Tuesday

February 5, 20202 Comments

Did I say exhausting?

Nothing like a sixty mile drive to paint and hanging out with friends to make you Tahred. 🤣But I managed to nap after the tenth correction after I got home anyway.

I thought the pose would kill me drawing it. Arms and legs going every which way. And that hand and foreshortened arm on the right. Eeekk.

I drew that arm and hand over and over again til I finally figured out you can’t see her forearm duh.

But maybe this is how she looked when I left?! Her face was squinchy but like the body.

And what about that neck. Groan.

The things you don’t notice in an hour or so of painting.

So here she is now. As Mike pointed out her eyes were NOT right. Too close together. So I fixed that. I also lightened her chin and widened her weird neck that I had given her.

Added a few shadows and called it quits. Well till I decide more Ilaina torture after I stare at it for a while.

Drew Murphy painted his gesture drawings. Kind of fun in all the bright colors.

Marilyn Hartley charcoal. Did I say LOVE!!

Also Marilyn Hartley charcoal Love that left hand. And the feet. Yummy lines Marilyn Rocks.

Margaret going back to her nap. Xoxoxox

My Bird Count

February 2, 20202 Comments

The birds have been flocking on the back porch feeders like crazy lately. No idea why. Sometimes there a just a few for days and other times they just swarm out there. Lately it has been the swarms.

Seven cardinals 30 or more finches 3 or 4 doves plus titmice and chickadees. They also fly off and lands in swarms.

Audubon back yard bird count coming up soon. How do you count them ?!! One lands and another takes off. Hmmm

Bet a few of these get some color like the cardinals predictably.

Sepia F Pitt pen aka extra fine brown. Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook

Did I say more rain predicted for Tuesday.

Margaret already onto another pair of socks. Xoxoxo

Continue reading →

New Ilaina torture

February 1, 2020Leave a comment

Ilaina today after an hour and a half of painting. Already thinking of corrections. Drew was not there to light her so she had the lamp full in her face the whole time. It was maybe a foot above her head. Good way to go blind but also made her eyes narrow and squinchy and also made dramatic shadows.

the sketch and a toning wash of ochre and turquoise

dr bill oil

Coach Larry knocking them out. Charcoal.

Rainy days

January 31, 2020Leave a comment

Poor soaked birds are flocking to the feeders on the back porch. I counted more than 20 finches six cardinals 2-4 doves chickadees wrens and titmice plus a blue jay or two. I could tell how many of they wore name tags. lol.

Drawn in a small alpha stillman and birn with an XF sepia pitt pen which barely smears at all despite my efforts.

Poor soaked finches out the den door

I couldn’t resist coloring the Cardinals for just a tiny pop of color. They are such gorgeous birds especially when they fluff up to stay warm on cold wet days. I colored them with watercolor pencils.

Margaret who turned the heel on her sock and is sliding toward the toe on this rainy day. Xoxoxo

Done I think

January 30, 20201 Comment

Can u tell how I changed her?! It now looks like Ilaina. I only changed five or six very small tweaks. Take a guess and I will list what I changed tomorrow.

Here’s how she looked about ten minutes ago. That’s about how long it took to make the changes.

Drew Murphy’s. I forgot to post these yesterday. He’s been using a new kind of acrylic paint from Holland that he loves. Thick and buttery.

I took a pic when I thought this was Alexis’s but I think it’s my a lady named Amy who was next to Alexis.

And the gestures. Half an hours worth.

One minute vine charcoal on cheap newsprint

She did some fantastic yoga poses.

Next up three five minutes to complete the half an hour of gesture poses.

really like this one a lot. They were drawn with a general charcoal pencil Liked drawing with it much better.

And that’s a wrap for Tuesday life modeling.

Oh Dr Doolittle too much fun in a movie. Great cgi. And RObert Downey JR to swoon over. Think I will take my grandkids to see it.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Fixing the train wreck

January 29, 20202 Comments

The way she looked when I left life modeling today.

The way she looks now. I decided I had really messed her face up and decided to lift a half inch strip down her face as delineated by the pencil mark.

I used masking tape and a mr clean eraser.

The sketch

First break. At this point I was happy. Then down the rabbit hole. Sigh.

As many times as I have drawn Ilaina u would think it would be a piece of cake. NOPE.

No idea how I went so wrong. Still doesn’t look like her but she looks better.

I do really like her hands. Maybe I should just paint hands.

Margaret hanging it up for tonite.

Clean up

January 26, 20202 Comments

Shortened her torso. Still looks off but she’s done. No more messing with her. It’s possible her torso is still a little too long but I don’t care enough to do anymore to her.

Great thing about watercolor paper is you can turn it over and use the back!

I also changed the background on this one. Thought it was too much blue of course now I think the dark background is too dark.

Color me never quite happy with my paintings especially life modeling ones.

Margaret off to to see 1917 in a bit.

It’s Saturday

January 26, 2020January 26, 20203 Comments

First break

Drew this view first but I really am not fond of a small figure in the middle of a large page. The figure turned out nicely but it’s almost as if a microscope is needed to see the figure in this drawing. So I moved to another more interesting angle that would fill up the page better.

This is what I ended up with. I only had an hour when I started so not bad for an hour. I should finish but probably won’t.

Her torso is a bit too long and what is with the left foot?!

Mostly painted with card red and yellow for flesh tones. Alizarin for darks or cobalt violet or a bit of Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise. Darkest darks cobalt and burnt sienna.

Black drape cobalt and burnt sienna. Yellow ochre and cobalt ok the lighter one.

Second break.

Drew Murphy who was to my right.

Al Beyer who was even further to my right.

And Fred’s. Gotta love this wild painting.

Henry

Gypsy

Then I was off to the framer to get Kristin to put these into frames I already had. Gypsy is off to a show in McCormick.

I also entered her in the National Transparent Watercolor Show. Wonder if she will get in. 🤔🤔🤔

Henry is going on a wall at my house unless my kids say pretty please for the painting.

Always watching

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020Leave a comment

On the back porch a cardinal male is always watching to be sure there are no cats or squirrels lying in wait while the birds eat seeds on the back porch. He stands up tall and swivels his head.

I painted this with my tiny whiskey painters box and a water brush. The paint box was great the water brush not so much.

Thank goodness I had an old sable paint brush handy to the sofa where I sat as I painted. Did I say a new off white lazy boy cloth sofa. Oopsey. Well it survived and so did I.

Stillman and Birn Alpha Lamy Ef with brown noodler Ink

Cad red and alizarin bird cobalt and burnt umber in background and his mask.

Just back from Just Mercy. Highly recommend both the book the movie and the audible version. A true story of justice gone wrong in the south and how it was fixed. W

Margaret ready to knit.

Zoe

January 23, 2020Leave a comment

I meant to paint all day today but NOPE I spent most of it on online chat trying to fix the image sizes on my site. Still not sure how it went astray but I think it’s fixed now.

I drew this sketch of Zoe this am in a tiny Stillman and Birn Alpha. With a regular lead pencil. Maybe I will draw her again tomorrow and fill the little book up. Just enough challenge for a daily drawing?!

I did think to paint her til I spent all day on the computer.

Then I spent a couple more hours photographing and sizing and entering an art show.