A few random sketches from past Dr Sketchys!
Hurry you still have time to go. At Chat Noir downtown. 8th and Ellis. 7-10 pm
Cu there.
Costumes required Mermaid nite
Fawns
Double mermaids
She sells sea shells
FOzzie Bear
Tired Santa
Mobster and his moll
All sketches ink and tombow markers and a few with watercolor
Hurry you still have time to go. At Chat Noir downtown. 8th and Ellis. 7-10 pm. Cu there.
Probably my favorite bird at Parrot Mountain. I am a sucker for blues and this hyacinth parrot was just a beautiful deep blue. He’s the endangered bird in the movie Rio.
And yes his eyes and beak are a bright yellow.
Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. Wet on wet and splatters after he dried.
Another sock done. I did this one in 24 hours and I exercised and cooked dinner too. Fasted sock ever. Crystal Palace mini Moochie yarn.
Thanks for reading n
Margaret xxx
Mt Le Conte 8×10″ watercolor Strathmore 500 watercolor paper
Drawing Mt Le Conte from the Gatlinburg Bypass overlook.
Mt Le Conte in the Spring last year. 5×10″Aquabee supertablet Pentel brush pen.
From the same overlook but the other end of the car park. Odd how much of Gatlinburg you can see depending on where you park.
Once again Ted Nuttals transparent colors. The foreground grass was done by scratching wet paint with an old palette knife.
Back to madly knitting my freestyle socks.
Finished last nite.
Started this morning.
Old Evans Family Cemetery tucked away in the woods near the Great Smoky National Park Headquarters. The first sketch I did when I was leaving.
I drew so much it took me four hours to drive thirty miles. But the park is gorgeous anytime of the year and something gorgeous is around every turn whether it’s a mountain view, a quiet stream dashing over rocks or wildflower. Just a drive thru the tunnel of trees is enjoyable.
Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. A lot of splattering some negative painting.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
One of my favorite places to eat in Gatlinburg. delicious food. An amazing flourless chocolate torte. I do wish I had gone back and tried the alcoholic root beer float with their homemade vanilla ice cream especially now that I am back on Lo carb! 😏
We usually eat outside but since it was raining the deck with its umbrella covered tables was closed off.
It’s in a charming old cabin on the Artist Loop almost all the way to BuckHorn Inn the other best food in Gatlinburg. Both are pricey.
The Plum Tea Room is only open from 11-3 but I hear they do awesome take ours.
Paint is Ted Nuttalls transparent colors.
Since my phone is dying that’s it for today.
Thanks for checking by. Have a great weekend and stay out of the heat.
Margaret xxx
And a redo 
Bear Country in Pigeon Forge.
I was sitting at the gas station and looked up to see this. Such great colors and people. You know I had to draw it. 
Ivy Rose Wedding Chapel on the E Parkway Gatlinburg TN
A bit of a redo. Darkened it a lot. Gave more contrast to the white chapel. I really need to practice painting greenery. I do think it looks better than it did.
Here it is before.
But no more double page spreads in the Prius. What was I thinking.
Finally found the three foot plus strip that I drew near the Newfound Gap Overlook but this is looking toward Tennessee. The Gap is at the NC/TN state line.
Looking toward NC.
Here’s a closeup of the strip. I am going to practice painting more trees and mountains before I paint this.
Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent pallette.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
Mike High Overlook – Balsam point Great Smoky National Park.
And it’s my grandsons fourth birthday so still busy busy busy. Off to Walmart to buy a pool to hide dinosaur bones in. We are digging for bones this afternoon. And a bouncy house. Who needs presents??!
Oconaluftee Farm – Great Smoky National Park. If you haven’t been to the park you should. It’s truly a national treasure. So much to do and see and it’s all free.
All of these sketches were done on Strathmore 500 watercolor paper or in a Strathmore mixed media 500 sketchbook.
Most were done with a fine nib Carbon Platinum Pen with permanent Carbon Platinum ink. When I get home I will paint them and hopefully bind them into a book.
Barred Rock chickens at Oconaluftee Farmstead.
More Barred Rocks. Adding some elk prints to this one. They are everywhere at the farm eating the crops just like the deer.
Oconaluftee River with a gain sycamore. A few lines was enough. I can always add more when I am done.
Hopefully it will look like this when I get done.
Huge hemlocks at Oconaluftee.
And a parrot
Rosy ring necked parakeet
Parrot that needs more work I think.
Hmm well you shouldn’t paint at midnite. What else can I say!? He should be more of an emerald green but that’s easy to fix.just another coat of darker green.
One coat of a nice green and he’s better. Not so pale and washed out.
The background is cerulean and Quin sienna. Not a big fan but the sienna works well with the cerulean. Splattered with the same colors.
Check by for a parrot update. Off to find something to draw I hope.
Margaret xxx
Hot off the paint brush. Red macaw at parrot mountain. Best sketching fun I have had in a while. And it looks so much better painted.
Pyrrole red alizarin Crimson maganese blue and the usual culprits cerulean burnt sienna Inathrodone blue all done wet on wet. Oh burnt umber for the blacks.
I often wonder why I can draw animals and scenery in public as people drift by but if I am drawing people I like to hide my sketchbook.
A peach cockatoo. He was too far away and people kept walking in front of the bird. Painted with a red orange soup that was on my Pallette.
Entrance to Parrot Mountain and yes those are very steep steps. Pant pant. But the flowers are lovely. Parrot Mountain takes in rescued birds of all types but most exotic birds like parrots and macaws and large parakeets. Owners don’t realize that some of these birds can out live them.
We went in this way which is I guess the handicapped access- a concrete ramp which should be labeled ramp to heaven. Very steep!
A few macaws under their hats near the parking lot. Someone asked why they don’t fly away. They can’t. The wing feathers are cropped so the best they can do is flutter a short distance. Sad for the birds but at least they are well taken care of in a lovely jungly spot.
Off for some lunch at the Plum Tea Room on the artists loop and away from the mobs of Gatlinburg or should I say herds? So many people!
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
I am off to draw and paint plus a little sock yarn buying therapy as soon as I post.
Parrot Mountain is wonderful. Lovely gardens filled with birds all owner surrendered or rescued. Parrots macaws parakeets and a lot of other exotic birds.
The place is just lovely with many quiet spots to sit and enjoy the birds but I was HOT to draw them and did. However the rain was NOT conducive to painting them.
The Parrots and cockatoos have perches with little straw hats on top. I wish I had one yesterday when it started raining. Finally pouring but the lovely trees in the Parrot Mountain Gardens saved me from a soaking.
What are you doing my dear? Drawing. Some of the birds were so curious.
One of the caretakers. He loves the birds and they love him.
How’s this for a family portrait you will never forget?!
Misty A highly endangered Blue Hyacinth macaw in the petting area. This is the bird the movie Rio is based on.
Misty standing on her head half the time while I tried to draw her.
There were probably 100 different birds of all types in this area.
One of the cockatoos showing off for my son. Just the best $20 I have spent in a long time. Thoroughly enjoyed the place. I wish we could have stayed longer but we had a dinner reservation at the Buckhorn Inn and had to leave. We didn’t even have time to change for dinner we stayed so long.
Drawn in a strathmore mixed media 500 journal with Noodler Konrad and Carbon Platinum plus black ink.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret off to paint something today. Xxx
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 