Day 975 One more St Paddys Day

March 23, 2017Leave a comment

Could not resist drawing this great pirate ship passed by loaded with people tossing beads to the crowds. So much to draw and so little time. I really like parts of this but the foreground people watching are all assorted sizes. The middle group too tall for the other two groups.

And I completely forgot to draw the buildings in the background. OOPS!!!

Oh well that’s the thing about live sketching. Some you win some you mess up. Lol.

One more to go. The Whiskey Bar Lamy Safari. Lexington Grey ink in a Stillman and Birn Alpha.

Colors used. Every green I own. Pants are all some combo of ultramarine blue and burnt umber. Sky peacock blue I think.

Ttyl off to delve into Atlanta after talking to two groups is middle school art kids. One was awesome second one ready for lunch. Fun classes though the kids are so cute. Just hungry.

Margaret xoxox

Day 974 More St Paddys Day Parade

March 22, 2017March 22, 2017Leave a comment

St Paddys Day Parade ladies from St. John’s tower. They were actually riding another truck but I liked this one better. Augusta Ga
A dab of gel pen on the antennae. I loved those. And they were riding in chairs.

#stjohnstower #augustaga #stpatricksday #watercolorpainting #sketchbookskool #urbansketcher #undercoverspy #urbansketching #usk #georgia #ink #lamysafari #lamy #stillmanandbirn

Gotta run. Heading to Atlanta. Hope to sketch there. I am Ready!!

Margaret xoxox

Day 973 St Patrick’s Day in Augusta

March 20, 2017Leave a comment

We had an Urban Sketchers of Augusta meet up at Artus to draw the St Patrick’s day parade Friday. Fun time with Sandy from Artus and AC who fell in love w my Lamy EF that I lent him and sweet Katie Padgett.
These guys were enjoying some Guinness in front of Soy Noodle House and watching the parade go by. Architecture is a little wonky because I was standing on the sidewalk looking around the mob that passed by. Some of them would just stand in front of me. Eeek.

Whiskey Bar still needs paint. These two are on 280# Arches cold press. Oops cut off their legs.

A great pirate ship passed by. I taught AC and Katie that u don’t have to draw everyone you see but can add people from different floats to the one you are working on. Who will know!? Just you.

One float was full of an adorable group of older women from St Johns Towers a retirement home. I forgot to draw the crowd in front darn it because I was so enthralled with the old truck and the ladies.

These two are in my Stillman and Birn Alpha which is almost full.

All are drawn with my Lamy Safari. Painted w Ted Nuttalls transparent palette.

Ttyl class in Aiken.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 972 Approaching 1000 days of daily blogging.

March 19, 2017Leave a comment

Neither sleet nor snow nor sickness nor activity will stop the daily posting. Only 28 days to go til DAY 1000!!! I started out aiming at 50 days and didn’t think I would make that goal. So now I have far surpassed that.

Waiting for His Shift at the Inner Bean.

He sits out on the sidewalk in front of the Inner Bean reading and smoking cigarettes till time for his lunch shift. He’s a fixture there. And no idea of his name. Need to fix that.

This guy was sitting under my favorite light at the Bean. I think I need another go at that light. Because the table is near the window it gets a great light on a sunny day.

It’s a high table so the angle is off on it.

Ted Nuttalls transparent palette. Lamy Safari pen. Stillman and Birn Alpha

Off to shop for a few more supplies. Starting another online class tomorrow with Julianna Coles Book of the Night extreme journalism. She offers a lot of other classes in visual journaling. I really enjoyed her week in the sketchbookskool class Polishing.

And yes I started scribbling this morning on another page but not done enough yet to share it. Stand by!!

Ttyl Margaret xoxox off to walk the dogs and get an old kids book to turn into a journal. Oh and wet wipes. Required!!

Day 970 Avenging Angel

March 17, 20174 Comments

Happy St Patrick’s Day!! Time to wear the green.

Mixed media 15×22. 140# Kilimanjaro watercolor paper.

Got up at five am and started working on a not too great watercolor of Ilaina. The heads too small. And her beautiful long hair was pinned up.

I started journaling while listening to Robert Holden on Hay House. He’s the happiness guru. Good way to start your day.

Then I stamped her and collaged her. The wings were scraps that just fell next to her shoulders. That’s a sign isn’t it that she wanted to be an angel?!

Next came the paint. On her eyes. Added hair. Scribbled on her with my Prismacolor art sticks. Bytw I went for the black one and ended up with the dark blue one.

This angel wants what she wants. Then I added the red Prismacolor. Didn’t want her too precious as angels can be.

More paint. More scribbling. Back and forth. Scribbled on her face with a 4B pencil both writing and defining her face.

BOOM She was done. At least for now. She might decide differently.

Ttyl. Off to the parade. 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 967 So busy working

March 15, 2017March 15, 2017Leave a comment

On photoshop I forgot to blog. Oopsey. A few of my sketches from last week. Three generations at chic Fil a which is cool. Heard one of the managers talking to them. The grandmother mother and son who was too cool to sit with them.

Typical teenager.

Business man reading the paper and eating his lunch.

Ttyl.

Margaret

Xoxoxox

Day 966 coloring in my coloring book

March 13, 2017March 15, 2017Leave a comment

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

March 12, 2017March 12, 2017Leave a comment

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 964 100 people in seven days Day SIX

March 11, 2017March 11, 2017Leave a comment

Time to finish up those 100 people. In the meantime there’s always the tv to draw from.

I am completely absorbed by the unfolding spy whodunnit on Eachel Maddow every nite on MSNBC. I even take notes and draw some of the talking heads or players in this dramatic story. Last nite it was General Flynn who was working for the Turkish government to the tune of $500000 while he was head of our National Security.

I don’t think Robert Ludlum or John Le Carre could make this stuff up. Just crazy stuff going on.

And yesterday ALL the holdover Obama attorneys were fired and told to clear out by close of business. Usually they stay to finish up their cases and then leave. Not this time. And Hannity a tv talking head seems to have precipitated it. Hmmm.

The double page spread. Still have to find one more head to draw.

Colors used. Quin coral and gold and burnt orange. Burnt umber and ultramarine and cerulean. A dab of orange.

Ttyl off to the flat track horse races in Aiken. No nekkid painting today. Going to miss my painting peeps.

Margaret xoxoxo who hopes it’s not freezing cold out today.

Day 963 Rachel Maddow!

March 10, 20173 Comments

These sketches brought the total of people drawn for the week to 82 or so. Has been riveting lately. It’s like watching a spy novel written by one of my favorite authors John Le Carre or Robert Ludlum unfolding in real life.

So why did I write all the notes?! My mind tends to drift when I don’t take notes. It’s rather like a doodle for me. It keeps my attention focused and it helps me remember what’s been said. Truly I think I would be paying attention with or without the note taking BUT I kind of like the way it looks too.

It’s my writing on my art work taken to the extreme. And you know I do love to write on my artwork. It gives a sort of Susan Shie flavor to it.

I almost left her without her black jacket and top painted. I took a pic like this in case but decided to paint it and I like it better painted.

Here’s the sketch.

And a sketch of her only guest that night US Congressman Eric Swalwell who is also fascinating. Not to sure how his right cheek got so much darker. Oh well. I guess I could go back and paint the other one but just been too busy. Getting close to the 100 people mark for the week.