Day 630 – The Great Augusta Fire of 1916

March 23, 2016March 24, 20162 Comments

Anniversary was yesterday. 100 years ago everything down from 8th Street and east of Greene Street to the river burned.

We went to the Tuesday Music Live Concert at historic St Pauls which commemorated the anniversary with one of their Tuesday Convert series. 100 years ago yesterday the congregation gathered to pray the colonial era church would be saved from blaze devouring downtown.

I drew this while I listened to the wonderful pianist.

Here’s a shot of the sacristy and a video by a local historian Bill Kirby about the fire.

A quick sketch I did a couple of years ago of the church from the street.

And an exterior shot.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 629 – Henry Time

March 22, 2016March 22, 20162 Comments

This weekend my sister Jan and I tagged teamed my sweet grandchildren Henry and Livia. Henry slowed down enough for me to sketch him watching Care Bears and playing with his cars his gramy bought him at Mc Donald’s and Publixs.

His dad asked me if I bought him a car at Publixs and I said Yes of course he asked for one and a rabbit for his sister and flowers for his mom but we knew daddy didn’t want anything but that ham we cooked!!

They also went to the zoo. When I asked Henry what his favorite part of the zoo was he told me you Gramy. What a kid. Lol.

Last a bit of ink fun with my Kuretake brush pen. I just like the quote. And it’s true. Hard to be perfect.

I got the quote from the strathmore art on line sketchbook Art Ninja Graham Smiths class. Check it out. It’s free. I wish I drew glad as well as he does. Here is his website.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Reasons.

Day 628 – Costco Love!

March 21, 2016Leave a comment

Urban sketching at Costco. And NO I did not eat a hotdog when I drew this. I usually do though. Probably good snacks this day whxib everybody knows are calorie free right?!

I did hide in the corner behind my purse which is of course big enough to carry my sketchbook and pants.

Tip: when you take the grandchildren to the zoo you don’t want your bevy purse loaded with sketching stuff when you pick up a 45 lb kid to look at the snakes Be sure to take your over the shoulder sketch purse with sketching stuff and the other important thing MONEY for the gift shop train and carousel!! 😋

These people were drawn as we all stood in the return line. I love to buy stuff and bring it back to Costco. They ALWAYS take stuff bought there back no questions other than can I Have your members card please. I do LOVE Costco!!

Off to class. Need to go by Costco and fill up. Gas is always 20-25 cents cheaper!! And Booking a trip to Paris and maybe Lindon and Dublin via Iceland. No time to list colors but I did use the usual ones.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 626 Eglise de Ranville

March 19, 2016Leave a comment

A detail of a WIP of the Eglise de Ranville. I wish the whole building at turned out as well. As Charles Reid an American Master and my personal watercolor art hero says hit it once and be done!

I got a light hand back when I painted the cemetery.

A bit of history. The cemetery is where the dead from Pegasus Bridge are buried. The church is a lovely old gothic building picked mark with shell holes from the fighting in WW2. RAnville was the first town freed by the Allies during the D Day Invasions.

A slightly whacky perspective. I may redraw this one. Originally I drew it standing inside the cemetery gate on a cold blustery day so of course you don’t get a full view.
I had wanted the old limestone Gothic church much lighter like the tower. I started with light yellow wash over the whole church. I made a mistake using cerulean and burnt sienna to paint a wash of grey. Cerulean is opaque. Eek! Bad choice. It can make a great grey as long as you aren’t too heavy with it.

Day 624 – A touch of whimsy

March 17, 2016Leave a comment

A few quick pen sketches I did today at the Augusta Area Newcomers luncheon.

I actually was hiding the sketchbook under the table. I warmed up with the lady on the left and proceeded to our auctioneer Ken and then one of my friends hiding behind a huge basket. If I paint them they will know who they are by their clothes. They don’t look a lot like them.
This one however does look a lot like our esteemed adorable sweet president Susan. Warming up does help!!

I actually won the silent auction on this wonderful acrylic by friend and Dr Sketchy/Saturday life modeling sketching friend Ruth Pearl. LOVE it. Now where to hang it?!

Noodler Konrad and strathmore 500 Moxed Media sketchbook. Stick those sketchbooks in your lap and get your pens busy. If I can sketch in the middle of 200 people I know you can do it too.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 609 -The Party’s Over

March 2, 2016Leave a comment

This is the last sketch done during Wet Paint party. I drew Sallie doing check out as we waited to pick up painting. Thank goodness Sallie bought mine.

This sketch started the quotes. I started to write “Even James has a cell phone” but I thought it would be more fun to write a JB quote. Did you know there’s a website with endless James Bond movie quotes?!

Hope I didn’t post this one but evidently the modern James Bond likes his cell phone! I only drew a bakers dozen James Bond sketches si it gets confusing.

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret xxx

Day 608 How many More?

March 1, 2016Leave a comment

Hard to resist drawing James with one of his many ladies. Turns out the girl in the foreground is actually newly wed to James Bond who you can see in the background.

I still haven’t painted this. It’s not very big 6×9″maybe. Lots of tiny details but who knows it might actually be fun for a big painting?

I have a few pages of these….the models changed their poses before au had a chance to finish them but I still think they are interesting especially the girl on the right. She managed to twist her hands in front of her body planting her hands on her hip bones and HOLDING the pose. Wow!

Thanks for reading. I still have quite a few French sketches I have yet to post too. Hoping to get to them soon.

Margaret xxx

Day 601 – a few more sketches

February 24, 20163 Comments

What else?!There are only 22 of them.

I actually finished this one yesterday. I started it when he was flipping thru poses and abandoned it for a clean page. I finally gave up and begged him to hold the pose till I finished. And he did a super job doing just that!! Thanks James!!

Love the energy in the orange gouache do lines in the background.

Loved his 70s leisure suit look with his mint green shoes. The lady in black could hold a rock solid interesting pose. Neither of them moved which made for great sketching.

The golden girl could hold the most interesting poses. She’s actually painted with my beloved gold wink of Stella glitter pen and yellow ochre but sadly it does not show without bright lights.

And u know what that ledger paper means. The ink smeared. 😁

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 600 – Wet Paint

February 22, 2016February 29, 2016Leave a comment

Will be posting the winner and the prize in a couple of smears. Thanks for sticking with me thru 600 days of consecutive posting. I wonder how long I will go on?!

Did I forget to say that this little mixed media angel I did flew away to a new home aka she sold at Wet Paint. Hurrah!! She’s stitches scribbled glued bubble wrap printed and three d. Genuine Lutheran hymnal pages in the background. A lot of fun!

But not as much fun as drawing the models at wet paint.

Another James Bond model sketch. I really need to fix his hand and his foot. Maybe. I had a lot of fun looking up James Bond quotes to write on the JB sketches.

Beautiful model that could hold a rock solid pose. She’s wearing turquoise culottes with huge buttons. The half you can’t see is white. Harlequin style. She has lost had spectator pumps on. I had forgotten about them til I saw hers. I had a pair I loved. All tan leather so I painted those instead of the two tone ones she had on

Thanks for reading. Will post the winner in a couple of days. Class today.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 593 – Back to Rouen

February 15, 2016Leave a comment

Somehow I forgot to post this sketch I did of Rue Martainville from the square in front of St Maclou in Rouen.

These half timber frame houses proliferated in the Rouenduring the medieval period. More still remain here than anywhere else in France. The medieval Europeans thought they were more fireproof than timber houses. Hmm?!

Notice how the bottom leans. Oh my!!
Rouen has them in great variety and shape, overhanging streets, leaning crazily. Often doors and windows are totally leaning a kilter on the front of the houses. Nothing is square though we were told they were inside. How is that possible. Je ne sais pas. I don’t know! But I have seen them with my own two eyes. Now you have too.

Lining an alley.
And how is it that these crazy wonky leaning buildings don’t fall down upon our heads. Once again. Je ne sais pas! C’est un miracle.

Surrounding the market place.

Marching toward St. Mclou.

And of course cheek to jowl with St Maclou.
Rouen has street after street lined with these teetering ancient beauties like old women in spikes towering and tilting down the narrow cobbled lanes waiting to tumble down momentarily.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx hot planning maps to make to fill in blanks in my French travel Journals.