Day 2106 In Memoriam

July 3, 2019July 3, 20197 Comments

Of our dear friend and fabulous artist Rachel Miller who left this earth Sunday far too early. A sketch of her as our model at Dr Sketchys. Her she is as Marian the librarian. One of the founding members and first director of the Augusta Burlesque group Dirty South.

Rachel was a talented linguist with NSA fluently speaking multiple languages including French Libyan Somali and three others. Do you know to be an NSA linguist you have to be able to be fluent in a new language within six weeks! She was brilliant. She was retired Air Force, a gourmet cook and caterer, terrific watercolor artist, a twin, and above all beloved mother and wife. Those are just a few of her many talents.

She was a bright star in our lives and will be greatly missed by her legions of friends too.

My fast take on Rachel as Marian the Librarian. Probably a five minute sketch.

And here we are jamming it up at one of the Doctor Sketchys. The lovely Ilaina short me and outrageously fun Rachel.

Her memorial is tomorrow at 6.

from her husband Frank.

A memorial stop-on-by, share-your-Rachel-moment service for my wife Rachel M Miller will be held Wednesday, 3 July, starting at 6PM. Because some friends are still flying in, it will probably go beyond 8PM. It will be held at River Place Condominiums in the clubhouse. This is where her sister Jessica Yu lives and where we’ve had some memorable parties. There is no dress code so come as you are. Some are bringing food, some their own liquor to toast her, others want to share some of her paintings, but I’m sure all have a story.

There are two guest-access parking levels at River Place Condos. There’s also some parking lots nearby open to the public after hours.

Her candle burned at both ends it will not last the night but ah my friends she cast a lovely light. – My rewrite of The Edna St Vincent Millay poem.

Margaret Xoxoxoxo

Day 1102 Its Saturday

November 11, 2017November 11, 2017Leave a comment

I was busy torturing Ilaina today. Hard to soften the edges on the inexpensive strathmore bristol but the colors blend and mingle deliciously

Might be done? May get more backgroundAt second break Ilaina and I decided to try green for the background since there was a lot of red in the painting. Complimentary colors play well together.

Really like this one though I think I will add a bit more of the green apatite on the left.

Second break

Colors used flesh- Quin pink & raw sienna added dioxzone purple burnt sienna for shadows combined w Quin pink & raw sienna for shadows. Hair- sepia & ultramarine blue. Green apatite and Quin gold background. Ilaina said green was for her heart chakra. She is definitely a sweetheart.

First break forty minutes

The rest of the group!! Some great painting and sketching today.

Al Beyer huge oil

Tom Needham 12×18 wc

Nice oil by Bill

Jeremy’s beautiful one.

Love Katy Padgett’s charcoal and Pastel

Don’t know his name. But a great job.

Dawn. Sweet face. I even like the writing. Dawn takes beautiful photographs of Ilaina which you can see on instagram.

Bills very nice small oil.

Our boy Fred. Who else would drive to life modeling in an open converitable in 41 degree weather. Gotta love Fred!

Amy’s oil I think.

Beautiful pencil sketch but never found out who the lady was that did it.

A couple of the college kids drawing on the cold concrete floor. Ah youth.

And that’s it. Off to sew some more.

Margaret on a chilly Saturday in SC!

Day 1113 – Urban sketching at Starbucks

August 16, 2017Leave a comment

Really pleased with the way this one turns out. Don’t know why I didn’t post it sooner. I had a lot of trouble with pens. Four in my purse and NO ink in any of them. How is that possible. Met some friends at the new Starbucks on Bobby Jones. Really nice BIG Starbucks. I drew the people in front of me. Some walked off some walked in.

The cars were a lot of fun to draw. Next time I am drawing my Prius in the painting lol. Artist car 🚗 self portrait.

Even like the way the crepe Myrtle turned out. I painted the whole thing wet in wet letting the colors melt into each other.
Strathmore 400 sketchbook Lamy Safari Ted Nuttalls transparent palette.

Ttyl !Margaret xoxoxox

Day 1103 Its Saturday

August 5, 2017August 6, 20172 Comments

Katie Well this was not great. I forgot my watercolor brushes and didn't have a canvas so I played with my neocolor ii for first forty minute session.

All my sketches are on 16×20 Strathmore
Bristol.

I moved for the next forty minutes. Used my 6B chunk of lead and a bit of the 9b chunk of lead. Hmm wonder if you can get lead poisoning from it?

Third session drawing. My favorite although I think I made Katie look too old.

Drew Murphys. Acrylic 24×30" My favorite of the rest.

Jeremy's lovely sketch.

A lovely pastel by someone named Al or Alex maybe.

Also really liked this one by Marilyn Hartley. Oil

Al Beyer's HUGE oil.

Dawns oil 24×30"

Dr Fred's. Such a happy acrylic.

And the lovely Ilaina in her Matisse phase. Oil!

That's it. Ttyl

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 644 – that couple at PCM

August 3, 2017Leave a comment

Making progress on the big painting. The guy definitely needs more work. Eek. Funny how different they look in a small photo.

No matter how many times I walked a way from it I didn’t notice it. Hmm I was tired. I think everyone in the studio had spring fever. Nobody stayed late painting like we usually do.

Colors heavy body Golden and liquitex Tutanium white, nickel Azo gold, burnt umber, napthol red, ultramarine blue, dioxzine purple, pyrrole red. Thanks for looking.

So why use artist grade besides they will last forever. The pigment load is higher. That means you get more intense color with less paint. You can actually use more paint when you use the cheaper student grades to get the color you want and you may never get intense color.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 1094 A Rewind

July 23, 2017July 23, 2017Leave a comment

As I am prone to do with a painting I hang them or prop them on the fireplace so I can study them while I watch tv at nite in the den.

Ilaina had problems. For some reason I had made her chin too long her forehead too high. And that awful purple blob on her chin.

I gotut my winsor newton synthetic badger flat and started lifting that purple blotting it with dollar store Kleenex. I lifted some Highlights with it too on her chin and reflected light under her chin.
Lifting and blotting. Always finding the brush with clean water.

Lowered that hairline. Lifted 1/2" of the brown background along her neck. After letting it dry I added a quick brush of the brown cerulean mix lightly where I had lifted it.

I hung her back up and Realized that I needed to lower her right shoulder. I lifted a bit of the flesh color to see if it worked. Blotted it with tissue. Let it dry. Added about a 1/2" of background to lower it.

I also trimmed down her hip and right leg a bit brushing it with some of the burnt umber cerulean mix with a two inch flat.
I think she's done but you know how we women are we want to look our best. She might be a little too square still. But that's for another day.

Time to finish this one up.

Margaret tying up looses ends today. Hugs xoxoxo

Day 1093 Its Saturday

July 22, 2017Leave a comment

Ilaina, painted on Strathmore Bristol, drawn wa 6B pencil. I must be rusty not having gone for a couple of weeks. Actually was nervous today. Too much caffeine?! I am never nervous at lifemodeling but I was today.

I actually like it but it doesn’t look quite like our lovely Ilaina who is such a great model. She does a lot of yoga is very muscular and toned and poses steadily as a rock.

I lifted color here and there and added to the background. She’d had a purple blob on her chin. And the shadow under her eye on the one on her nose has hard edges.

Eek what’s with the purple blob?!!

I love the background done w a 2″ flat cheap Joes Golden Fleece and a spray bottle and a little dabbing.

First break forty minutes. Colors used vermilion yellow ochre cobalt ultra violet mineral violet. Background and hair burnt sienna and cerulean and burnt umber.

Drew Murphys acrylic

AC oil

Terry oil

Rachel Miller watercolor.

Coach charcoal

Coach pastel

Al large oil.

May torture mine some more. Haven’t decided.

Ttyl

Margaret

Day 1073 Its Saturday

July 1, 2017Leave a comment

Sweet Emily! 18×24″ What happens when you use a two inch flat brush on Bristol!!

Charles reid watercolor hand held palette which put my hand to sleep. #allaprima #nude #lifemodel #watercolor #aquarelle #aquarellepainting #pencil #pencildrawing #lostedges #emily

1″&2″ Cheap Joes Golden Fleece Flat brush and #10 Da Vinci and that’s it.

Tip: curling thinner paper. To get it to lie flat, paint it w water on the back and it will flatten out.

First break 40 min.

Painted on strathmore Bristol 100# which is like hot press paper but cheaper.

Wash of DS Quin coral and yellow ochre w some cerulean and burnt sienna. Background, hair, drapes burnt umber ultramarine

Drapes Aurelion, Winsor Yellow, Quin Gold w burnt umber ultramarine darks

4B and 6B pencils

The crowd was thin today. So not many paintings. A lot of people on vacation but I do love to paint Emily!!

Drew Murphys acrylic. The quips were flying between us. One of the things we paint for. I told him his was a little grey this time. Usually they are bright and vivid.

Fred the dentist. Oops he left early.

Als lovely huge oil. Amazing what he gets done in two hours. This is four by 3 FEET!

Rachel who’s only been painting anyear or so but she draws at every meeting. Drawing practice gets the job done! You WILL improve. Like anything else you want to do well you have to practice. ALOT!!!

Margaret who has a dog and a mill to paint. Oh and a couple of cars and some rubber duckies. Thanks for stopping by. Xoxoxoxo

Day 1068 Fathers Day at Pine Lake

June 25, 2017Leave a comment

It actually poured on us before we left so not a bright sunny day BUT who wants a swimming hole with no sun?!

One thing about painting you can make it sunny or overcast.

Pine Lake is the smallest town in Georgia with a population of less than 800 and used to be a weekend escape place for Buckhead elite when all the roads were dirt.

The lake is the center of the town with charming cottages and small houses built on the surrounding small hills.

Painted with my Ted Nuttall transparent palette plus green apatite in the trees and grasses.

Happy Sunday!

Margaret xoxoxox

Day 1067 Its Saturday

June 24, 2017June 24, 2017Leave a comment

Andrea was our model today. This is largish 18×24 largely painted alla prima which means first strike. I came prepared to draw and paint in a smaller sketchbook a 10×18 Superaquabee.

I liked the pose so much decided to go bigger. So first break I ran around getting larger paper together. George Dawnay gave me a piece of 90# Bristol paper to start over on. Thank goodness.

All I had were my waterbrushes which would NOT begin to cover that big piece of paper. Robert kindly loaned me his wonderful winsor Newton Series 7 brushes. They are now on my I need list!!

It was like painting on a thinner piece of hot press paper.

Al actually said it looked like a watercolor should. Be still my heart.

This was after the second break. I only painted on this about an hour. It needs more work on the background or not. We shall see.

The pencil sketch went much faster the second time around.

I washed her with cad yellow and cad red mixed. Then I used mostly Quin magenta and inathrodone blue on her for the shadows. A bit of Quin coral for cheeks. Hair Quin sienna Quin burnt sienna and inathrodone blue.