Heading to Brevard

January 23, 2020January 23, 20202 Comments

I past this cute cabin on the way into Brevard over the holidays but lazy me just got around to painting the sketch.

I stood on the side of Highway 64 on a bright cool day to draw the cabin which was so cheery and bright in its field. Not always easy to find a place to draw on the busy windy mountain road.

Here’s the sketch. On some kind of cold press watercolor paper. Probably Fabriano.

I used a lot of white gouache on the tree in the foreground which was fun. Have a rough texture over the grey of the smeared pen.

Sky is Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise. Gold is Daniel Smith quin gold. I mixed burnt sienna and the Andrews turquoise for the trees greens and the greys. Love dual purpose colors

Micro Uniball pen.

Margaret ready to hang it up for the day xoxoxo

In Aiken paintin’

January 22, 2020January 23, 20204 Comments

Don today. Hope you click on him and see him bigger. The background may change tomorrow. We shall see.

The sketch.

15×22 cold press Fluid. Hmm I have a whole roll of gesture drawings too. Was not thrilled doing another reclining pose. To top that off he went to sleep and his head started tipping toward me. And I mean tipped ALOT!! Not just a little.

Next break. I don’t know how I managed to get the holiday in his nose. It’s straight. Hmm.

Really like his hand.

Next break. Or was this when I was done. Not sure. Painted for three 25 min sessions. Since I wasn’t thrilled with the pose I had fun playing and really like all the colors. Lots of alizarin mineral violet Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise. Some cad red and yellow and burnt sienna plus ultramarine.

Always fun hanging with my Aiken peeps.

Drew Murphy’s. His first nude male.

Eves. She and I had fun moaning about Don going to sleep. Really messed with our drawings. Thank goodness I took a pic before he went to sleep.

Loved Joya Jimenez- Stefanos pastel – that leg coming forward is so dynamic.

And Bills oil- lovely soft pastely colors that don’t show well in the light I took this in.

Wish I had gotten a photo of Amy Lockhard Nesss oh so interesting scribble drawings she made with a weird Mephisto pencil she got in Bulgaria. It only smeared when she used a tortillon. Hmmm.

Well that’s a wrap people. Come join us for some Aiken fun. T or Saturday. Oh and Plein air on Fridays.

Margaret tucked in for the evening. Freezing cold. A high of 39. Whaaaaatttt??

It’s Saturday

January 18, 2020January 23, 2020Leave a comment

And time to draw at Al’s salon!

Ilaina a work in progress and what a pain to draw accurately. Our poor girl was overly Tahred from working hard on a house she’s flipping so she has a good nap. As she fell asleep her head turned downward slowly. Oops.

Second break. The blanket is really grey but will probably go back and turn the background greyer since I rather like the blanket.

Coach Larry’s

Lots of foreshortened views today.

Eves

Drew Murphy’s

Catherine’s

Fred’s. Rather like this a lot. So abstract. Told him he needs to finish his and people would by them. My friend Alexis agrees with me.

Margaret who’s unreasonably tired.

xoxoxo

Don

January 14, 20201 Comment

Was our model today. We did ALOT OF gesture poses first which really do help with drawing the final figure quickly. Limbers you up.

1 minute gestures.

More 1 min and one 3 minute

3 min

five minute

Five minute. Like the last two the best of course.

First break 25 min. Drew him quickly and had ten min left til break to start painting. As I said gestures paid off.

Fifty min.

When I left. The right shoulder had drifted no longer following the pencil line. Oopsey.

So when I got home I redrew the pencil line and did some negative painted it aka painted behind him with Indanthrone blue and splattered a bit which is always fun.

He’s on the kitchen floor drying now.

Drew Murphy. He was to my immediate left.

Eves. Might be my favorite of all of them. There were close to 20 people in class today. Always a lot of fun. Come join us!

Margaret xoxoxo putting her feet up now.

High time

January 13, 2020Leave a comment

I posted.

Found these sweet clementines in my sons kitchen this am. Far too cute to eat attached to the leaves and each other.

If my bag of painted weren’t out in the car on a very rainy day in Atlanta I would paint these. Maybe tomorrow?!

I think I like it better with the lettering than without. What do you think ?!

Drawn with a uniball micropen in a handprint journal. High time I fill this book up and be on to the next one.

Margaret in rainy drippy squally Atlanta not looking forward to the drive home in the same weather. Also ruined all my plans for arts stores and other Atlanta fun. Time to replace my old ancient beloved London fog which is no longer waterprood.

Done well maybe

January 8, 2020Leave a comment

Calling Henry done for now but may mess with his right eye some more. Going to look at him a whole and then decide.

Here he is like he was this morning when I started. I darkened just about everything.

Lifted a highlight or two like the one on his index finger. Added some fingernails. BYTW u add the line denoting the nail ABOVE THE FINGERNAIL not under the it. A little blush of cad red on the nail and you are done.

So what else did I lift. Some weird yellow ochre dots on the background that looked like I hit it with the brush accidentally. Always surprised how easy it is to lift on Fluid hot press. I think it’s easier to do on hot press than cold press.

Added the background wash on the left. It’s made up of Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise yellow ochre has mineral violet with maybe a little alizarin.

So I stayed up til 2 am knitting on this sock. I had to draw a pattern for it first. I know you are thrilled to know that. Calling it Jos sock for the polka dot socks Jo March had on in the latest version of Little Women. Gorgeous movie but NOT faithful to the book. After I watch it a few more dozen times I will I hope get over that like I did with Under the Tuscan Sun.

Margaret taking a nap before Book club. Do I have to go?!! Xoxoxox

I see a bird

January 7, 2020January 8, 20202 Comments

A purple finch to be exact. I think they are the cutest birds. This time of the year they fluff up their feathers looking even cuter.

I watched one fat happy and fluffy in a pile of bird seed on the back porch. It was in bird heaven. It settled down for a long winters snack. I noticed my cat creeping up. Had to chase me fat and happy off his like of seed.

Spent most of the day cleaning out the last of Christmas and looking for a painting of my nephew which I need to get framed and enter in splash.

Of course it was the last place I looked. Why is that?? To make it worse it was under another wc painting I had hung from a binders clip. She was hiding him. Got to get them both to the framers soon. Before Kristin shoots me for saying I needed it yesterday. Oh and better bake her that long owed batch of choc chip cookies. Ops.

Socks are done. House is cleaner so not a total loss. Next up a pair of magenta socks with polka dots. Seriously I need to get some painting done.

Margaret ready for her four o’clock nap. Xoxoxox

It’s Saturday

January 4, 2020Leave a comment

Emily 15×22″ cold press Fluid paper

Sketch

At forty minutes in

Second break

And when I quit today.

Used my Charles Reid palette colors.

Dr Bill who was too my right.

Dr Fred who was sitting in front of Dr Bill

Coach Larry who was behind me.

Drew who was to my left

Al Beyer who does a great back!

That’s a wrap. Off to another movie

Xoxoxox Margaret

Splash

January 3, 2020January 5, 20202 Comments

Have three paintings I am finishing up to enter in the splash competition. If I don’t enter I won’t get in will I?!

Been working on Gypsy today.

Here she is now. Can u tell the difference?! Got to take a better picture on a sunny day when the colors are not so dark. Stupid smart phone thinks it knows best but it doesn’t.

Just little things like more detail on the beads. More sloppy dots as we call them.

Added some white gouache on highlights like around her glasses and in her earrings.

Before. Also darkened her moth a little. Small drips and drabs.

About those dots. Try to never make two the same shape or in a line aka systematic. It’s so easy to just put the dots all in a line without even realizing it. And change colors. I don’t do that enough.

Onward to Henry and a commission.

Cold press Fluid watercolor paper. Fealing Lin palette colors

Margaret whose trying to decide if she wants watch season 3 of Anne with an E or not.

Ps listened to an interesting book for book club while I painted. A Well Behaved Woman about the Vanderbilts. Interesting. Xoxoxox

Happy New Years

January 1, 20202 Comments

Naomi 15×22″ 140 lb cold press fluid paper.

Busy painting – the GWS deadline is looming.

And going to movies. Little Women yesterday. Richard Jewell today. Enjoyed little Women but I always love them. One of my fav books as a kid.

Naomi earlier today. I wanted to brighten her hands. And get rid of drips which I did yesterday with a mr Clean eraser.

I lifted the hands with the Mr Clean too and masking tape to keep the other nearby colors crisp. I also did some negative painting with darks on her pants to brighten her hands. Added bits of yellow ochre or raw sienna.