Day 198 One more down Edisto Way

September 28, 2020May 19, 20216 Comments

Having a binge tv do nothing day unless I had no choice. Driveway visit with a friend I hadn’t seen since hmm well about 198 days- not since Covid started. Hard to believe we are almost at 200 days since lock down begun. 1000 deaths per day for 200 days and no end in sight. Cheery thoughts on a gorgeous fall day.

I meant to draw some people in this sketch but of course they hopped in their go cart and zipped off down the beach about the time I sat down to draw this scene. Oops.

Hope I didn’t share this already. My granddaughter and I got out at the crack of dawn to take this pic. Did u know the birds start flying away from their roost almost the minute dawn strikes. It was like 3 2 1 liftoff dawn is here. And off they sailed. Next time I will have my good camera and get out there 15 min earlier. 😩😩😩

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 197 Venice

September 28, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Today our paint brushes flew to Venice on a paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev . Of course I would rather be on the beach down Edisto drawing whatever came my way but all good things end right?!!

Probably needs more work in between washing stacks of sheets and towels. Who knew you could rent a house without linens and what a house it was. Three houses in one. I had my own guest house connected to the main house by an elevated walk way.

The main house from the guest room. You can see the MBR suite house peaking out from behind the crows nest. And of course it had an elevator. Doesn’t every beach house?

The photo

Vlads value sketch.

Vlads drawing.

First wash

Almost done.

For now. Half sheet of Kilimanjaro Cold Press. 15×22″

Margaret Xoxoxox tired from running up and down all those steps here and at the beach house.

Day 196 Beach sketching part 2

September 26, 2020September 26, 2020Leave a comment

Sketching everything in sight on the beach like I don’t know better. And that golf cart and those tiny tiny people. Oh well. Onward and upward right?!

the egrets in back of the house which sits on this lagoon.

Margaret going to bed so she can veg up early and have one more try at a good pic of those darn egrets out back. Xoxoxo

Day 195 Out the Window

September 24, 2020Leave a comment

I should add an egret cruising in to this drawing. There are at least 100 egrets cruising in now to roost under the windows in the trees that I didn’t draw in this sketch.

Micro uniball stillman and birn Alpha

Trying to remember to do a focal point while u sketch and let the rest go as background and foreground is not easy. I tried.

Of course the egrets are on the side of the trees away from the house so u can just see a dab of white here and there. Truly there are at least 100. I just saw 25 land in quick succession. Then they sit in the trees and clack and growl at each other most of the night. Also a few wood storks cruising by. Hard to tell if they are roosting. There. And a youngster or two. No sun tonite or I was going to drive around the lagoon and look at them. Maybe tomorrow evening if it’s sunny. I took this one thru the screen on my rooms cute little porch. Did I say it needs a rocker or two?!

Spent the morning at the Serpentatium. Always interesting.

Margaret putting her feet up for the day. Xoxoxox

Day194- Down Edisto Way

September 24, 20202 Comments

A quick sketch while on the beach today. Micro uniball Fabre Castro watercolor pencils stillman and birn Alpha

BYTW you can own this house for a mere $4.9 million. 5 bedroom 9 baths on the front.

My favorite watercolor pencils. Buy please tell me why there a pthalo blue instead of cerulean or cobalt. Someone please explain.

Margaret ready for bed. Another busy day manana xoxoxo

Day 192 Rousillon 2

September 22, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

I darkened the buildings. Think it’s better bid. Still need to work on the big bush on the right. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

Heading to the beach. Been baking all day. 2 loaves of banana bread.

Peanut butter cookies

The best wheat bread I have ever eaten. Yum

Pot kitty pic. They love my pots. Silly kitties.

The back porch pile.

View from the beach house crows nest.

Margaret who is Tahred now. Xoxoxo but I have my painting stuff packed for the beach.

Day 188 I just had to.

September 22, 202017 Comments

And I should have left it alone but NOOOO I couldnt do that.

So I have quit now. Impossible to knock out that yellow and make a nice tin roof on the house like a Low Country Cottage would have.

Bytw in case u were wondering the Low Country is the coastal area of South Carolina starting around Orangeburg about 90 miles from the coast. A slower way of life.

My moms fav cookie. I love the orange cranberry walnut version

Our family has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember. Originally on the back of the Quaker Oatmeal box.

My son Bens fav. Also quite a few of my friends. Some like them with nuts some without. I usually make both types.
My friend slim trim Alexis will break her diet for a few of these and my friend Elizabeth- well better than anything to her. Tell her I am baking and she WILL show up. Voted best cookie by all the Saturday artists. Well at least a big fav.

Grits is …. well these can’t be beat. Best made with nasty mineral laden Edisto water. Anything with all that milk and cheese is bound to be good right??!

I didn’t wet this watercolor pencil because I was afraid it would smear the ink. What is with that ink?! Should be permanent.

Pot kitties. My pots used to be gorgeous til the pot kitties took them over. A veritable kitty play ground.

Tootsie short for Tootsie roll actually came in the house today. Oh my.

A few more kittie pics because who doesn’t love kitty pics?!!

Margaret whose made two loaves of bread and hand made artisan pizza today as well as a jillion other things now calling it quits. Oh wait ones still in the oven. Xoxoxox

Day 189 – Impressions in Watercolor

September 22, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Today’s painting. Somewhere in Europe. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

Half sheet Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro 300# cold press. LOVE this paper. So easy to lift color from the wrong spot like when my sloppy painting gets a dark where it should be white. Eeekkk.

Now about the painting. I took a day long class from Vlad Yesileyev today. Oh my did I learn a lot. MAYBE it’s finally getting thru my thick head. Lol.

Draw the shapes

FIRST w line.

Then make forms.

Then add details LAST.

The Order of Importance!!

Same thing with painting.

Light overall wash – lightest lights.

Then midtones.

Then darkest darks

The add details.

So this is what we did.

The photo

The value sketch. Extremely important to determine focal point and details.

The sketch. Half sheet is 22×15″

First wash. Lightest lights in the focal area. Yellow ochre alizarin and cobalt very watery w some cad orange and burnt sienna.

Eek. Half tones running wild with that black. Trying to loose the building edge but NOPE and ending up black. Odd now that it’s dry it doesn’t look like that. Sometimes in watercolor what U think is a train wreck isn’t.

So watch

More washes lots of splattering. The dark mess on the bottom right is now light. Hmmm how did that happen?!!

Negative painting always makes what it surrounds lighter. Even if it isn’t light.

Laying on dioxzine purple burnt umber ultramarine and neutral Tint. Splattering w cad orange

Doors green cad yellow cobalt yellow ochre. And make up a black. Fun stuff as long as you paint really fast aka flying paint brushes.

I love flying paint brushes. 🤗🤗🤗

Close to the right colors. Adding details aka last steps. I used a large oil brush to paint a lot of the darks. Lots of fun!! Who knew. Thanks Vlad for the idea.

I meant the left door to be the focal point but I think I have the right door as the focal paint. What do u think?!

Adding details. Who knew wires were even round NOT a flat line so should be dry brushed. Vlad did. What that man knows. Maybe in my next lifetime I will know it. 😊

And putting my feet up with a glass of wine and some cheese. Time to watch Biden on CNN.

Today’s pot kitty shot. Mind u we have had hours of monsoons from Sally and I am near Augusta GA- hours drive from Mobile.

Pot sitting must be really good even when it’s soaked. 🤣😂😅 Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 191 Rousillon Revisited

September 21, 2020May 19, 20213 Comments

Paint along with Vladislav YesileyevThis one needs some darks. I don’t know how I DO NOT get them dark enough. I used a piece of Kilimanjaro 140#cp because I have a lot of it. Nice paper. I guess I need to give it the color test to see if it takes color like the 300 lb Kilimanjaro does. I found two more pieces of that but Cheap Joes is having a sale so I would like to get more while they have free shipping over $35.

I also think I need to make the windows darker and make the building look rockier. Maybe a few more darks on the big bush on the right. I was too tired this evening to do anymore. The photo somewhere in Provence

The sketch.

First washes. So light. There was a time when I made these very dark. So hurrah. Progress. Let it fly with a big kolinsky sable.

Sky wash and the bushes washed in.

First washes on the buildings.

Bushes begin. Can yellow cobalt yellow ochre. Bush Darks ultramarine and indigo. The place purple is alizarin dioxzine cobalt and yellow ochre. A greyed purpley bluey color

More Darks under the arbor. Alizarin cobalt and burnt umber Darks added in the buildings. Lots more browns added to it. And the required cobalt and alizarin dioxzine mix.

And here we are again needing more work groan.

Hugs. Ready for bed. Margaret Xoxoxox. Off to the beach Tuesday. Packing tomorrow. Hasta la vista Xoxoxox

Day 185 Low Country Cottage

September 14, 2020May 19, 20215 Comments

Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. And of course more work to do on it. Fun painting the palm trees though couldn’t get them dark enough the first time round.

Arches 280 cold press.

I know I am going to try to paint the roof grey. Will paint some yellow on a scrap and then paint colors over it to see what turns it grey like a metal roof. Thinking purple will. Maybe on the blue side. We shall see. Will posts my tests too.