Somehow I forgot to post

April 2, 2020Leave a comment

yesterday. Not sure why since I had this sketch of Zoe all ready. Lamy Safari Stillman and Birn Alpha watercolor pencil background a

Zoe wondering why I kept calling her name and adjusting her head. She never quite returned to her pose so her heads Bit too wide. Surprised she just didn’t lie down like she usually does and take a nap.

That said I have been preaching f to family and friends about facemask wearing for a month now. I can’t seem to get the time and energy together to get enough made so am sharing these directions with everyone I can find. I felt liked the canary in the coal mine tweeting away about masks til today when Dr David Agus said YES wear masks on CBS Morning show today. I mean if they work for medical why not us.

SO WEAR A MASK!!!

Can’t seem to make Enough masks to even cover my family’s noses.

So these are great NO sew directions.

The time has come for us all to wear masks now that the docs are starting to say wear face masks. Yesterday I discovered this very easy to make face mask. NO SEWING!!!

https://myhaymac.com/2020/04/01/easy-and-fast-no-sew-face-mask/

You can use a filtrete air condition filter to line it – The very expensive FOLDED kind that are hypoallergenic and filter bacteria and VIRUSES.

TWO layers of filter. They have to have a Merv Rating of 1900-2200 and cost $25-50 each but each make lots of masks

You can also use vacuum hepa filters as a filter .

Please wear a face masks when you leave the house to protect yourself and everyone else.

And share this with those you love and maybe some you don’t so we can get back to our normal lives and stop this plague.

Masks can be sterlized by 30minutes at 170° or greater. Dont use microwave (metal nasal fitment will spark). Also dont contiminate mask storage bag.”

The very pregnant stray cat

Virtual hugs!! See you soon!

Our my window.

Love this artist Charlie Macksey !!!

Love you guys. Margaret thinking nap on sofa momentarily xoxoxo

Face masks and other things!! Aka BUSY!!

March 30, 2020March 31, 2020Leave a comment

From last weeks urban car sketching.

Spent yesterday starting to make masks because if they work for medical people they will protect the ones I love from the virus too.

Don’t believe for a minute you don’t need one when You go out.

Here’s the article!!

I am ripping up filtrete filters with merv 1900 -2200 rating which is really good for masks but u can also use hepa vacuum filters. Just try not to puncture them.

Other fabrics you can use for filters.

You can use duct tape and staples scotch tape masking tape to make the folded accordion style masks. And add ribbons or scraps of fabric for ties. Get creative. Masks patterns are all over the internet.

And no elastic!? Cut strips across your T-shirt’s width about an inch wide. Pull on each end of them. You get spaghetti t-shirt strips perfect for ties.

I made this large pile of ties in minutes. Hmm leftovers. I could tie tomato plants up with them. If I had tomato plants. 🤣😂

So get busy. Some glitter might be a good finish!!Two face masks for my son with bad asthma. Taken two days of ripping and cutting. One day of washing drying fabric. Omg! And I have 53 to make. 😖😖😖

Stay well!! Love you guys!

Margaret who will post art later today after I get the bread out of the oven.

Car Sketching Again!!

March 29, 2020Leave a comment

Hoping you and yours are doing well. So far so good with all of mine. So here we will sit six feet apart for another month. It’s worth it if it saves even one life.

Never pays to grab a random black sketchbook without looking to see if it’s the right one. This one wasn’t. NOT fond of watercolor. And don’t make a mistake – it’s NOT coming off. No blotting lifting will do. Paper so thin it waffled badly.

This is the kind of sketchbook it is. Ink was fine but watercolor not so much. A birthday present supposedly ok for watercolor. How I mistook it for my black stillman and birn Alpha I will never know. The Alpha is covered with stickers. They look nothing alike.

Spent the day ripping apart filters to make facemasks only to find that I should have gotten the kind in the photo above. Ripping off all those gold plastic wires was tough on my hands. Six done. Still ok for masks but the one in the photo has about 6 times as much fabric. Will use it for my next go round because these will only make 25 or so.

And then there was the baking. Snickerdoodles yummm so crispy and buttery.

And easy no knead bread heading for the oven in an hour. Can’t wait. Usually it takes 18 hours on the counter but not this method.

Not much to see outside this morning. I was hoping doe a pretty sunrise instead it’s been overcast. Hmmm.

And that’s it from the river where the sun will set soon. Hmm still won’t be able to see it. First world problems right?! Xoxoxox

Margaret

Drawing with Danny

March 29, 20206 Comments

Draw small squares all over your pages and then draw parts of items you can see. Can anyone find Zoe. She’s one of these.

It was actually quite interesting. Glad I had the big shelf across the end wall in my eye sight.

It took about 45 minutes to draw all these. And no Zoe is not on the second set. Next time will make it neater like the first set.

You freehand all those squares. One more behind. Draw a face with France Van Something.

Can you see the kayakers!?

They start at noon every week day. If u are on time it’s fun to comment with the other participants and Danny will answer as will Koosje at nine in sketchbookskool YouTube. If u missed one like I did they are still there. Just scroll thru The first five nothing minutes.

Here they are. One group slowly rowing upstream. The other hardly rowing racing south on the river towards the Atlantic. Well in 130 mules or so and a few dams.

A Charles Reid painting of Belize. Isn’t it awesome? And that palm!!! 🌞🌞🌞 Well what can I say?? The king of the splatter. Probably done in two hours or less. 🤔😳😳😳It’s for sale. Lovely painting.

Lamy Ef Brown Noodlers Ink and Micro Uniball Black Watercolor pencil Stillman and Birn Alpha. Brand new one. Hurrah.

Stay well. Hugs. Margaret xoxo

It’s passed

March 28, 2020March 28, 20202 Comments

Watercolor pencils, Stillman and Birn Alpha, Lamy Safari, Noodlers Eelskin Ink

More tv sketching. Always a good excuse to watch tv or a movie. The sketchbook is really getting full of these aka watching too much news.

I drew Nancy yesterday while I listened to her talk about the 2 trillion dollar bill passing Congress.

Cad red light and a dark flesh colored pencil starts her off w cocoa brown shadows, hair. Alizarin and cad red light lips.

Adding flesh colors. And what’s with her fat face. Sigh. Gotta thin it down.

Thank goodness the bill is done. I hope it provides needed relief for everyone.

Thinned her face down QUITE a bit!

Maybe draw the Pope next. I do love that man.

Our my kitchen window this am. Spring is here. Check the pollen out on the deck floor. 😖

A quick sketch on an envelope I mailed to Augusta’s local hero Leonard Porkchop Zimmerman who donates stacks of his happy stickers and sometimes buttons to the world at makemehappy.com

I make him cookies – quite the sweet tooth our Porkchop has.

Margaret ready to put on her jammies. Xoxoxo Stay safe!!

Online art fun

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020Leave a comment

First up was Draw your feet with sketchbook skool this morning. They are streaming draw along videos every day at 9 and 12 on their YouTube channel.
Pentel brushpen Stillman and Birn Zeta

Use three colored pencils today with Danny Gregory who does the 12 noon show. He also has a list of drawings prompts which originated on his Everyday Matters Yahoo list.

Drawn with three colored pencils

Pentel brushpen Stillman and Birn Zeta

Last but not least I drew my dog Zoe after watching Streamline Art Videos on Facebook. Yesterday they had Johanne Mangi. Her dog paintings are marvelous. Wouldn’t mind taking a class from her but they are trying to sell their videos which are pricey. $127 for Johannes. I am sure it’s wonderful BUT I have one of their videos – did I say packed with info but put me to sleep. Seriously I took a good nap watching mine.

Moving on discovered a New Zealander today – a wonderful portrait painter Andrew Tischler. If you don’t watch anything else watch his video about painting his grandfather Harry. Marvelous painting. Just a little advertising.

Tim Wilmot does great YouTube videos. There are at least fifty about an hour long. Little or no advertising just glowing little jewels. On this one he even shows how to do a bit of photo editing with your computer. And a delightful british accent. He’s in England- probably the only reason I haven’t taken a class from him.

Anyway big day tomorrow scrubbing the pollen off the back porch but feel sure I will dip into the quick sketchbook skool draw alongs. Always fun. And Danny can be soothing in the face of this calamity.

Hugs. Stay strong. Xoxoxox we have got this. Margaret.

Out my back window today. Gorgeous spring morning.

Another day of drawings

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020Leave a comment

The back porch models posing for me. Sepia fine Pitt pen

I decided to use the pentel brush pen stillman and birn Zeta. Did NOT go as well. My fav is the little bird on left second one down and the big red cardinal. The brush pen can have a mind of its own drawing tiny bird legs beaks and eyes.

I drew the red cardinal with my watercolor pencils. A set of 24 will give u all the colors you need. Xoxoxo

Su nset on the rivah

Margaret busy watching Gov Kemp talk about what’s going on in Ga. be safe. Xoxoxox

Out the Back Window

March 24, 2020Leave a comment

The view out our backporch. Love that tree. Probably my fav tree. My amaryllis are really white but I thought red so much more attractive.

The backporch crew is gobbling the sunflower seeds wildly. Can u find them in the painting.

Handprint journal – micro uniball pen.

Last nights baking. Oatmeal bread from kingarthur.com. Love my kitchen aide.

A gift for you all. In case u need a mask scientifically tested fabrics to use for one. Please read. It could save your life.

Margaret knitting and listening to GPTV shows. No kiddy shows this week. Hurrah. So far I have learned about the history of discovering the planets, the invention of flying-fascinating, and now Louisa May Alcott bio. Next up Little Women.

Hugs and stay safe!! Xoxoxox

A Hero for Our Times

March 23, 2020March 23, 20202 Comments

I drew this while I watched his speech. I find the man so soothing. He explains so well and reassured the public. You really should watch him if you are in a panic.

Filling in the journal page.

Tweaking

He really is quite yellow or olive as to be expected of a man of Mediterranean descent.

Inktense and derwent wc pencils. Stillman and birn Alpha

The beginning.

Augusta now mostly on lock down no bars no restaurants no salons. Just essential services.

Margaret baking cookies next up bread. Xoxoxo #staysafe #cuomoforpresident

Down on River Walk

March 23, 2020March 23, 20203 Comments

I always like this fountain that sparkles in the sun. I put off painting it because I knew it would be a pain and it was. I quit. Should have left it in ink. Too many tiny details. Sepia Pitt pen fine stillman and birn Zeta From the safety of my car.

I did finish a pair of socks today. What else have I done this week. Three paintings. Sold two. Hurrah. Stacciatella THE best soup ever. Sooo good. And I have made lots of soup.