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 1092 WIP

July 21, 2017Leave a comment

Thought this would be done by now. What was I thinking painting a 20×30?! I should have switched to a larger brush-maybe my 16 kolinsky especially for the background.

I put in too much background again. Even though I used cobalt instead of cerulean it’s the same tone as the old mason jug which is why the mason jar gets lost.

So will have to darken either the background or the jar.

I will say I like it much better this am than I did last nite. Sometimes things look better the next day. Last nite I thought it was pretty bad. But I think it’s fixable

This little saki pot made me quit. Looked high and lo for my masking fluid. Only found a dried out bottle. Noway was I paintingnit without masking those dots.

Like the painting looked better this am I realized I had unloaded my paint box when I took Charles Reid’s class (he never uses masking) and left it in my big box that was Dads. Sure enough it was there.

So how did I do all those dots?! The end of a cheap model paint brush dipped in. If the dots were smaller I would have used a BBQ skewer or a toothpick. I also tried to make those farther away smaller and keep them lined up and in concentric circles. 😱

Loving the start on the flowers.

Laid in background in a hurry. Should have been thinking less is more.

The Strathmore Bristol makes those flowers run together and look positively delicious. It’s swirls on the surface similar to yupo. Hmm maybe I should try yupo next?!

So far. It needs something to the left of the hot sauce. Maybe the trim on the bridge cloth its sitting on!? Maybe more fruit?!

It will tell me sometimes soon. In the meantime stay tuned. Ted Nuttalls transparent colors plus cerulean and Andrews Turquoise.

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1091 A definite HMM

July 20, 2017July 20, 20172 Comments

Half sheet on Richeson 300# cold press 15×20. Everybody hates my antique Kowloon doll in the painting so I tried to knock him back by loosing my whites on him and making him darker with ultramarine. I also washed his head with Quin burnt sienna and cerulean. I did the same to the background to make the light flowers pop more.

I also added a bunch of blobby bits a la Fealin Lin to it to define the flowers more. Like it better now but still don’t know if it’s done.

One friend thought my little guy was creepy. Lol. He’s actually a mandarin dressed in a black Silk jacket and beautiful blue silk pants w touches of bright saffron yellow which have faded over the years.

Last nite it looked like this. I actually liked the bottom half. I just didn’t like the way the flowers were lost in the background.

I think it’s because the values were too close. When I converted it to gray scale in iPhoto not much difference in tone. Which is why I darkened the background.

The sketch. Bytw this was painted upright on an easel.

Having another go without the doll on Strathmore Bristol board which is like hot press watercolor paper but even slicker making the colors slide around on it. This one is 20×30. Why not make my screw ups bigger?! 🤗

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1088 A recap

July 17, 2017July 18, 2017Leave a comment

Thought you might like to see the order of the sketchbook so far. Still at least one more sketch to paint which will go here in the order. Painted on Kilimanjaro with Ted Nuttalls Transparent colors or Charles Reid Palette. Pen Lamy Safari loaded with Noodler Black.

Seemed like and especially good idea to me

Since the upstairs AC was dripping water thru the ceiling and it’s turned off.

So I “slept” on the den sofa

But mostly tossed and turned

Getting just a few hours of sleep.

AC fixed. Nap time now. Enjoy. Margaret xoxoxox worn out.

Day 1086 Cornucopia in Cashiers

July 15, 2017Leave a comment

Our favorite place to eat Cornucopia in Cashiers. A great big open air barn of a restaurant. Even when you eat inside it’s like eating outside. They do have a large section of umbrellas to eat under too.

It’s open year round. They roll large clear plastic sheeting down to keep the cold air out. It used to be BYOB so check before you go. Good food. Great service. Kid friendly.

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette.

Henry’s big birthday party today. Art with 20 something five year olds.

Margaret already exhausted in Decatur. Xoxoxo

Day 183 Sweetwater Fly Fishing Camp page

July 12, 2017Leave a comment

The title page is done. Not to sure about that rainbow trout but that seems par for every page I am doing lately. Lol.

Earlier this week. How many more pages to paint?! Two or three.

I don’t know if I said but this is a copy of a sketch I did for their guest book. Only that one is just in black and white.

Bytw the water was painted with my #2 Isabey mop. Drawing with my Lamy Safari on Kilimanjaro cold press #140 paper.

Back to sneezing.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1082 Watercolor

July 11, 2017Leave a comment

Never turns out the way you think it should. I think it is Charles Reid that says it’s part you but at least 50% it’s doing what it wants to do.

The Cashiers Fireworks Extravaganza. That and played from about 5 till midnight with fireworks in between. A fun nite and they only ask for a donation. What a deal!!

Of course it would help if you could find the picture of the scene before you start painting. My phone aeeemd to have eaten this when I was painting it yesterday. Eeekk. And of course now that I am done I have found it. Oh well.

I will say the camera tends to darken the shadows so who cares?!

On to the next page right?! Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette.

I did draw this at the Extravaganza. Just my grandkids would have wanted to help me paint it. They would have been covered in paint with no access to clean up.

Day 1081- Still feeling like I

July 10, 2017July 9, 2017Leave a comment

Can’t paint. And am thinking I don’t like the pencil. Turns into a grey mess that has to be erased. My son and his family at our Fourth of July picnic in Cashiers in the Green.

We were thrilled to find our favorite popsicle for sale on the Green. It’s an Atlanta based company started by a friend of my sons and his wife that went to law school with them and the popsicle are delicious. My favorite is raspberry lime and only 45 calories.

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo home from Sapphire and worn out. But the laundrys done and I bought some groceries.

Day 1074 Dog Days?!

July 2, 2017July 2, 2017Leave a comment

My kids pit bull Briard mix Lucy Dog. Just the sweetest dog but a pain to paint. She’s a tawny brindle. So how do you paint that.

I think I tried every color I have I. The. Brown range burnt umber, Quin Sienna and Quin gold and piemonite. None worked well. Too dark to red too gold. All worked for small areas. I finally used quin Sienna w a bit of burnt umber. Ultramarine for the darks with the burnt umber.

Cerulean for greys mixed with Quin Sienna and Andrews turquoise with some Quin Sienna for the throw.

Mr Clean erasers were my friend to lift highlights lost.

The sketch done with a 6B pencil.

Ttyl. Thanks for stopping by. Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1069 Mary Alice Munroe

June 27, 2017Leave a comment

Went to a great book talk at AB Browns today by Mary Alice Monroe for her newest book in her Beach House series the quintessential summer beach book based on Isle of Palms near Charleston.

Though I have read some of the books with the turtles in them has no idea they are really to educate us about her latest passion. I tend to read the story for the story not to find hidden meanings.

That said I always enjoy them.

The latest book is about pelican rescue her latest passion. The raptor center even named a pelican that she rescued after her Mary Ann so I decided to draw Mary Ann to fill up the page.

The notes are just things that she said about her passions pelicans shorebirds.

She’s also an excellent palmetto bug stomper. One was running around the room the talk was held in. It’s a skill u acquire when you got to SC Low country beaches. I won’t tell you how I know.