Month: April 2019

Day 2054 Strancone, Italy done!!! Onward!!!

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At least for the monenbt. You never know. It’s subject to change right?! Until it’s framed.

At the end of class. Pallet colors same as Vld said to use. Mostly neutral tint cad red light cad yellow and cobalt today.

Thinking tomorrow or Thursday will try the beach scene we did the sepia sketch of. Lost my focal point but I can fix it in the final one. Should have been in the middle.

Like this one. Sigh.

Think I will draw the scene while I listen to tv. Lol. Can’t watch and draw right.

Spent half the day looking for paint. How can I be out of cobalt van dyke brown AND dioxzine purple. This method of painting uses shovel loads of paint. Need to buy the BIG tubes not the 16″5 oz. shoulda added to my Blick order. Sigh.

I ordered these during class Sunday and here they are already.

I did get a set of Escoda perla brushes from amazon because I could NOT get my black velvets to dry brush. They split.

Escoda perla 8,10,12 from top to bottom

If the perlas are good enough for Vlad, Iain Stewart and Joseph Zbukiv they are good enough for me. Suppose to make great calligraphic marks as well as do sweeping dry brush effects. Not a bad deal $30 for and 8 10 and a 12 travel brush Escoda perla Joseph Zbukiv Brand.

Homework from class. I couldn’t stand the tension of watching the battle this week in Game of Thrones. Eyes on paper. Eeekkk. Glad that episode is over.

Line practice

More homework from class. Supposedly if u draw two dots keep your pencil on left for eye on right dot you should get straight lines. Thinking not something to do during game of thrones or after four cups of high caffeine tea. Lol.

Margaret who has to make her clean bed first before she draws the scene so I can practice trees with my new brushes. Bet they will work on rocks too. Xoxoxo

Day 2053 Day 3 w Vlad

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So tired after three days of painting all day and family parties every night I drove home two and a half hours and crashed. Vlads luminous painting of Strancone Umbria Italy Class yesterday was again wonderful. He stayed til the bitter end far longer than he was required. I think he left at 6 not long after I did.

Mine at the end of class. NOT finished. I got into trouble AGAIN. Groan. I did my shadow wash to the wrong line on the drawing. I thought the wire line was where it was supposed to stop. I was painting so fast doing the wash I didn’t notice. I was going to flip it over and start again or paint white gouache over the left side when Vlad said no. Got a sea sponge and taped off the left section and the arch and blotted off the errant wash. Now I have to go back and repaint the windows.

At least my first wash went well. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Vlads soupy washes

Finished day 2 painting. A little dark. I wish I had lifted it with a sponge. And I may redo or look try my paintings for one to do in similar style. Everybody loves it but it looks dark in comparison to yesterday.

Will post yesterday’s when I finish it – hopefully tomorrow.

Vlad at lunch still instructing.

Perhaps the most exciting sharing watercolor teacher I have had. Always on, always instructing. Goes the extra mile. When not demoing hes walking the room helping students several times a day. Shares EVERYTHING he knows. Only John Salimen can compare as a teacher. Then dear Charles who also shares everything he knows as does John.

Tells funny stories and his Russian accent is icing on the cake.

Vlad’s Strancone Italy on his website for sale. I do like his sunflooded version better than the one we painted in class.

One of his funniest told with his Russian accent is we Russians line up for everything. We don’t know what line is for but we get in line anyway.

A fog it up example from his website.

Another funny story. He was telling us how to a paint a landscape similar to this one. He said with his Russian accent u need to fogk it up. We were all dead silent eyes large thinking he said THAT word. He said you know Fogk it up. Aka FOG to up. We burst out laughing after that. Watercolor teachers do NOT run to cussing let alone that word.

He’s also kind and considerate in his critique of your work and thinking of tailor made suggestions to improve what you do. I HIGHLY recommend him. If you cant take one of his classees get his dvd. I am sure its as wonderful as he is. Mine is on its way. He ran out before he got to our class.

Vlads palette and brushes

Two of Vlads paintings that will be for sale at Olmsted Plein Air this weekend.

HIS Plein Air painting in Havana. Said it was full of wonderful crumbly buildings and old cars. But take plenty of paper towels. They don’t have them. 😳 And he ran out when he was there. Oppss.

A lot of these are for sale on his website. Wishing I could afford one or two.

Margaret resting up after her travails. Xoxoxox

Day 2052 Day 2 w Vlad

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So far. Still needs a few more darks and the red flowers on the balcony. Really wanted to add them.

The drawing

Half sheet. 15×22″ CP Rough arches. And did I say it’s R O U G H. You couldn’t draw a straight line on it if you wanted too.

First wash. As usual I once again went to the too dark side. Groan. But I rather like it. Also left too much white. Oops. Was suppose to cover the whole thing. And I used too much blue.

That’s it for tonite. It’s late and I am EXHAUSTED. TOO busy the last few days.

Margaret tucked up in bed. Xoxoxoxo

Day 2052 Day 1 with Vlad

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Mine. Today Vlad talked about value, cast shadows, reflected shadows and and we did value studies. Did I say I am tired.

Then we drew and painted value studies.

Mine needs more darks in the middle.

This is his. I managed to loose my whites on the rocks in the middle immediately. So unlike me. What was I thinking.

These are painted on 300 # rough arches with only sepia paint.

#2 Immediately I went toooo dark. Oopsey.

This is the photo we all used.

Next pass.

Oops why did I paint the red flowers orange.

Better but no where near as good as his.

Vlads. Super teacher.

And his Russian accent. Oh my. You should have Heard him try to say FOG it up as in add mist to sky. Came out very close to the other word which he knew. We were all WHAT said he say til we figured out it was fog w a Russian accent

If he keeps this up the next two days he will be one of the best teachers I have taken a class from. Teaches you everything he knows. Walks the classroom when he’s not instructing generous with his time with everybody.

Margaret off to another family dinner. Xoxoxox

Day 2051 Ponce City and Decatur sketching

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Ponce City these need W O R K lol

The old DeKalb County court house. A guy walking by on Ponce said it was beautiful. He didn’t notice my egregious error. Or that darn fly lol.

That’s better.

These are all 9×12″. Stillman and birn Alpha. Lamy Joy and Lamy Vista. My Ef was out of ink. I was actually going to paint today. I seem to have left my whisky painter box at home. Darn. I lugged some water brushes all over town. No paint. 😵😵😵

Watercolor to come.

Margaret off to a family dinner and an awards nite for Henry. Xoxoxo

Day 2051 one Moh

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Searle’s sketch of the great trumpet player Al Hirt. Just a perfect drawing. The essences the man. New Orleans. Love the sketch scratchy lines. This one is just too funny. Who knew Eskimo parkas need a trimHahahahaI am with the reindeer. Stay in the warm bed Boy. Ignore Santa. And well what can I say. ROFL.

Promise something new tomorrow.

Hugs Margaret in Decatur xoxoxo

Day 2051 America

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Got the perfect book from Amazon right before I and taking an plein air urban sketching painting class from the great Vlad Yeliseyev a Russian emigre whose an amazing plein air watercolor artist that I ran across at Olmsted Plein Air last year.

Ronald Searle in NYC

Been trying to find a class with him since and one unexpectedly popped up so back to Atlanta tomorrow.

Las Vegas

The book is a huge coffee table book in near mint condition.

San Francisco

Normally the book costs $85.

Central Park

Used the book was $30. Score.

China Town

NYC

even Disney cartoonist where inspired by him. This is 101 Dalmatians.

His tools. Hard to see in the small book pic so I took one of it to see what everything was. Where’s my black grease pencil?!

Just love this book. Go get your own on Amazon. In my dreams I draw as well as Searle.

How can you go wrong with these two hysterical American icons?!

Margaret off to book club and then Atlanta tomorrow. Xoxoxox call me yo-yo!!

Day 2050 Hmm Down the Seine

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My favorite Paris sketch. Three glasses of wine on the boat made it seem a good idea to walk a mile and half down the quai pronounced key to the Lit up flashing Eiffel Tower were I sat on a curb and drew this. What were we thinking?! A highlight of our trip and we lived to tell it lol.

Back to the boat to listen to Nickie to serenade us up the Seine.

A couple of composite sketches of houses and buildings as they passed by the ship. We were going too fast to draw each town we passed just the way it looked but you do get the flavor of the place as we passed by and many bits do look just like the town especially the locks picture.

Bytw if you dispare of ever being able to afford a cheap Viking trip. Call them like we did. Ask what the cheapest trip they have is and when it’s leaving. You might be in for a surprise. Our trip cost $2100 including air fare from Atlanta and all the beer and wine we could drink at meals AND ALL the tours but Versailles or the Louvre. Not a sou More did we pay for our trip. Well there was a three day extension at a posh hotel the Rochester on Rue de la Boitie just 3 blocks off the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Not bad and they pick you up from the airport whisk you to your destination. You never touch your suitcase once u leave the US. Hurrah. Run and book one. Let me know where u are going.

Margaret recovering from her trip planning to head back to Atlanta on Wednesday for my class. Xoxoxox

Day 2049 a few more from France

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Happy Easter!! We are busy with the Easter bunny. How about you.

Manets beloved Rouen cathedral. He only painted it 26 28 times. I stood across the street in the Rue de Gros Horlages and drew it in a typical French drizzly rain on Veterans Day.

St Maclou and old medieval buildings in Rouen. The people were not there at the same time. I dropped them in as they walked thru the plaza. Once again drawn in the drizzly rain. Who cares!? C’est la vie!

The Rouen market square where Julia Childe ate her first French food a file of sole aka flounder. Sounds better en Francais n’est pas?

The highest point in Paris – Montmartre topped by Sacre Couer and St Dennis cathedrals churches?! What a view!

The infamous Moulin Rouge at the bottom of the hill.

Back to Easter activities. Hope yours is full of family fun.

Margaret in Decatur xoxoxo

Say 2048 Sketchbook Done

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Am alphabet done with a namiki Fude Noodler Eelskin Black Ink.

A sketch I did at Hunans during Masters Week. The guy on left works for NBC sports and was having an avid discussion on shots for tv with his coworker who walked off before I got a chance to draw him. Not my fav sketch. Should have left his hat off which is how I drew him first.

Lamy Ef Watercolor pencils and inktense pencils.

Journaling is done with a watercolor pencil that I dropped and splattered clear water over.

And I had Livie age 4 draw a page in it which seems to be a good way of keeping up with what she’s up too. Have to add her story that she has that goes with it.

Margaret who has to boil Easter eggs. Xoxoxox

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