Day 400 – A lot of Days!!

August 13, 2015Leave a comment

400 Days of consecutive Posting!! Anyone see any sky rockets and fire works going off?! Grown a lot on this journey both with my art and the number of followers- almost a 1000 on Instagram and over 100 in six months on WordPress. My original intention was 50 days. I have exceeded that now haven’t I?! Thanks for all the support!! Let’s see how far I can go?! Two years?! I am settling for day by day!
A quick sketch of a grandmother playing with her granddaughter on the Garden City beach last weekend.
Flesh is yellow and cad red light with some burnt sienna on the grandmother. The sand is burnt umber Inathradone and yellow ochre.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret ️xxx

Day 399 -Garden City

August 13, 2015August 13, 20159 Comments

The swarms of people at Garden City were calling to my pen saying draw draw draw. If I hadn’t been drawing this is what I would have been doing consuming books like peanuts.

I really like this painting a lot. The water is more of a Caribbean blue than an Atlantic blue but I like it. It’s done in cheap joes Andrea turquoise, cobalt, purple, and a bright yellow green. The sky is cerulean and cobalt.

The sand is really grey when it’s wet. It’s done with burnt umber Inathradone and yellow ochre.

Bytw the horizon line is really straight but the books would not lie flat. The only fault I can find with a Strathmore 500 mixed media sketchbook.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx heading out on another trip. Thank goodness for house sitters!!

Day 398 – The Pegasus Hotel

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015Leave a comment

Is a landmark that sits at Duval and Southard.

I drew this while standing on the sidewalk waiting for my sister Jan. We were off to eat breakfast at the Cuban Coffee Queen and then to prowl Duval.

Heres a photo of the sketch in progress.

And the actual building. I would call the style South Beach Art Deco built in the 30s. In Key West it is called Art Deco and moderne. Another building in this style is the Scottish Masonic temple now the Art Studio on Eaton.

You can read more about these buildings here. http://architecturestyles.org/art-deco/

I got the perspective off a little on the left side oops. Easy to do when it’s drawn in ink instead of pen. May have to do a redo because this is a really cool building and hated got it twisted looking.

Bytw the best Key West car and bicycle Peking is under the trees in this picture. Shade all day long. Important on hot afternoons.

What can I say?! Colors cobalt cerulean and Quin gold. Black is Inathradone and burnt umber. Tree trunk is Quin gold and cerulean I think! All the greens with some Quin gold for highlights and Inathradone for darks.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Thanks for reading.

Day 397 – Louies Back Yard

August 10, 2015Leave a comment

Louies Back Yard Key West

Whenever I go on a trip there always seems to be some leftover sketches that don’t quite get painted. I call these making my own coloring book because sooner or later I go back and paint them.

Right now I have six from Key West and 8 or ten from Garden City to paint. Hopefully I will knuckle down on the next few days and get some knocked out. Several of them I really like including more of the court house chickens. Of course you said she has more chickens to paint lol.

This is one I got around to painting. Louies should have about ten stars on its sketch.

Mahi Mahi with Mango sauce.

The food is superb the servers outstanding and the views are amazing. Hands down our favorite for divine food. Go at lunch to save a little on the bill!!

A not to be beaten combo of great food and gorgeous view.

After we ate inside we sat on the back deck enjoying the breeze and the view of the Florida straits.

The view from out table.

My divine sautéed yellowfin tuna a la Julia Childs flounder in Julie and Julia. I have the recipe. I guess I need to turn it into a recipe sketch. Easy and oh so delicious. We used to make it with striped and hybrid. To think I almost didn’t get it because I am tired of tuna a la Charlie in a can. Not the same at all!!

My sisters Beef. Also fab.

My creme brûlée with a brownie buried in it. Melt in your mouth deliciousness.

A coconut orange cream pie like nothing you have ever eaten. The creme brûlée wins the desert contest BUT if you go twice like we did you can try both!!

Day 397 – Travel Day

August 10, 2015Leave a comment

Louies Back Yard Key West

Whenever I go on a trip there always seems to be some leftover sketches that don’t quite get painted. I call these making my own coloring book because sooner or later I go back and paint them.

This is one I got around to painting. Louies should have about ten stars on its sketch.

Mahi Mahi with Mango sauce.

The food is superb the servers outstanding and the views are amazing. Hands down our favorite for divine food. Go at lunch to save a little on the bill!!

A not to be beaten combo of great food and gorgeous view.

After we ate inside we sat on the back deck enjoying the breeze and the view of the Florida straits.

The view from out table.

My sisters Beef. Also fab.

My creme brûlée with a brownie buried in it. Melt in your mouth deliciousness.

A coconut orange cream pie like nothing you have ever eaten. The creme brûlée wins the desert contest BUT if you go twice like we did you can try both!!

Day 396- Sweet Bear

August 9, 2015August 10, 2015Leave a comment

Bear was my sons sweet huge 85 lb. pit bull rescue who wandered into our lives about two years ago.

One spring day he followed Ben home and refused to leave. It didn’t take him long to move from the front porch to the bed and the sofa.

He was hard to say no too. Bear would really rather be a lap dog than a porch dog.

I started to draw him whenever I visited. His brindle due was always a challenge.

I drew him in ink.

I drew him in ink and watercolor.

I tried to draw him in an artsy manner with just his red hound dog eye showing.

I drew him in smuged ink.

And another watercolor.

I sent him to the corner when he begged while I was cooking where he was mournful.

I journaled about him. Bear was a wonderful dog and model who contracted a terrible cancer which led to his passing away a week ago. We will all miss Mr Bear. We are glad he came into our loves and we hope he is out chasing a ball in Heaven where he is waiting for his daddy. He is missed!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret Bears grandma whose glad she Sketcher him a lot!! ️Xxx

Day 395 – Beach Time

August 8, 2015Leave a comment

but I really could use a cup of Cuban Coffee for some energy right now. Where is it when I need it?! Back in Key West!!!

Anybody in my family would be shocked to find out that I finally broke down and bought a cup of espresso. I obviously don’t even know how to spell it. 😳 I am known for drinking gallons of tea – iced or hot. But when in key West do as the natives do – drink Cuban coffee!!! It was dare I say it delicious. YUM. And the Cuban Coffee Queen makes great coffee and Cuban sandwiches.

Their sandwiches are huge and delicious. We actually made two meals out of ours. Each one is made from scratch when u order it. The bread was not out Of any bag of rolls I have ever eaten. Just Delicious. The setting is great too in Key Lime Square just off Duval and Southard hidden behind the art gallery on the north corner across from the Pegasus Hotel.

We also really liked their breakfast sandwhiches. Reasonably priced with a cup of Cafe con Leche. $4.50 I think. Hard to beat and so much better than McDonalds. We highly recommend it.

Just a really charming spot tucked away in the heart of downtown Key West. Don’t miss it!!

Ps they have a bathroom too. Hard to find on Duval Street!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx

Day 393 Endless Ibis

August 7, 2015Leave a comment

How many can you draw? Evidently I can draw a lot of them!!

Here’s a couple more. Did I say I have a lot of Ibis?!

The first three were quite involved sketches. Then I ran out of background ideas!! Oops. More morrow.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 392 – A Few Ibis

August 5, 20157 Comments

Three times is the charm they say! Wordpress keeps eating my post today. These were all drawn on site at the Key West Wildlife center. I counted at least 8-10 pages of ibis sketches.

Stay tuned tomorrow for painting details. Want to be sure WordPress behaves before I write one more long post.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 392 – Wesley

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015Leave a comment

my sons English fox hound mix rescue is spending some time with his grandma.

All the drawings are app. 6×12. If you are interested in having me draw your dog email me at m c m h u nt @ me. Com

Wesley Noodler Creaper Ahab Platinum carbon Black ink.

All the drawings are app. 6×12. If you are interested in having me draw your dog email me at m c m h u nt @ me. Com

Every Monday I try to win the Goulet Pen giveaway. Every Tuesday I DONT!! Reminds me of when I buy a lottery ticket. Lol.

I suppose I did actually win because I like these sketches a lot. And I like to draw dogs a lot. Wesley was a very cooperative subject as he snoozed on the sofa chaise on top of a quilt.

One relaxed dog. Noodler Konrad with Lexington Grey Ink.

I usually start by drawing the spine and the top of the head a modified contour drawing. I also bear down on the pen like I did on his legs to make a variety of lines.

You have to love a Noodler Flex Nib pens ability to do that. All the lines on the first three pics were done with a Noodler Flex Nib. It works simalarly to a dip pen and usually not quite the mess.

The first two drawings were colored with the Noodler pens. I smudged the ink with my finger as I went.

Did I say he likes to sleep!? Noodler Konrad with Lexington Grey Ink. This one is just cross hatched. I left light areas to give an effect of the shine on his black fur.

Dogs can sleep for hours and just rearrange giving you new drawing opportunities. This one was the first one I drew. Done with a Pentel brush pen. His jaw was a little too wide so I started over again this time with a Noodler pen which allows me more control. Sometimes it takes a few sketches of a new dog to get him down pat just like it does when you draw a new model.

The sketches are posted in the reverse order that I drew them. Wesley’s head is the last one I drew of him.

Back to key West sketches tomorrow. I think I drew enough while I was there to post for the rest of the month. Lol. Hmm maybe I should save some of them for while I am in Paris?!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx