Day 735 – Yes More France!!!!

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016Leave a comment

Les Andelys looking up toward Chateau Gaillard – Richard the Lionhearted’s chateau stronghold above the Seine.

One of the Seine barges steaming toward Le Havre. These boats are just huge. I had no idea they were so long or so fast. I had to draw Quickly!!

Chateau Gaillard. I drew it twice. This one I messed up and didn’t get the town below in. I “fixed it” by adding ledger paper and some real French stamps.

This is what I was trying to draw in the last painting. I actually like both of them a lot now.

The Eglise Saint Sauverers in Les Andelys with Gussie and Bob from Seattle in front of the church.

Like the church and museum yesterday I first coated it with Quin gold and then a mixed grey of cerulean and burnt sienna. The blacccks are also a mix of burnt umber and ultramarine or Inathrodone blue.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 734 – A Review

July 3, 2016July 4, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Fourth of July!! Hope u r enjoying yours. I know I am.

You know when you have a birthday you look back or forward so since I am traveling I thought that it might be good to share some of my favs I posted on my blog in the last year or so.

The French sketches. Some of my very favorites. Love this collagey one of our day in Normandy. The Bayeux Tapestry was amazing at 72 meters long.

I drew this on the bus as we went to different places. A fun thing way to journal.

The Canadian WW2 Museum at Juno Beach commemorating the 45000 Canadians that died in WW2. From above it looks like a maple leaf.

One of my fav sketches I did in France. It was quite a challenge. I drew this sitting on the beach above La Manche “The Sleeve” as the French call the English Channel.

The Canadian WW2 cemetery and Bién Sur Mer. Our guide was just excellent. This was Armistice Day Nov 11. Really like the fall trees and the way the guide turned out. She’s the lady in black.
Eglise de Ranville at Basse Normandie France.

I drew this standing in the cemetery while a storm was blowing in so I am blaming the odd perspective on that.

This was the first village freed by the Allies in Normandy invasion June 6 1944. It’s still pock marked with bullet holes.

Parts of this sketch I love and parts well I think they need a do over. However a lot of people just love it so input it in. It got a little grey and muddy to me. I do like the way the tower and the cemetery turned out. I wanted the whole church to look like the tower. Next time.

Bytw I started the church and the Canadian museum by coating them both with Quin gold before painting them with a mix of cerulean and Quin burnt sienna. Sometimes you win like the museum and sometimes you get a grey blustery day like the church.

More France tomorrow.

Thanks for checking by
Margaret who is planning some sketching trips this week. Stay tuned!!

Day 733 – more Saturday paintings and

July 3, 20162 Comments

Sketches. Some of the work yesterday was just exquisite.

Al Beyers. Oil – This is huge. 3’x4′ easy. And he painted it in less than two hours! The man’s a wonder.

Drew Murphey’s acrylic 24×30. Always love Drew’s work. And the colors. What a great sense of color!! And so loose!!

A kid next to me drew this. It’s just lovely. I hate I don’t know his name.

Nor do I know the name of the lady who drew this great pastel.

And last Fred’s. Always interesting post impressionistic work.

Thanks for looking.

Margaret xxx

Day 732- A Great Saturday

July 2, 2016July 2, 2016Leave a comment

Or at least my painting this morning turned out well I think.

An LA Gallery saw it on Instagram and is interested in my work. YEAH Me.

Anyway. I actually remembered to take in progress pics of her today. I thought you might like to see them.

The first blocking in. The most important thing I learned this year was how to always get the whole figure on the canvas. You measure her head and use that to get both the height and the width of the figure.

Who knew??! Only took me two years to discover that. You my dear readers can try it. Works every time.

You will notice the long vertical lines. They are plumb lines I dropped off her head and shoulder to line her bday up farther down.
Here she is at thirty minutes of work.

At the next break.

Almost done. Oh my goodness she’s not that thick thru the middle that’s her left arm. Duh!

Here she is done. So far I don’t want to change anything. A first for me.

The canvas is toned w Golden Quin Nickel Azo Gold. The defuse is painted with Winsor Titanium White, liquitex flesh, burnt umber, and Thalo blue, plus Golden green gold, dioxzine purple, and pyrrole red Thanks for reading.

Margaret.

Day 731 Another Year?!

July 1, 2016July 2, 2016Leave a comment

Who knows?! Maybe.

Emily acrylic 24×30″

A face lift!! Remember I only painted in her perhaps an hour and half Saturday. This is a big painting. 24x 30″ in acrylic

I worked a bit on Emilys face yesterday. Especially the mouth and ear. And did more negative painting around the head.

Here’s her head when I started. Not much of an ear. Lips and Bridge of nose off. Hair to light and brown. Ear flat. I could go on.

Emily acrylic 24×30″

Here’s the whole painting now. Worked a bit on the hands – highlight and shadows – and the breasts. She reminds me of a Van Gogh- one of the women he painted Madame somebody.

Emily Saturday
Colors : Golden Nickel Azo gold and green gold. Liquitex Titanium white flesh pyrrole and cad red light.

Day 730 – Happy Birthday Blog!!!

June 30, 20162 Comments

Happy Birthday Blog!!! Caran d’ache neocolor II on Kilimanjaro 5×7″

Absolutely THRILLED to say TWO years of posting daily. I started out just trying to post daily for 50 days. I think I made it!! 😊👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Start of an Abstract iii 26×40 Arches 280# elephant sheet

Have a couple of watercolors ready to paint. I really need to get with it but …..

So what else is up??? Plotting a trip to somewhere -probably France or China.

Travelzoo had some great deals. $1800 for 14 days in China including air fare may be hard to pass up.

But then there’s a seven day deal in France 4-5 days in Paris, museum passes hop on hop off bus, then off to the French country side around Dijon driving ourselves. Thinking that could be an adventure to remember.

Raisin full sheet watercolor Fabriano Hot Press just started
And thinking about a repeat of the Paris – Normandy Viking Cruise. You say why?! So I can draw Paris, Vernon, Auvers, Normandy and Rouen without being hustled everywhere nonstop while being pampered on the ship. Not bad.

Never touching a suitcase has its appeals.

It’s running $1900 including airfare. The southern leg thru Provence is also dirt cheap now.

So many possibilities. Which will it be. In the meantime heading to the mountains and Key West while we decide.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret dreaming of foreign lands instead of painting. Xxx

Day 729 – looking good

June 29, 2016June 30, 2016Leave a comment

Worked quite a bit on Raisins face today. Thank goodness I slimmed her down. I still need to work on refining her face.

Here’s the whole painting.

Last week. Eekkk

My lab wants petting. Got to go.

M xxx

Day 727 – A Hmm

June 27, 2016June 27, 201610 Comments

But off to opthamologist to see if I have a retinal tear so this is all you get today. Maybe I need some glasses because drawing this statue of James Brown on Broad Street was NOT my finest hour.

Once again I used Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus Daniel smiths green apatite. Love that for trees. The tree tops were sponged with a sea sponge.

The greys were mixed usually with Quin burnt orange and ultramarine blue. The more color you add the darker the grey is.

Thanks for checking by.

Margaret off to the doctor. Xxx

Day 726 – Almost two years.

June 26, 2016Leave a comment

My Van Gogh Sunflowers 20×24 Acrylic For Sale
Coming up on two years of daily posting on Day 730 or at least attempting to do that.

One of the things I learned this year – if you are taking a Viking cruise up the Seine River the wifi is definitely UNdependable. Have to think about a cure for that next time we go.
My friends and fellow artists say they have seen a lot of growth since I started this journey. I started out to do a month then 50 days then 90. It grew like topsy.

Auvers sur L’Oise – Prints available Watercolor 8 x 11″ approximately

I love Van Gogh. Ever since the Viking Cruise and a tour of Auvers where he died I have been thinking about painting sunflowers because I knew I could never afford a real Van Gogh. I had to paint my own another that mine is in his league!!
This week was the week. I bought a bunch of sunflowers at Krogers and Costco to paint in my blue Shishir pot from Tire City Potters in Augusta.

Colors used – Pthalo blue, cerulean, ultramarine blue, golden Green Gold and nickel Azo gold, hookers Green, cad yellow medium, cad yellow light, cad red light, burnt umber, titanium white.
I had a lot of trouble with the yellows. They tend to be transparent which did not work well over the turquoise background. I finally found a tune of Golden Primary Yellow that I drew petals on straight out of the tube. The impasto ( thick) paint finally did the trick.

Day 725 Saturday.

June 25, 2016Leave a comment

Marking her up as a WIP. Her profile definitely needs some work but I like the odd colors she’s painted especially the Thalo blue and the golden green gold. A bit of liquitex cad red light, liquitex flesh and titanium white. The background is golden nickel Azo gold and green gold over em white gesso.