Day 968 Hmm I know I have something to post. 

Number three does this mean it’s a series.  Still not colored because I am sitting in a dental chair. Eeeekkk. Woke up and thought about it last nite. How to color it. Leave it plain like the others or alter it. We shall see. 

Options. Watercolor acrylic pens gel pens paint markers. We shall see. Oh and collage. 

I spent most of the day working on these two in photoshop and test printing Sacred Heart on various papers. Oddly my big HP did as well as the Epson. Hmmm. 

I want to stitch the big Mill together to get rid of the seam.  No success yet. Soon I hope. And the colors are off when I print. Waiting for one more cartridge for the epson which I know is archival. I did run a piece of watercolor paper thru the HP without a hiccup. Who knew you could do that?! 

Ttyl 

Margaret xoxoxo more photoshop and printing adventures to come. 

Day 966  coloring in my coloring book 

I drew these two guys last Thursday as part of my #oneweek100people2017 as they pushed and shoved the heavy scaffold into place that would allow them to hang the new Augusta State Univeristy sign four stories up in the air. 
I have two say these guys were working very hard and were as good as having dancers to draw with their interesting poses. This is the first page I drew. 


Here is page two. Drawn with my Lamy Safari with Lexington grey ink in my Stillman and Birn Alpha. 

You can see the scaffold better in this painting. Drawing three of the big event. They almost had shoved it into place when I drew this. 

UPDATE: And a week later they are still working on top of the building. It’s very cold today. Hope the finish before it goes down to 24 tomorrow. Who turned off Spring?


Here’s the original sketch. I painted these after I got home. Colors used Quin coral, gold,burnt orange. Cerulean and hematite geeen on windows with ultramarine and burnt umber shadows. The building is Quin coral and burnt umber. Their jackets are Lemon yellow and hematite green. The sign is ultramarine and mineral purple. 

I have a giclee quality printer that I am finally getting set up for print making. It’s been in the garage for quite a few years because it’s about two feet long and takes up the whole desk but no more. 

It’s hooked up and it works. I was told it might not. New cartridges cleaned the print heads and it looks like we are in business. 

Hurrah!! 

Will let you know when I start making prints. Soon. I promise. 

Ttyl 

Margaret xoxox

Day 965 141 People in one Week 

Well I made it. Added another another 14 people yesterday when we were at the Standardbred Harness Races yesterday at McGhees Mile Track in Aiken. Starting from the last one draw to the first one drawn at the end of the post. I am going to paint some of these today I think since this is day 7. 

​Flipagram of the sketches. 

All of them are drawn with my Lamy safari in Lexington Grey ink in my Stillman and Birn Alpha. Most were drawn from real life except the 20 or so talking heads. 

In the window at the Mexican cafe on Laurens street in Aiken. 

At the races. I was afraid to shop out my sketchbook after I did this because a certain bird was busy telling people what a great sketched I was. 

Off MSNBC Friday nite. ditto that

Hanging the new Augusta State University logo sign at the Dental School Friday. These guys were working hard. Two guys only but they hardly stood still pushing and shoving the big scaffold that would take them to the top of the four story building. 

More of the two guys. One worked continually nonstop the whole hour or so I was drawing. Pulling and pushin. And backing the truck up. 

Contour drawings because they were moving fast. The angles they got on their bodies were as good as any dancer or yoga as they pushed and shoved the heavy scaffold. 

In line waiting at chic fil a and the dental school check in. 

Too right luck at chic Fil a and a guy waiting to see the dentist at the college. 

A three generation family at chic Fil a  

More tv talking heads. 

My heroine Rachel Maddow. So brilliant. 

Talking heads MSNBC especially like the Bernie Head. 

Lawrence O’Donnell taking heads. Love him too. 

Rachel Maddow and her talking heads 

Panera sketches Tuesday

Panera Tuesday 

Panera Tuesday the rest are at Panera Monday and a few more talking. Heads from MSNBC. 

Heads on Morning Joe. 

As I said will paint some of these. I love having my own coloring book. Total people. Depends on how you count them. 141 if I count all the contour drawings at the Dental College and in the crowd at the races. 

Ttyl 

Margaret who has to paint. Xoxoxo

Day 958 A relaxing Sunday 

Well kind of sort of. Been busy posting about our show and getting it a write up in the local paper. In the meantime here’s a watercolor for you. I have to do it on paper for my friend Monica who is in it. 

Monica works at the DuPont Planetarium at USC Aiken also known as the Ruth Patrick Science Center. She leads tours of school kids and gives them talks about the stars. 

Follow the Drinking Gourd is the black history month lecture about how slaves used the Drinking Gourd the Big Dipper to find their way north to freedom. 

I paint across the parking lot from her at USCAiken Etheridge Center. She invited me over to hear her Drinking Gourd talk. Monica did a dynamite job and I had to draw her. It was almost pitch black by the time I finished. 

The sketch sat around while I decided how to draw the star field and the whirlpool galaxy. Never done that before. 

I realized I could paint the night sky black and then splatter it with white gouache which worked out great.

 I also wanted to make the galaxy bright in the center and fade at the edges. As I painted the sky with a mix of indigo  alizarin crimson and hookers green I bled the edges around the galaxy with clear water. I coated it with very watered down Quin gold just to give a glow. Let it dry. 

Coated the sky with the indigo mix again and bled the edges again. Then I added dabs of watery alizarin crimson  and marine blue in a circular swirl. Let it dry. Added more of those colors and grey and purples to define the galaxy spin. Trying for that glow. 

Finally I splattered the galaxy with white gouache and a very small brush. I should have used a tooth brush. Next time I will. 

Highly recommend the Ruth Patrick tour!! 

Happy Sunday. 

Still in my Jammies relaxing on a chilly Sunday 

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 952 Odds and Ends 

A little urbansketching at an ACA rally Saturday in Aiken. These rallies are great opportunities for drawing people. 

Drawn on 300# arches cold press with a Noodler Konrad loaded with carbon Platinum Black Ink. Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. 

Yeah she’s done. Well at least I think so. Kinda yellow but at least her body’s no longer distorted. 

Here she was before I worked on her today.  

I shortened her shoulder, added some her butt on the left,thinned down her right thigh and moved the right arm. 


And I finished the hand on this one today so Sarah is done. Yeah.  I ran out of time before I finished her left hand. 

And that’s all folks. Time to head to French class. Ttyl

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 951 Lazy Sunday 

Ah NO. have a pile of 7-8 sketches to paint. Oh my!! 

In the meantime. MY fav heathy out and about breakfast the bowl at the Inner Bean. Scrambled eggs black beans avocado tomatoes bacon and hmm oh cheese. Yum. 


These guys sat next to me at the Bean as I ate my bowl. Deep in conversation over Masters preparations at local golf courses. Never noticed me sitting there sketching them. 

Both done with a Lamy EF with Lexington Grey ink in a Stillman and Birn Alpha. Ted Nuttalls transparent colors plus cerulean. 


A few of the pics of sketches I need to get painted. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 948 Dr Sketchys part 1


Last nite was Dr Sketchys at Chat Noir one of my favorite times of the month. This is one of my favs of the ten or so sketches I did last nite.  I did not feel like dealing with her legs which were very heavy so I swathed her in a gossamer white gown and called her Cleopatra complete with a deadly snake. 

All sketches done with my Whiskey painter watercolor pallette loaded with Windsor newton WC and one lone Daniel Smith Quin coral and painted in a super aquabee tablet with a Pentel brush pen. 


A warm up doodle with my Noodler brush pen and a Noodler Konrad with sepia ink. 

2 minute sketch.  Pentel brush pen. 

2 minute sketch. Pentel brush pen

2 minute sketch. Pentel brush pen


Five minute sketch. Pentel brush pen. Tombow marker.  

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow. 

Margaret off to Aiken for an art show opening. Xoxoxo

Day 943 The Two Dowagers


Upper Broad Street used to be lined with these late Victorian houses. Now there are only three left. They look tired but not quite derelict. These two stand by themselves like two old ladies. 

The light was great yesterday –  and the houses were bathed in the bright winter sun which lit them like a spot light. 
I added the guy walking by. He’s really just an oval, a rounded triangle for the body, and a couple of strokes for legs and feet. Ditto for the arm. 

I coated the houses w a very light Quin gold. Makes them look sunny I think. 

Colors used-Sky. Hmm peacock blue?! Hookers green and hematite, Quin gold, cerulean, burnt umber and ultramarine, Quin burnt orange, vermilion. 

The trees are done w a watery soup of cerulean and Quin burnt orange to give the effect of bare winter limbs. 

The biggest thing that gives this look is using my small squirrel mop. You cannot get to picky with it. An #8 I think. 

In a Stillman and Birn Alpha w 92 pages which means they are thin. And they are wavy causing puddling.  Not sure I like that but will continue on since it cost a pretty penny $27 from Amazon. Hoping they will flatten out as they dry. 

Drawn w a Lamy EF loaded with permanent Lexington gray ink. 

Ttyl 

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 942 Sacred Heart

I never get tired of trying to draw it and paint it. My fav building in Augusta. I think I got it this time. 

It’s an old deconsecrated Catholic Church downtown on Greene Street. I used to take Spanish from the nuns in the school to the read of the church as a third and fourth grader. My mom thought it was how we needed to spend our Saturdays. Asks me if I speak Spanish. Nope!! 

Colors used. Piemonite, cerulean, ultramarine blue, Quin burnt orange, burnt umber, Quin gold, vermilion, green appetite, sap green. 

Drawn w my Lamy EF in a stillman and Birn Alpha. Paper will dry flat but it’s a little wavy now. 

More to paint. 

Xoxoxo

Margaret 

Day 939 Urban Sketching at Earthfare Cafe 

Always a good place to draw. Add people as they drift into your picture. Next time we are drawing at Wet Paint party at Sacred Heart an incredible setting Saturday Feb 18 7-10 pm. Trying something new. This is my Woman’s March sketch on a small canvas. What do you think? It’s 14×16. 

This is the original sketch. 

Gotta run. Another busy day. Tomorrow I collapse and go to the Y for yoga. Relaxing. 

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo