Category: portrait

It’s Saturday

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Ilaina hot press fluid paper 15×22″

What a gorgeous day today. And lots more fun going to life modeling in Aiken then a spot of urban sketching after in Graniteville. Discovered a whole street of about 20 Gothic cottages and a church. All different colors in a row like a planned community with a church gleaming in the autumn sun. Thought it could be a great place to go urban sketching or Plein air painting on a lovely autumn day.

My drawing. I actually drew her twice. First time just from waist up. So I flipped the board and redrew her because I wanted to include the lovely curve of her hip.

There went forty minutes!!😵

Second break. Going for it. Only have about an hour left to paint.

I managed to fiddle away the first two thirds and had to paint fast to finish. Still not pleased with her eye. But it’s done. Ilaina loves it so must be ok. Right?!

My friend Ruth said it looked like some delicious cotton candy.🤗

Flesh cad red light and cad yellow light. Lots of alizarin crimson for darks on her skin. Shadows of more alizarin Andrews turquoise and dioxzine purple

Hair ultramarine and burnt umber w a bit of burnt sienna for red.

Background Andrews turquoise French yellow ochre.

Margaret who walked Alie today and is not Tahred. Xoxoxo

David

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Went Portrait painting at USC Aiken today. What a great fun model to paint. Don’t u love his hair and his scruffy five o’clock shadow?!

Davis was painted in an hour and a half on cold press fluid15x22″.

Drew him in the first half hour session. I wish I had drawn him to include his hands til he started moving them around. Then I was glad I hadn’t. Models rarely reset their hands giving the painter much frustration.

Second break. Really moving along. Used my big size 14 Cheap Joes kolinsky sable.

Here he is again. Finished him off with my beloved size ten Charles Reid kolinsky sable from Cityart (Artexpress.com). Tell Randy I sent you. Truly a brush you will never regret you bought.

Darkened his hair. Love that brush. Lefties a few highlights on left cheek. Added a few more darks here and there. I could keep painting like get rid of the white around his ear but why bother.

Paint used. Alizarin for darks. Flesh alizarin cad red light and cad red light. Cheap Joes Andrews turq with Daniel Smith French ochre on background.

Shirt dioxzine purple and cobalt violet. The shadow on sleeve is pure dioxzine purple that I dipped my paint brush in and literally zig zagged down his arm.

Shadows alizarin Cheap Joes Andrews turq and dioxzine purple

Hair is Cheap Joes Andrews turq ultramarine and burnt sienna.

Margaret ready to put her feet up now.

Paint flinging

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Calling this post paint flinging because my neighbor Drew and I were both splattering each other with our drippy mess. He kept making it rain on me. So I returned the favor. Dangerous painting near Drew. Rofl.

Went to portrait painting today at USC Aiken. Once again can’t decide if she’s done. Why won’t she tell me what she thinks?! I will say the young lady in the painting loved this watercolor. She’s a art student and got recruited to model at the last minute. Poor thing was grimacing trying to hold the pose. Felt bad for her.

First break- Sketch. 15×22″ Think it’s on cold press fluid paper. Just a piece that was floating around in the pile. 2B pencil

Was off to a slowww start redrawing her head and body more than once. Finally drew her from a photo on my phone.

Next break. We painted for about two hours in total. Raw umber and Andrews Turquoise underpainting. Used a lot of alizarin for shadows. Sometimes with burnt sienna. Also quin gold since she was quite yellow.

Third break Adding more shadows with more burnt sienna and alizarin plus dixozine purple. Blacks and greys are burnt umber and ultramarine blue.

And THE END! She had a large drip under her chin which I wiped off when I got home with a piece of Mr Clean. Gave her her nice young chin back. She has plenty of years before she gets a double chin I hope!!

Margaret packing for Daufuskie island trip. Xoxoxox

Julio Reyes

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A undercover spy drawing if the teacher Sunday – Julio Reyes. Really a great class. They taught us everything they know about how to mix paint and prepare surfaces for egg tempera. He and Candace his wife poured their generous hearts into this class.

They gave us the biggest most detailed handout I have ever gotten in a class outside of college, provided all the materials but the painting panel continually going beyond what is normally done in any class I have taken. I highly recommend them. Too bad we don’t have a picture of the amazing paintings turned out in this class. Can’t wait to polish mine. Yes they taught us how to do that too with a piece of old silk scarf.

These are powdered pigments that I bought today at CityArt over in Columbia also known as Art Express on the internet. The owner Randy is great so I do like to buy from him when I can.

You mix these pigments with water and egg to make egg tempera. I couldn’t resist. Not quite the colors we used in class but they were there. Gamblins a great reliable company soooo I scooped them up. More about that tomorrow when I post Candace.

Margaret who has driven all over NC and SC in the past two days and is Tahred now. Xoxoxox

Random success

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So here she is after class is done. Julio and Candace did a terrific job. You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

Painting went a lot better today when I realized you could use the egg tempera in a manner similar to acrylic softening edges with my finger smudging the paint.

I also had a lot of fun painting hair with my loose goose paint brush from Cheap Joes. I couldn’t paint straight lines with it if I tried.

The cost of egg tempera is a lot less than acrylic so I may have to buy some of the minerals to mix with the eggs and try it out.

As teachers Candace and Julio were so thorough. We know how to make paint. Tricks to make the painting process easier and how to prepare aluminum panel to paint on or even marble tiles offbe free as leftovers at tile shops. Our class also included a great hand out.

If you ever get a chance to take a class with them do. I highly recommend it.

Margaret ready for a fall nap. Xoxoxox

House boat living

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Our big joke is that we can afford to live on a house boat in Key West. Would the three of us fit?! Nah but we can dream.

Free docking because they are just anchored out in the Cow Channel between Key West and Stock Island.

And we would sell

My paintings out of a tiny trailer there to pay for it. Well supplement our salaries. Lol. Of course these are so small we would each need our own. And where oh where would Zoe go potty?!!

Also after weathering the possibilities of having the wrath of Dorian on our heads we decided we might like higher drier land than Key West where the highest point is 18 feet!!! 🤪🤪🤪

Stillman and Birn Zeta Lamy Ef and pentel Brush pen lettering

Margaret who no doubt has made a large mess today learning to mix egg tempura from scratch. Will get back to you if this was a good idea or not. In Raleigh for a few more days. Xoxoxox

Done I think

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Well maybe I will lift the grey to the top left of his head but will think about it. Don’t ever ask me if I think your painting is done. I never know when mine are done til they get there. Right now I am looking at four that may or may not be done big help right.

Here’s Noah the other day. I just tweaked him a bit. Lifted some white on the watermelon.

Margaret heading for bed cause I am tired. Xoxoxo

Coming along

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To say he’s been a struggle is an understatement but he’s getting there. He needs a wash of yellow ochre or quin gold to knock back some of the pink because he’s part Indonesian and my niece says her son is too pink!!

First wash

Always a problem trying to get a good color for some people because there are only so many combos you can make.

Second or third wash

I spent a lot of time wiping him out and starting over again. 😵😵

Better

It’s pretty easy to wipe out fluid cold press almost back to white and start over. A good thing and a bad thing but I did over and over. Went thru a LOT of Kleenex and quite a few paper towels.

Fluid 140 cold Press

Colors. A lot of alizarin crimson raw sienna for skin with Andrews turquoise, mineral violet, ultramarine, cad red and burnt sienna shadows. Eyes burnt umber ultramarine dabs of mineral violet. Whites alizarin.

Margaret ready to put her feet up for the day. Xoxoxo

The Party’s over

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Hitting the road in the morning

Drawing in lovely Valle Crucis in the am.

In the meantime a couple of Fealing Lin sketches from my notes for the week.

These will get watercolor.

Lamy EF Noodler Black eelskin Ink Handprint Art journal.

Remember what Picasso said learn the rules like a Pro then you can break them an artist.

Good advice.

Margaret ready to hop in bed soon. Xoxoxox

Progress made

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So after what I said yesterday I decided to finish Henry my grandson. What a sweetie.

He still needs some jewelry as Fealing calls it. Some dots here and there.

Had to lift all the blue I put on the highlight not paying attention to what I was doing. Thought I had ruined it totally. As it is the paper is a little rough there but nobody would notice it but me.

Hot press fluid 15×22″ paper.

Brevard gypsy lady dressed for Halloween. No I don’t know if she’s actually a gypsy but maybe disguised as one.

A lot of fun painting her. Her sunglasses her scarf her jillion bracelets and necklaces. I think I there are seven of the later. But what a FUN figure.

She’s close to done. Going to negative paint around her white hair so it will show. And the. Who knows. Three more to finish and only one partial day left. 9-1 pm. Maybe one more will get done?! We shall see.

Margaret not dead tired for once but in bed after a fabulous dinner at Over Yonder Restaurant out in Valle Crucis. So delicious. Xoxoxoxo