Day 182 Tractor time

September 11, 2020Leave a comment

Ok so I like to draw vehicles. If I had my big sketchbook and fav juicy Derwent sketching pencil I probably would have drawn the cars at Costco or Chic Fil A drive through today.

BUT NOPE so I drew the tractor at Good Earth a local store that sells local produce. Great tomatoes green beans corn peaches apples and some locally produced items like my favorite popsicles King of Pops.

Today o realized there was a convenient place to draw the tractor and it’s trailer. I added some of the plants and moved some around for a more interesting arrangement a la Vlad recommends. Why take the class if u don’t give it a try?! If I had a pencil I would have done a value sketch.

Pilot micro pen Fabriano Venezia sketchbook. Tiny thing postcard sized. Sooner or later paint when I get around to it. It would love some paint. Maybe when I finish this one tomorrow.

Kitty taming coming up tomorrow. Aren’t they adorable?

Top-Bottom

Tiger 1 or 2 (twins), Blackie and Halley short for Halloween kitty. Her twin sister is Weenie. 🤣

Xoxoxoxo Margaret Tahred from shopping hauling groceries upstairs and then washing them all. Endless washing washing washing.

😘

Day 181 – Value Sketching

September 10, 20202 Comments

Today I took another fascinating Zoom online class with Vlad Yesilesev in Value Sketching today. He always does one before he paints a scene or a photo.

These value sketches will be used for this months paint alongs on Sunday afternoons.

He says a value sketch determines your Composition and Value which are the most important things in any painting.

After you determine your Composition you do Value with the highest contrast in your focal point with lightest and darkest. There will also be more detail in this area. NEVER copy a photo.

It does not have to be pretty.

So here’s what we did today. The photo. Kind of Ho hum boring.

Cortez Fl Cottage cropped. changed a lot hasn’t it??!

The value sketch. The Adirondack chair is the focal point. I think these things are really cool. That chair just really pops when you see it in person.

Venice

Cropped.

You can highlight what you want to like that great arches bridge.

Provence

This one was not cropped.

My value sketch. Now to try to do this on my own before I forget how. So little time and so much to do.

Margaret putting her feet up for now. Xoxoxo

Day 179 Cortez, Florida

September 9, 2020May 19, 20211 Comment

Fifty miles from Sarasota lies the small fishing town of Cortez. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

15×22″ of well behaved Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro cold press. LOVED painting on it esp when I consider the price of $54 for ten sheets. What a deal. I also used ALOT of Cheap Joes American Journey paints like yesterday’s cobalt of the paper tests. Why you ask?? Good bright colors. HUGE 37 ml tubes for the price of 15 ml tubes. When you paint with Vlad you go through a ton of paint so the American Journey never gets a chance to dry out. Once it’s dry it won’t rewet easily like my favorites Holbein and M Graham.

Ok Needs some more work like why did I stop the water on the right side. Hmmmm and a few more darks.

The photo

Vlads value study.

Getting sketch started .

Finishing that up.

First wash. Always interesting how the little grey marks that are so pale in the water show up in the last washes.

Lots of greys yellow ochre gold cobalt and some Andrews turquoise on the left boat. In the end that turquoise looks white.

Interesting I think.

Sky done. Andrews turquoise cobalt and some neutral tint on the blue side. Then last minute indigo on the left.

Trees done and boats starting to appear. Trees are cad yellow cobalt neutral tint and yellow ochre oh and burnt umber. All mixed to the green side.

And now they are really showing up. Why did I forget to paint the back end of the left boat. Duh. The things you do when madly painting. And how did I twitch the one piling on the building to make it crooked?! A real duh. Hate things like that.

The boat has a nice glow doesn’t it?! Who knew.

Scratched some poles and masts into the left tree and a few branches on the right tree.

Suddenly most of it’s done. Time for details.

Wires and lines dark darks. People in the restaurant. And there’s that wash I didn’t Finish. That hard line is going to be difficult to fix.

And here it is now. I did work at fixing the piling. I am going to put a dark dark over the wonky one. See if it will knock it back.

Quitting for tonite. More manana.

Tv time. Been watching the Rob Lowe cop show on Brit Box. He’s the police chief in a Lincolnshire town called Boston. Good show full of strange quirky people.

Margaret xoxo w her feet up.

Day 175 Done and another started.

September 5, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Finally. And I like it. Made me nervous darkening the sky and the foreground. But I like it. Very dramaticPaint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

I painted a lot of the foreground with these brushes. That was fun. My acrylic paint brushes.

Green St, Key West 15×22″ Fabriano Rough

And started this one in an online class with Vlad Yesilesev all about how to pic photos. I know I learned a lot but right now too tired to tell you what I learned. The paper was out in the middle of the day for several hours so i have been behind all day.

The photo

Mind you this is suppose to be painted. Sigh. I think it took two hours to draw. Ridiculous. And I haven’t had time to do the value study.

Groan.

Off to bed. Margaret xoxoxo

Day 171 The Louvre – After the Rain

September 2, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

The painting so far. Still a lot more to do like add the darks in the sky that I lost. Paint alongs with Vladislav Yesileyev

Cadaques finished. Almost forgot I finished this one.

More tomorrow. One should not deep clean the downstairs before a paint along. Do tomorrow I will clean some more and finish the painting. The finishing shouldn’t too take long. Just darken the sky in places and maybe the street.

Margaret too tired to move. Xoxox

Day 170 – The Way I Like Costco

September 1, 2020September 1, 2020Leave a comment

#2 Derwent Sketching Pencil small Stillman and Birn Alpha.

EMPTY. A couple of times a week I drive to Costco on the hunt for that elusive tp and sundries like Chlorox wipes and alcohol.

I drew this one to show the empty parking lot. Today when I went there were five cars there before me. Loving the early hours M-F for people over 60. They actually card us. This one old guy in front of me quipped can’t they tell my white hair and wrinkles mean I am really old. They need a card. But card they do anyway.

Got to say I feel safe in there. Sanitizing stations everywhere. The carts are sanitized too. And more wipes available if u want to do your own wipe. Hand sanitizer abounds. And miles to walk in the cool air conditioning. Just leave your debit card AT HOME. Wait they only take plastic. Touchless check out. LONG Sheets of plastic between you and the clerk. Just think most of the stock is never touched by human hands. They unload the palettes and stack them high.

Anyway pay a visit to your Costco. You will be happy. They go the extra mile!!

Margaret who can clock two miles in a Costco visit. Xoxoxo

Day 169 Cadaques Spain

August 31, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Verdict out on this one. I know u are tired of that line but maybe I will like it better in the am. Usually do.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Vlads photo

My drawing

First wash

Still first wash on sky and boat.

Background trees washed in.

Done for tonite.

Margaret watching kitties play. Xoxoxo

Day 165 Key West time

August 27, 2020Leave a comment

A work in progress.

To chop it down or not to chop it down. What do you think? .

The sketch and then I forgot to take photos. Duh. Did not turn out the way I had envisioned but it’s growing on me. Like it better without the bikes.

Just some of the watercolor paint my dad left me. I have a lot more since I don’t buy a lot of Cheap Joes. Just alizarin and Andreas turquoise. Some of this paint is more than twenty years old and still soft and useable. Aka good paint.

BUT I am going to replace the Lukas paint with Cheap Joes. Good paint as opposed to crappy paint at a reasonable price. Cheaper than any other except Lukas which is nasty and chalky.

Spent the day sorting my own paint for an upcoming class. I did find quite a few tubes on her list.

Swore I was never buying more paint then I hit amazon. More paint coming. Oops!!

I mean I didn’t have the right colors for the Kathryn Giles class, you know?! And I have been on the search for a good Transparent yellow. She says she has one. We shall see. Besides I eat Cad yellow and cad yellow light like peanuts so I can always use more..

Back to Schitts Creek. Margaret xoxoxo

Day 164 Sweating in Barcelona

August 26, 2020August 26, 20207 Comments

Another wild paint along with Vlad. Can’t wait for the next one Sunday. Painting boats. Love boat paintings

10×15″ Kilimanjaro 300#. I decided to use Kilimanjaro to see if it scraped like the nasty arches did.

The Arches scrapes great to do leaves, branches or grass. Maybe it will scrape for boat lines. Or I can use my dads antique arches that’s probably 20 years old. I know it scrapes great.

The photo. Kind of a nothing photo don’t you think except nice sunny light, umbrellas and a beautiful old building.

The value sketch

First wash- the water stage

Colors growing. Aka more first wash. Umbrellas really orange but odd it looks so red in this photo.

The second darker washes more pigment. The tea stage.

The last layers. Lots of milk. Aka thicker paint. I think mine moving be too thick.

And the way it is now. Kinda wishing I had not added the Browns and the grey trees on the left. Sometimes I get up in the morning and like them a lot better. We shall see right?!

Had fun drawing all over it with my white gel pen zip zip and always solid unlike white gouache.

Margaret ready for bed but has to watch one more episode of Schitts creek-my current binge. Soooo funny on Netflix’s. Watch more than one before you pass judgement. Xoxoxox

Day 163 Key West Dreamin

August 25, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Actually Laguna Beach. Crystal Cove I think. 1/4 sheet Fabriano rough press. If this were key west there would be a chicken or two and maybe a bicycler.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

Wishing I were walking out these gates to the beach. Reminds me so much of Key West. This Covid needs to go away so we can GO again. I know first world problems. I have to stay home and paint instead of going and painting.