Key West Rooster Strip #2 8x 15 300 lb cp watercolor paper

If you ever told me I would be nuts about chickens and roosters enough to follow them around drawing and and later painting them I would have said who not me!!

Key West Rooster Strip #1 8x 15 300 lb cp watercolor paper

After several trips to Key West and and even more to the farm an old restored homestead at the Great Smokey Mountains National Park I LOVE chickens. So much fun attitude and not too hard to draw with a little practice.

So why did I paint two??? They are actually on the same piece of paper. I just flipped it over. Right after that I found a pile of 8″ strips.

Ok I painted two because I thought the first one got too dark and wasn’t loose enough. There’s a fine line you slide over in watercolor and it’s hard to come back. So I just flipped it over and started again.

The second one has brighter less muddy colors. The red is red and there are a lot whites which adds sparkle.

Cockscomb on first one. Muddy no least edges aka all the same value. I should lighten the edges by blotting the color off but since I painted him again I won’t.

Splattering the background with a soup of cerulean, mineral violet and sienna adding quin sienna and greens to tail. Cad red light for combs and face w drops of serpentine green. Colors used burnt and quin sienna quin gold cerulean burnt umber serpentine green mineral violet ultramarine blue.

#2

Tip of the Day

Reading back over my notes from Peggy Habits class last spring I ran across this factoid. The reason she uses M Graham which you can revive forever in the palette or on PAPER. Sits made with honey so easy to wet and rework compared to winsor newton or Daniel smith. I think Holbein is more M Graham.

That said I wrote this down and it never occurred to me that she meant it revived anywhere except on the palette til I reread it this morning. So sharing her tip with you all.

Of course Yupo is a different animal. Nothing works the same on Yupo.

Her other tip that’s a fav of mine right now is using a colors compliment will tone it down. Green will tone down red like I did with the first set of cockscombs. The dabs of serpentine green made it brown. Eeek. All that brown is from the addition of serpentine green. Oopsey.

Got to go vacuum and make the beds. Ttyl

Margaret xoxoxox

#keywestwildlifecenter #rooster #loose #watercolor #aquarelle #splash #keywest #charlotte #northcarolina #kimjohnson #nancycouick #splash #splatter #sketching #drawing #birds #chickens

Took a lot of pics of alpacas on Friday as well as ponies burros and goats in a nearby field. Usually I roar by then but Friday it was sunny they were right by the fence and I had a carload of veg from Earthfare to entice them. The burro picked right up on the fact that I was tossing carrots and cane on over. Then a pony or two. The goats never got interested but the polka dot alpaca eventually did.

This is the photo I used. Backlight with a glow.

The whole painting. May be a few changes like adding more shadow on neck and hmm darken the blue background a bit on the left.

The sketch w a 2h on Canson watercolor board which night me my new fav wc paper. It lifts color like a dream.

I did the eyes first because as Kim Johnson says If the eyes turn out wrong who cares about the rest of the painting?

Colors used are big puddles of cerulean burnt umber and sienna ultramarine blue and that DS Green Serpentine. LOVE that green. And LOTS of water!!!

Adding more color. First incoated his neck and body with a very thin layer of quin gold. Barely colored it. Let it dry.

I used a lot of cerulean and burnt umber on the neck and body as well as some mineral violet. And lots and lots of watery paint layers.

I added more green Manganese blue to the background letting a bead of blue form along the horizon. I also added blond of color and splats to it of very watery Manganese blue, mineral violet and burnt umber.

Last thing I did was lift color. I lifted the highlight in his eye right eye the nose spot and the spot on the left of his nose so easily. The highlight was done w a small 1/4″ filbert acrylic brush. The others were lifted by dampening and blotting w a Kleenex.

The Canson Watercolor Artboard lifts like a dream. I even masked some of his wisps with masking tape and lifted it w a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. I just cut off a wedge shaped chunk to use.

And here he is. Let me know if you want to buy him.

Hugs Margaret from rainy Georgia. Xoxoxo

#forsale #alpaca #watercolor #watercolorpainting #aquarelle #evans #georgia #augustaga #canson #painting #art

I am calling Honey done and for sale. She’s 13×19 approximately.

The start. This is a really slow process. It’s like bringing the ghost out into the light. LOTs of water. Ultramarine blue and quin sienna. And probably some dioxzine purple.

Yuck. What else can I say!? Kim said to take pics of the process so I did. Hope u enjoy them.

More definition. At one point I added so many washes the 300 lb was buckling. 😱😱😱

I had to lift a few lights. So easy for those to disappear. I use a flat bristle brush for that. A little CLEAN water and a lotionless Kleenex to blot. No oil allowed.

Here she is up close. I splashed some more and added some more darks on the right to loose the edges.

And here she is again. Done. I really don’t like this paper. Soft soft for a 300 lb cold press. Jack Richeson Cold press . Absorbs too much color and bleeds edges.

My jack Zoe is saying what about me. That’s all for now.

Night night.

Margaret xoxoxo 300# cp #fabriano #forsale #blackdawg #lab #labrador #rescue #honey #dogsofinstagram #dawgs #beggar

Kim Johnson Costa Rican Sand pipers It’s the length of full sheet watercolor paper about 30 inches. Kim started doing it to use up scraps. I haven’t tried this yet. I was too busy painting the chickens. But this is definitely on my to do list.

Kim starts by drawing the birds lightly on the paper. Her long bird paintings with LOTS of splashes and splatters which all by themselves are too much fun to do. She’s using a blue a red and a yellow in this case a yellow orange. Could be a perfect spot to try out the Bob Burridge color wheel combos.

She starts on the left and paints to the right.

And the birds start to appear like magic. And here they are so you can see them up close. Such fun. Much splashing of water is involved in this. While it’s still wet she goes back on with a cats tongue brush and adds to the legs and beaks.

She also uses individual pics of the birds laying them out the way she wants them.

Great stuff and she says they are very popular.

Kathy Bovards fabulous chicken that she gave me. LOVE this so much. She’s just an amazing painter. Also painted this charming papillon.

Janettes fabulous penguin. What awesome colors. So charming.

And Patty Brady’s birds that were done like Kim’s. Not sure whose.

That’s a wrap folks. Time to finish unpacking and paint. Xoxoxo Margaret whose going to finish the painting of Honey.

#birds #loose #watercolor #aquarelle #splash #charlotte #northcarolina #kimjohnson #nancycouick #splash #splatter

Scootch Man. Quarter sheet 10×15 300# All done but his splatters and maybe that white spot near his ear. No idea why it’s sooo white.

Started. All I got done in class yesterday. Colors used quin sienna quin burnt orange cerulean ultramarine dioxzine purple mineral violet yellow ochre burnt sienna burnt umber

posing the dogs in the early morning light this am. Scootch was all about getting the four day old chic fil a waffle fry.

and so was Honey. Don’t ask where it came from.

The Super Beggar started. Ultramarine blue burnt umber quin burnt orange

Margaret driving home by way of Cheap Joes.

Xoxoxo

#warm #snuggle #labrador #crosshatching #chow #lab #watercolor #art #painting #cuteness #drawing #ink #LamyEf #lamysafari #lamy #dailydrawing #georgia #atlanta #terrier #rescuedog #stillmanandbirn

#coldpress #Labrador #labmix #yellowdog #chowmix #rescue #ink #watercolor #stillmanandbirn #gottadraw #sketching #dogsofinstagram #augusta #atlanta #charlotte #northcarolina #kimjohnson

Key West Dancers aka Chickens. Almost 22×30″

early this am. I decided to lighten up and nearly indicate the third female chicken

And I kept on painting and

Painting

And maybe the dancers are done. We shall see. Will take them home hang them from the mantle and stare at them a while.

That’s all for tonite. Time for the oscars Margaret xoxoxo ready to paint dogs.

Is done.

Earlier today earlier today.

Kim Johnson’s painting today

Kims finished portrait from yesterday.

Noah’s Monocle cobra. Noah is three and loves snakes so I have been painting some for him. His sister thinks it looks like a bunny lol.

A few pearls of wisdom for Kim Johnson.

More tomorrow. Hugs Margaret drinking wine and relaxing. Xoxoxo

#fabriano #hotpress #watercolor #watercolours #aquarelle #sketch #charlotte #drawingforsale #nude #pencil #lead #art #artist #nancycoiucks #kimjohnson #drawing

Potter Hot Press Fabriano Artistico 300# 17x 20″

So far would you believe this took all day when we had time to paint. NO MORE stripes EVER. What a pain they are.

First wash

Second face wash w w few stripes

The whole thing stripes are a tough. Used all the blues. Cerulean manganese cobalt and ultramarine blue. Plus a green a yellow and cad red light oh and burnt sienna in the shadows.

All the stripes

Eek more to do the nose and mouth aka correct the shadows.

For now. Poor thing. Letting her sleep tonite. Me too. No painting tonite.

My friend Jeannette’s lovely soft painting so soft and dreamy.

Second wash

Not sure she’s finished but amazing.

Christine Wheelers beautiful old man

Kathy’s oh so charming dog. A papillion.

Jeannette’s gorgeous goats from yesterday. Love these.

And that’s a wrap for today folks.

Margaret putting down her paintbrush.

Night night. Potter so far today #watercolor #watercolours #aquarelle #sketch #charlotte #drawingforsale #nude #pencil #lead #art #artist #nancycoiucks #kimjohnson #drawing