Day 403 – Work in progress

August 16, 2015August 16, 2015Leave a comment

Mermaid House thank you card Finished

Thought u might like to see one in progress. I frequently take pics of my work as I go to check on values.

I also sometimes change the photo to black and white to check the values. I, like most people, usually need more darks to make the lights pop.

The first time I checked values and general do I like the way it’s going?!

Adding more darks to the palms. Love the palm on the right.

The sun was coming from the right in this early morning photo.

I lifted some color from the palms to make more lights.

This is what I used to lift some of the color. It’s an architect erasure shield and an old hog bristle paint brush of my dads. I did get a little carried away scrubbing the darks. Then I blotted them with Kleenex.

I decided the lifted spots looked to uniform and too stripey.

So I added a little green on some of the stripes as well as some cobalt blue for even more darks.

U can see that I taped down the paper.

This is some Stonehenge that I ripped the wrong size for a sketchbook. Stonehenge does well with watercolor. All my people strips are made from Stonehenge or Strathmore Mixed Media 500 paper.

Finished card

I added another wash of cerulean to darken the sky and make the very light house pop. Adding more darks under the porch roof and too all the rails and steps also made it pop more. Then I splattered it with Inathradone blue and burnt umber.

Contrast makes it pop. Not enough darks and it will be bland!!

Oh and I had to make an envelope. It’s a thank you note for the beach house owner for inviting my sis and I last weekend. I buy boxes of cards on sale for the envelopes especially after Christmas.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx

Day 402 Wishing I was

August 15, 2015Leave a comment

at the beach. I almost always do especially in the summer.

Saturday at Garden City

A little something I painted last weekend while managing to get a nice sunburn. I am always amazed at the sheer number of people on the beaches at Garden City and Myrtle Beach.

I am used to going to Edisto where there are fewer people on the beach. If someone is close as close as fifty feet to you the beach is full at Edisto. On the Grand Strand you hope you can find a square inch as the tide rises!!

Here it is in progress on the beach. The same group of ladies say and giggled nearby the whole weekend.

A crow stole the guy in the redshirts sunflower seeds when the guy got up to get in the water. You just never know what is happening on a beach. Too much to take it all in.

Here is the sketch done with my Noodler Creaper Ahab. Very loose and scribbly.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx

Day 401 – impressive number of

August 15, 20152 Comments

continual posts. Almost broke the record snoozing today. Oopps. So make this short and sweet. More Garden City!

These three sweet children were waiting for their mothers who were busy making money doing hair weaves @ $5 each on vacationing little girls. They were so well behaved I drew the whole pier before I noticed them. The one small girl was literally sitting under the palm.

That’s it for Tonite.

Thanks For reading.

Margaret ️xxx

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