at USCA.

Ted

I decided I should draw some of the classmates to remember them.

Side views because we were all sitting listening to Al. Anybody who knows Marilyn or Ted would recognize them from the pencil sketches.

The color is off in Teds watercolor. I have tried to correct it in iPhoto to no avail and am too lazy to scan it or get my big Nikon out. Oops.

Anyway sketched in my stillman and birn with a mechanical pencil. Used lots of green gold on these. Grey is cerulean and DS quin burnt sienna. Flesh tones DS quin coral with a dab of French yellow ochre. Both are transparent colors. The darks are very diluted quin burnt sienna Ted Nuttall palette.

Back to drawing people. I really should spend more time drawing the people in my life instead of the darn dogs. Lol. Dogs hold still better especially as compared to kids. Here’s to more sketches of people I know as opposed to strangers. Time to torture friends and family.

Margaret xoxoxox Sketching friends #uscaiken #usca #albeyer #SouthCarolina #watercolor #painting #portrait #art #aquarelle #smug #coldpress #stillmanandbirn #danielsmith #holbein #mgraham #aiken

And not doing art. Just having fun today so I almost forgot to post. Oopsey.

Finally finished up these guys. Earlier had not liked the guy on the right very much. I like him better now that he has a plaid shirt. Go figure. Why do I like painting plaid?! I also like painting fabric. A lot of people don’t. Maybe they like painting trees. You know I don’t. 🤗

Ultramarine blue to make it look like plaid and a few more dark blues to fix his collar. It’s not that I didn’t draw it right I just didn’t paint it right. These two guys with their cool hats and mustaches were irresistible to draw.

My favorite of the Olmsted pages I think. Well at least one of my favorites.

Worlds longest socks are getting closer to being done. Now WHY the two don’t match I have no idea since I ordered two of the same skeins. Oh well. It will be under his long pants or his lace up shoes so it won’t matter. And they will feel cozy next winter on cold days right?! The yarn is Lorna’s Lace that I bought from Jimmy Beans when they had a sale.

Hugs. Margaret trying to catch up on the dvred tv. Maybe I need to stay home to do that. Xoxoxo

Hats abound at plein air events and I find them fascinating. #atlanta #pleinair #painting #urbansketching #ink #watercolor aqua tells #stillmanandbirn #druidhills

#Olmstedinvitationalpleinair #urbansketching #artists #art #sketchbookskool #demo

Yer Za Vue is a Professor at Portland Art Institute. She gave a funny and informative demo.

She has quite the resume actually drawing Pocahontas and Lilo and Stitch.

Most interesting to me is that she uses clean strip an odorless cleaner from Home Depot to clean her brushes.

A lot of the oil paint solvents give me a headache and her too. So will have to try some.

I did like her number 1 rule to have fun when painting. One I agree with. If it’s not fun why are we doing it?!

Anyway that’s if for tonite. I have been off in Aiken having fun with friends. Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

John Guernsey. I was late for his talk but I have to give him five stars for being prepared. The part I caught was interesting.

Here he is talking to us. I took artistic license painting it since I am god on the canvas as Tim Newton said. Lol. Actually I forgot the guy was bald. I DO love to paint bald guys. They are a challenge.

I thought the sketch was such a disaster I changed to pencil. Something I never do. I always think the ink sketches look better painted than not but frequently pencil looks better before you paint it. Oh well.

Stillman and Birn journal Lamy Pen Noodler Eelskin Ink.

Now I need a nap and a shower not necessarily in that order. Hugs Margaret glad to be home and watching Little Women. Xoxoxo

#atlanta #pleinair #painting #urbansketching #ink #watercolor aqua tells #stillmanandbirn #druidhills

#Olmstedinvitationalpleinair #urbansketching #artists #art #sketchbookskool #demo #JohnGuernsey

Off To the Booth Art Museum in Cartersville Ga today. Suppose to be wonderful. Full report soon. One of the Olmsted Judges is the museums director and runs a world class museum.

A quick painting of one of the old oaks in Olmsted Linear Parks. Huge old oaks are all over the park.

I painted the whole thing with my Cheap Joes Mop. Love that brush. Should have left the tree lighter. Oh well. We are our own worst critics right?!

Who doesn’t love a gorgeous magnolia!?Spring is going gang busters here in the south.

Margaret off for a day of fun. Xoxoxoxo

Quite pleased with the way Ilania turned out today. Pretty well for a ninety minute painting from life. Heads a little too round in the back. the sketch

Right now I can’t find anything to fix. Give me a couple of hours I might. 🤣

First forty minutes. Heads too fat and the hair looks like a helmet. I managed to wet the hair and lighten it up a lot.

Second break about 70 minutes. Nearly done.

Finished for now.

I enjoyed watching coach Larry who was sitting on the floor in front of me drawing.

His charcoal turned out great but I didn’t get a pic before he left.

Toms soft watercolor not finished.

Bills oil on metal panel. Nice job!!

Als huge oil. He’s off to Portugal tomorrow afternoon lucky guy.

Fred’s whimsical acrylic

Happy Mother’s Day everyone xoxoxo Maggie and Zoe.