Day 1095 My Flabrador

July 25, 2017Leave a comment

My sweet flabrador Honey. She's fat as a butterball. She's very fond of food especially bread and cookies. Pumpkin pie. NEVER Leave any on the counter if you want to eat it later.

Yesterday drawing at Starbucks all my pens were empty. Huh. Four of them. So I drew with pencil. Today yet to fill them tried a 6B charcoal a la Alex Powers. It loved this Stillman and Birn Alpha. Unlike the pencil it does not repel watercolor.

There's actually a screwed up pen sketch hidden on the left of my grandson.

Labs are hard to paint. The highlights are almost blue. I slapped combos of mixed burnt umber and ultramarine in the dark areas and bled out the edges w clean water for the highlights. Shadows are cerulean and Quin burnt sienna.

Ttyl Margaret who had another busy day xoxoxo

Day 1094 A Rewind

July 23, 2017July 23, 2017Leave a comment

As I am prone to do with a painting I hang them or prop them on the fireplace so I can study them while I watch tv at nite in the den.

Ilaina had problems. For some reason I had made her chin too long her forehead too high. And that awful purple blob on her chin.

I gotut my winsor newton synthetic badger flat and started lifting that purple blotting it with dollar store Kleenex. I lifted some Highlights with it too on her chin and reflected light under her chin.
Lifting and blotting. Always finding the brush with clean water.

Lowered that hairline. Lifted 1/2" of the brown background along her neck. After letting it dry I added a quick brush of the brown cerulean mix lightly where I had lifted it.

I hung her back up and Realized that I needed to lower her right shoulder. I lifted a bit of the flesh color to see if it worked. Blotted it with tissue. Let it dry. Added about a 1/2" of background to lower it.

I also trimmed down her hip and right leg a bit brushing it with some of the burnt umber cerulean mix with a two inch flat.
I think she's done but you know how we women are we want to look our best. She might be a little too square still. But that's for another day.

Time to finish this one up.

Margaret tying up looses ends today. Hugs xoxoxo

Day 1093 Its Saturday

July 22, 2017Leave 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 1088 A recap

July 17, 2017July 18, 2017Leave 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

July 16, 2017Leave 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 183 Sweetwater Fly Fishing Camp page

July 12, 2017Leave 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

July 11, 2017Leave 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

July 10, 2017July 9, 2017Leave 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.

Day 1074 Dog Days?!

July 2, 2017July 2, 2017Leave a comment

My kids pit bull Briard mix Lucy Dog. Just the sweetest dog but a pain to paint. She’s a tawny brindle. So how do you paint that.

I think I tried every color I have I. The. Brown range burnt umber, Quin Sienna and Quin gold and piemonite. None worked well. Too dark to red too gold. All worked for small areas. I finally used quin Sienna w a bit of burnt umber. Ultramarine for the darks with the burnt umber.

Cerulean for greys mixed with Quin Sienna and Andrews turquoise with some Quin Sienna for the throw.

Mr Clean erasers were my friend to lift highlights lost.

The sketch done with a 6B pencil.

Ttyl. Thanks for stopping by. Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1073 Its Saturday

July 1, 2017Leave a comment

Sweet Emily! 18×24″ What happens when you use a two inch flat brush on Bristol!!

Charles reid watercolor hand held palette which put my hand to sleep. #allaprima #nude #lifemodel #watercolor #aquarelle #aquarellepainting #pencil #pencildrawing #lostedges #emily

1″&2″ Cheap Joes Golden Fleece Flat brush and #10 Da Vinci and that’s it.

Tip: curling thinner paper. To get it to lie flat, paint it w water on the back and it will flatten out.

First break 40 min.

Painted on strathmore Bristol 100# which is like hot press paper but cheaper.

Wash of DS Quin coral and yellow ochre w some cerulean and burnt sienna. Background, hair, drapes burnt umber ultramarine

Drapes Aurelion, Winsor Yellow, Quin Gold w burnt umber ultramarine darks

4B and 6B pencils

The crowd was thin today. So not many paintings. A lot of people on vacation but I do love to paint Emily!!

Drew Murphys acrylic. The quips were flying between us. One of the things we paint for. I told him his was a little grey this time. Usually they are bright and vivid.

Fred the dentist. Oops he left early.

Als lovely huge oil. Amazing what he gets done in two hours. This is four by 3 FEET!

Rachel who’s only been painting anyear or so but she draws at every meeting. Drawing practice gets the job done! You WILL improve. Like anything else you want to do well you have to practice. ALOT!!!