Day 156 Who is cutest?!

August 17, 202011 Comments

The birds and I are having a debate. Who do you think is cutest ?!

Think it’s actually Zoe. Drawn by my friend Ruth Pearl. ❤️❤️❤️

Oh things I learned today. Talked to the guy at a local ups store. They also take in USPS. He said it was like Christmas. Everyone is using the mail but they didn’t hire any extra to take care of all the extra business from Covid. Like Christmas or toilet paper there are slow downs in the supply chain.

Margaret watching Jacques Pépins Kitchen Essentials. Jam packed with how to info. Who doesn’t love a cute guy with a French accent! Tres charmante.

Day 155 Fly Away to Paris

August 16, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

So far. Think it’s too light but we shall see. The perspective is right but too tired from wild painting with Vlad Yesileyev to get off the sofa and take another one right now.

And now I see the closest car is too small. Sigh. A problem aka how to fix it.

Saying I fixed the car. What a pain. Easier not to mess them up. Cars should be close to as tall as the people. Also added some more darks. And I knocked back my crosswalk which was NOT aim perspective. Maybe I will fix it tomorrow.

Sorry didn’t take a pic of the tape up job on that £!%# car.

Vlads photo somewhere in Paris

Vlads value sketch

The sketch. Maybe my photo skills got lost today.

First washes. Cobalt yellow ochre alizarin and neutral tint.

Building washes still wet. They dried lighter.

Red umbrellas and the balcony done.

And so far. Mom interrupted my painting. Will finish tomorrow.

Margaret taking a rest now. Xoxoxox

Day 153 Mustang

August 14, 2020August 15, 2020Leave a comment

My youngest son has always wanted a Mustang and last fall he finally bought one. You can read about the 64 1/2 Mustang here.

Yesterday I decided to draw it. Did I say he did not want ANY Mustang but an old vintage Mustang. He’s wanted it since at least high school. A red one.

Hmm he didn’t get a red one but he did get a lovely original Mustang in metallic blue.

Can’t decide if I ruined it coloring it. Stay tuned for more mustang torture. Ps it rides great w an engine that growls.

Lamy EF Namiki Fude Stillman and Birn Alpha Caran dache Neocolor ii

Vroom vroom vroom. Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 152 A Twofer

August 13, 2020Leave a comment

Drawing vehicles with Danny Gregory today on YouTube. Every Thursday at noon if you remember. I forgot last week.

Lamy Ef Namiki Fude Noodlers Eelskin Black Ink stillman and birn sketchbook. White pentel gel pen Caran Dache Neocolor ii and watercolor

Oddly the paper seems to loose its finish once you wet the paper so the ink acts differently.

Margaret Xoxoxox who is still no more than half done with her scarf though it’s over three feet. Ps would someone please cook me some dinner. Low salt please. Xoxoxox

Day 150 worse ways to

August 12, 20204 Comments

Spend the pandemic than virtual painting travel with Vlad Yesilesev

St. Martin du Mont

Almost done. Had to put my light pole back in. Oopsey.

Before I scraped the light pole in.

This paper loves to be scraped. Not sure what it is. Thinking 300# Kilimanjaro cold press.

I scratched the pole in with an xacto knife point. Doesn’t leafs work well but this paper loves it. I don’t like the way the same knife acts on Fabriano or arches.

The photo

Vlads value sketch

The sketch which I kept rearranging.

First wash.

Cad yellow and red, cobalt, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, Alizarin with a little dioxzine purple and a grey mix of those. Aka stir up your palette. Some yellow ochre gold.

Orange roofs added. Cad red and yellow

Dark greens added. Neutral tint, yellow, cobalt, and vandyke brown for tree green. Scraped wit a chunk of old credit card. Greys are palette soup.

Windows added. Cad red yellow and dioxzine purple. Cheap Joes turquoise on grey car windows.

Tree alizarin dioxzine purple and neutral tint shadow.

End of class

And now w the light post scraped out.

Zoe guarding my painting.

Back to my scarf. Only about 3 feet long now.

Margaret w her feet up xoxoxo

Day 149 in the corner

August 10, 2020Leave a comment

Is what it feels like when the power keeps going out from our crazy thunder storms. On the other hand we are getting plenty of rain. In the past years August has been a month of drought. The whole world a large dust pile.

Somebody please tell me why so many books are boring colors. A few red and orange ones. A blue one here and there but most are white black or grey. Wonder why?!

Same tools as yesterday except I paint this one with water to release the neocolor ii s power.

Here are the jays with water added to the neocolor. They darken a lot.

A fun art toy to play with. Beware heavy ink will smear sometimes. Darn it. Even if it’s waterproof.

Margaret whose been binge watching Professor T on PBS Passport. A quirky odd crime show set in Antwerp with subtitles. I think I am beginning to understand the language. Part Dutch part French and a lot of English slang. Xoxoxo.

Stay dry in this crazy summer weather.

Day 148 Jays

August 9, 2020August 10, 20204 Comments

Been feeding the birds on the back porch rails. I have been giving them red hot seed that the squirrels won’t touch. Not do the raccoons seem to.

Twins My fav pic of the jays. There are up to four at a time on the porch.

Keeps them out of range of the back porch wild cat Gus who loves to be fed but won’t let u touch her. Got to catch that baby making machine and get her fixed.

Lamy EF Namiki Fude

Caran dache neocolor ii

Eelskin Black Noodlers Ink

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 147 always meant to draw

August 7, 2020August 13, 2020Leave a comment

Vultures on the side of the road as they fed. Today was the day. You know when u like to draw birds any bird will do. Vultures aka Buzzards hold still longer as they either eat or HOPE to get a turn at dinner.

Did you know their heads are naked so nothings from their dinners will stick to them?!!

Nature is interesting isn’t it.

These sketches only took about ten minutes in my small Venezia sketchbook. 4×6″ Drawn with a fat juicy dark Derwent sketching pencil. Love those. Kinda fond of the Venezia too. It was too nice to use for quite a while. Almost full now.

Here’s to vultures cleaning one roadkill at a time. Very interesting to watch as one defends the dinner from the others who lurk in hopes of a taste or two.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 146 Drawing with Danny

August 7, 20201 Comment

Gregory on YouTube today st noon.

We did gratitude sketches. I did mine with tomboys. Coloring yellow and orange squares. Then used a fine tipped sharpie to draw in each one. And I got out my Namiki Fude to make heavier lines and my Caran dache neocolor iis to color with.

In reatrospect I wish I had just used the neocolor ii to color them. Tomboys are too much color to me.

Margaret whose knitting is growing. Xoxoxo

Day 145 Not been in the mood

August 6, 2020August 6, 20202 Comments

To sketch lately. A couple of quick ones.

I may need a wardrobe revamp. Uniball pen and Caran dache neocolor ii crayons.

Drawing with David Allan Sibley on CBS Sunday Am

Finished I think. Maybe a dab of dark under the bridge. LOVED this old arches that was my dads. At least ten years old probably more like 20. Genuine antique arches. 14×20. No wonder people used to swear by it. But no more. New stuff has terrible sizing.

One this subject of sizing. Holbein actually makes sizing. Going to call Joes tomorrow and add it to my order.

Tonight’s sunset. Not bad. But the camera doesn’t do it justice.

Margaret who got stuck in YouTube land with David Dunlop. His videos are quite thought provoking. Love his series on Monet Cezanne. It aired about ten years ago but SCETV has them on again. I always learn something new when I watch his shows. He makes me want to get out my oils.