Category: Art

Day 1093 Its Saturday

Leave a comment

Ilaina, painted on Strathmore Bristol, drawn wa 6B pencil.  I must be rusty not having gone for a couple of weeks. Actually was nervous today. Too much caffeine?! I am never nervous at lifemodeling but I was today.  

I actually like it but it doesn’t look quite like our lovely Ilaina who is such a great model. She does a lot of yoga is very muscular and toned and poses steadily as a rock. 

I lifted color here and there and added to the background. She’d had a purple blob on her chin. And the shadow under her eye on the one on her nose has hard edges. 

Eek what’s with the purple blob?!!  

I love the background done w a 2″ flat cheap Joes Golden Fleece and a spray bottle and a little dabbing.  

First break forty minutes.  Colors used vermilion yellow ochre cobalt ultra violet mineral violet.  Background and hair burnt sienna and cerulean and burnt umber. 

Drew Murphys acrylic 


AC oil


Terry oil

Rachel Miller watercolor. 

Coach charcoal 

Coach pastel 


Al large oil. 

May torture mine some more. Haven’t decided. 

Ttyl

Margaret 

Day 1092 WIP

Leave a comment

Thought this would be done by now. What was I thinking painting a 20×30?! I should have switched to a larger brush-maybe my 16 kolinsky especially for the background.  

 

I put in too much background again. Even though I used cobalt instead of cerulean it’s the same tone as the old mason jug which is why the mason jar gets lost. 

So will have to darken either the background or the jar. 

 I will say I like it much better this am than I did last nite. Sometimes things look better the next day. Last nite I thought it was pretty bad. But I think it’s fixable 

This little saki pot made me quit. Looked high and lo for my masking fluid. Only found a dried out bottle. Noway was I paintingnit without masking those dots. 

Like the painting looked better this am I realized I had unloaded my paint box when I took Charles Reid’s class (he never uses masking) and left it in my big box that was Dads. Sure enough it was there. 

So how did I do all those dots?! The end of a cheap model paint brush dipped in. If the dots were smaller I would have used a BBQ skewer or a toothpick. I also tried to make those farther away smaller and keep them lined up and in concentric circles. 😱

Loving the start on the flowers. 

Laid in background in a hurry. Should have been thinking less is more. 

The Strathmore Bristol makes those flowers run together and look positively delicious. It’s swirls on the surface similar to yupo. Hmm maybe I should try yupo next?!  


So far. It needs something to the left of the hot sauce. Maybe the trim on the bridge cloth its sitting on!? Maybe more fruit?! 

It will tell me sometimes soon. In the meantime stay tuned. Ted Nuttalls transparent colors plus cerulean and Andrews Turquoise. 

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1091 A definite HMM 

2 Comments

Half sheet on Richeson 300# cold press 15×20. Everybody hates my antique Kowloon doll in the painting so I tried to knock him back by loosing my whites on him and making him darker with ultramarine. I also washed his head with Quin burnt sienna and cerulean.  I did the same to the background to make the light flowers pop more. 

I also added a bunch of blobby bits a la Fealin Lin to it to define the flowers more. Like it better now but still don’t know if it’s done. 

One friend thought my little guy was creepy. Lol. He’s actually a mandarin dressed in a black Silk jacket and beautiful blue silk pants w touches of bright saffron yellow which have faded over the years. 

Last nite it looked like this. I actually liked the bottom half. I just didn’t like the way the flowers were lost in the background. 

I think it’s because the values were too close. When I converted it to gray scale in iPhoto not much difference in tone. Which is why I darkened the background. 

The sketch. Bytw this was painted upright on an easel. 

Having another go without the doll on Strathmore Bristol board which is like hot press watercolor  paper but even slicker making  the colors slide around on it. This one is 20×30. Why not make my screw ups bigger?! 🤗

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1088 A recap

Leave a comment

Thought you might like to see the order of the sketchbook so far. Still at least one more sketch to paint which will go here in the order. Painted on Kilimanjaro with Ted Nuttalls Transparent colors or Charles Reid Palette. Pen Lamy Safari loaded with Noodler Black. 

Seemed like and especially good idea to me 

Since the upstairs AC was dripping water thru the ceiling  and it’s turned off. 

So I “slept” on the den sofa 

But mostly tossed and turned 

Getting just a few hours of sleep. 

AC fixed. Nap time now. Enjoy. Margaret xoxoxox worn out. 

Day 1087 Sweetwater Fly Fishing Camp

Leave a comment


The Cabin sits on the Thompson River one of the best wild  trout rivers in North Carolina and it’s one of the few places there is access to it.  The property is surrounded by Nantahala National Forrest so the only access to the Thompson at the fish camp. 

The rhidodendrons were in full bloom last week as was the wild flower meadow. Gorgeous setting.  The shed is a picnic shed with adirondack chairs and a fire pit over looking the river. 

Ttyl Margaret heading home today xoxoxo I mean we have to watch GOT tonite right?! 

Day 1086 Cornucopia in Cashiers

Leave a comment

Our favorite place to eat  Cornucopia in Cashiers. A great big open air barn of a restaurant. Even when you eat inside it’s like eating outside. They do have a large section of umbrellas to eat under too. 

It’s open year round. They roll large clear plastic sheeting down to keep the cold air out. It used to be BYOB so check before you go. Good food. Great service. Kid friendly. 

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette. 

Henry’s big birthday party today. Art with 20 something five year olds. 

Margaret already exhausted in Decatur. Xoxoxo

Day 1084 – Cashiers Fourth of July Extravaganza

Leave a comment

Finally happy with one of the paintings. About time. I got out my #2 Isabey mop to loosen up and I think it worked. 

Always does because it’s impossible to be exact with a mop. 


These spreads are long. About 6×15 so they are time consuming to paint. 

Painted with Ted Nuttall Palette of transparent colors. Bytw don’t people know they are suppose to wear red white and blue on the fourth. What’s with all the grey shirts!? 

Thanks for stopping by. Margaret with three more to paint from this trip. Xoxoxo

Day 183 Sweetwater Fly Fishing Camp page 

Leave a comment

The title page is done. Not to sure about that rainbow trout but that seems par for every page I am doing lately. Lol. 


Earlier this week. How many more pages to paint?! Two or three. 

I don’t know if I said but this is a copy of a sketch I did for their guest book. Only that one is just in black and white. 

Bytw the water was painted with my #2 Isabey mop. Drawing with my Lamy Safari on Kilimanjaro cold press #140 paper.  

Back to sneezing. 

Margaret xoxoxo 

Day 1082 Watercolor 

Leave a comment

Never turns out the way you think it should. I think it is Charles Reid that says it’s part you but at least 50% it’s doing what it wants to do.  

The Cashiers Fireworks Extravaganza. That and played from about 5 till midnight with fireworks in between. A fun nite and they only ask for a donation. What a deal!!  

Of course it would help if you could find the picture of the scene before you start painting. My phone aeeemd to have eaten this when I was painting it yesterday. Eeekk. And of course now that I am done I have found it. Oh well. 


I will say the camera tends to darken the shadows so who cares?! 


On to the next page right?! Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette. 


I did draw this at the Extravaganza. Just my grandkids would have wanted to help me paint it. They would have been covered in paint with no access to clean up. 

Day 1081- Still feeling like I 

Leave a comment

Can’t paint. And am thinking I don’t like the pencil. Turns into a grey mess that has to be erased. My son and his family at our Fourth of July picnic in Cashiers in the Green.  

We were thrilled to find our favorite popsicle for sale on the Green. It’s an Atlanta based company started by a friend of my sons and his wife that went to law school with them and the popsicle are delicious. My favorite is raspberry lime and only 45 calories. 

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo home from Sapphire and worn out. But the laundrys done and I bought some groceries.