Category: art journal

Day 2120 Hippo Hopp was hopping

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Today.

We whiled away a hot summers morning at Hippo Hop. One of the first people there we were so early but gradually it filled up.

Funny what you notice about people when you draw. The lady with her phone was always on her phone with her back to the kids the whole time. I drew her twice. I never saw her with a child the whole three hours we were there.

However the nanny in the middle and the right bottom was keeping an eagle eye on her charges hovering nearby. But almost all the other parents, grandparents and nannys faces the directions of the bouncy house array so they could keep tabs on the kids. And usually a kid would show up with their adult. But not the lady on the phone. So strange.

Read an encouraging story about female impressionist painters today on my artsy.net email about Morrisot Cassatt and several other female painters. One was a great portrait painter Philadelphian artist Cecilia Beaux whom I has never heard of.

Margaret whose ready to finish Like Lions a sequel to Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich that I read a few years ago. Both great books. 1/4″ left to go. Xoxoxo

Day 2119 Van Gogh did NOT commit suicide

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Auvers Van Goghs Blue Church on the hill my version

But I knew that.

Auver from the Oise River Bridge. Ravouxs Auberge (Inn) where Van Gogh died on far left

This article based on a forensic analysis of his death says otherwise.

Van Goghs famous blue church

Of course I can’t get to my sketchbook and share a map of Auvers. It’s in Augusta and I am not.

Go on a Viking Seine River cruise in the winter and they will take you to Auvers since Monets Giverny near Normandy closes in October.

Margaret in Atlanta with the grandkids. Xoxoxox

Day 2118 Out the window

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My favorite kind of urban sketching sitting in the AC looking out a window. Don’t like to sweat. Lamy Vista Noodler Eelskin Ink. Superaquabee sketchbook.

This street has some awesome bungalows on it so great sketchable views out all its huge windows.

Tip: turn the pen upside down to make finer lines.

Margaret done for the day xoxoxo

Day 2114 Done done done

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Think this one is done. I added shots of burnt sienna to the gold and a few wet splatters softening the edges w water. Added a few washes out cerulean strokes mixed w palette mud here and there for shadows. A bit of flesh to the people.

Before the quin gold and cad yellow was over powering the sketch. So when it’s messed up there’s nothing to lose playing with it.

The original sketch.

Lamy EF Noodler Eelskin Ink stillman and birn Zeta.

Margaret who really needs to contact wordpress to get rid of the annoying popup in the ap. xoxoxo

Day 2113 My Degas

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I drew this the first time the first trip I made to the High Museum to see the European Masters. What a show!! Can’t rave about it enough.

This was his original. About 5×7 feet. Mine is tiny in my Stillman and Birn Zeta which is 6 x 9 1/2″.

The orange is cad yellow and cad red light.

Brown is sepia which I roughly brushed With the side of my Escoda pearl brush while the orange was still wet.

Blue skirts are cerulean.

Outlining sepia done with my Vlad sword brush.

Flesh same as the background different proportions.

Hair sepia and cad red light.

Margaret ready for bed but having to stay up till her experimental blueberry orange pound cake cools wondering WHY my blueberries didn’t mix in like they should. Most ended up on the bottom of the pan though I coated them and folded them in to the cake. 🤔🤔🤔☹️xoxoxo

Day2112 hmm that looks wrong

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Out the second floor window at the High

This still needs work. Meant to do it today but went to Lion King instead. It was almost standing room only. The cgi was amazing. The animals looked so real.

And still haven’t decided if this is done. Maybe there’s too much yellow background?! Seemed like a good idea except I don’t seem to like one solid color. Will have to think about this.

When I was home I spent a lot of time looking for a sketch of Kate I did a while back. Finally found it in the FIRST palace I looked. And I looked there several times. How did I miss it. Now to get Miss Kate painted. Time is running OUT!!

Margaret who has to watch the first Fantastic Beasts so I can figure out what was going on in the second one. Of course I find all the cgi highly entertaining. Xoxoxo

Day 2111 Happy Anniversary?!

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Why does WordPress say if s my anniversary. Maybe I did start here in July four years ago. Before that I was on blogspot for seven years.

A quick post of a drawing I did at the High of a Rodin statue. Background is quin gold. I scribbled the museums info card on the background in pencil.

Drawn with my Lamy Vista Noodler Eelskin Ink.

Margaret who is watching the Fantastical Beasts-the Crimes of Grinwald. Xoxoxox

Day 2109 Where or where has Margaret been

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Well the WordPress site is at full quota. So we are working on migrating it to a new less expensive server. Address will stay the same – I think. 🤔

Good news is you should be able to buy prints soon. Well maybe by Christmas. 😵🤗🤣

Tufted titmouse on Stonehenge print paper

I reduced the image size so I HOPE they aren’t too bad.

Purple finch. On cheap Joes Kilimanjaro 140#

I have to say that the Stonehenge is much less user friendly. I tried to lift the to intense grey on the titmouses back and it was a no go. It was stuck like gorilla glue to the paper.

However it stayed flat and gave nice clear crisp colors.

The Kilimanjaro waffled while it was wet though now it’s dry it is just about flat. But the waffling makes the watery washes float on the surface. Eeek.

That’s how I got the nice blob on the purple finches back. Or at least that’s what I am blaming the blob on. And yes it’s a prestretched block.

Painted with my Vlad Yesilev sword brush. Bytw it’s getting much easier to use. PS it holds tons of water.

For a local show next month. Watercolor to come.

I am still in shock over Notre Dame. This is for a local show next month. Watercolor to come. It was really a miracle that the north tower didn’t burn and take down the whole thing when the huge bells fell. Due to brave firemen that did not happen. Here’s a fascinating article about the fire fight after investigation of what happened.

Thank god for brave firemen fighters. One squad that risked their lives in the north tower was lead by a young 27 year old woman Master Cpl. Myriam Chudzinski. What a woman!

Margaret back to dusting her pillows in the dryer. Xoxoxo

Day 2108 Rachel remembered

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Saucing it up at Dr Sketchys a few years ago. I carried these around in the hold of my car to give to her and kept forgetting them. I finally gave them to her family today at a memorial at Le Chat.

She was quite the Burlesque dancer. At today’s memorial at Le Chat we got to see old burlesque with Dirty South YouTube’s of some of her performances and outtakes from the movie Old Man of the Rocks she and her daughter made a couple of years ago.

Marian the Librarian from her favorite musical the Music Man. Her fans were many and her talents were legion. Her grandpa called her Marian the librarian.

Vamping for the Dr Sketchys crowd. Not my greatest sketches but they are now owned by her family. I hope they enjoy them.

Pentel brush pen superaquabee sketchbook caran d’ache neocolor ii. Tomboy markers.

Margaret tucked in for the night Xoxoxox

Day 2104 A trend

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Of ink sketches. No ideas why the pic is not brighter since I took it in bright sunlight. Marilyn Hartley watching the professor paint. The one on the right looks just like her. Forget the left one.

Lamy EF. Noodlers Eelskin Ink hahnemuhle journal.

Margaret Xoxoxox