Day 921 Dr Sketchys part 1

Our model last nite was just phenomenal.  She struck pose after pose with NEVER a down minute.  These are all two minute poses drawn with my pentel brush pen in a large super aquabee sketchbook. 

My favorite of the nude poses I think. If you have ever done a gesture drawing that’s how I do these. Well at least I think that’s what I am doing. 

Or maybe this is my favorite 

Not quite done. Ran out of time. Two minutes goes fast. Maybe I spent it breathing after the first three poses. 

Yes two minutes. Funny how fast you can sketch with the pentel brush pens. 

Ilaina is also into yoga and ju jitsu. Two minutes. ALOT of drawing for two minutes. 

Ditto the above. Sometimes I surprise myself. 

A Bientôt. Yoga time soon. 

Margaret xoxox

Day 920 -Charlie Rose Asks the Hard Questions 

My favorite.  Today’s Sketchbookskool homework was to draw four freeze frame views of the human head. I took these off air this morning on CBS This Morning by pausing the tv. 

I think I should have sharpened my pencil more. I think they look a little over worked because of the dull pencil. If I knew where my mechanical pencils were I could use them. Lost somewhere in this house. 

My Cheap Joes #2 did a great job but like all #2s it quickly dulls. Hey but it’s a free pencil that you get with your Cheap Joes orders. 

My second favorite.  A yarn bomber crocheted him a pair of size 13 sneakers. Charlie likes his feet to be comfy and ALWAYS wears a pair of sneakers. 

First attempt.  I think he looks tired. 

We were suppose to draw a profile. Most commentators are rarely in profile so not a great reference photo. Had to get done because tonite Dr Sketchys. More drawings to come hopefully. Our model is one of the Saturday models. The lovely Ilaina. Hurrah. 

Bientôt. Off to school. 

Margaret having a very busy three days. Xoxoxo

#CharlieRose #Cbsthismorning #tv

Day 918 The Feet that Marched 

Right foot left foot. 

Contour drawing. Well supposedly. 

 I tried not to peak at my foot but that’s so hard. Maybe I will try again after my painting class this afternoon.
I had to color this coloring book like page. COULD NOT give up color once we started!!

L-R Noodler Konrad, Lamy Safari, Pentel Brush Pen, Carbon Pen.  

Done with four different pens but I had to color my coloring book page with. Prismacolor art sticks.  

Ttyl time for class. Getting ready for TWO shows. What was I thinking. 

Margaret xoxoxo 

Day 917 Urban Sketching the Woman’s March

Despite the deluges yesterday a large crowd turned out. It was a rainbow kind of crowd – old and young, men and women, LGBT and even a few dogs.

 

I drew these yesterday on a very wet day in downtown Augusta. The March and the speeches were at historic Springfield Park where Morehouse College started at Springfield Baptist across the street. 

The flame like sculpture on the rampart is all a part of the park. I did paint these at home. I didn’t think watercolor would work  too well in deluge weather.  Besides there was nowhere to put anything down because it POURED all morning too. 

A second even faster sketch of the happy crowd of raincoats and galoshes.  I think the correct number of marches was actually 671 but the speakers said 370 and 20 countries. 

The sketches were done in my Stillman and Birn Zeta mixed Media with my very patriotic Red Noodler Konrad.  I added the flags and the signs to give more interest to the sketches.  

Notice the big raindrop blotches on the ink?! Oops. Bravely I kept on sketching standing on top of a bench for a better view.  

Here’s the first sketch and a picture of the crowd and park. The local news reported 600 people were there.  I think there were closer to 1000. Guess it’s impossible to count. 

Somebody asked me how I drew these. The only thing I can say is start at the front and fill in the crowd moving back or you won’t have room for the people in the foreground. 

You can not draw a counter in a restaurant and then add people. You have to do it people first then the counter or pencil in the counter which I rarely do. Sometimes it gets me into trouble when I forget the order :

People first background last!

Happy sketching. 

Margaret madly painting black edges on canvases for her show at 4p in February. Xoxoxo and yes it’s still raining.  

Day 916 skies 

When you live on a river you see a lot skies. Sunrises sunsets and 

 

wild storms blowing in from the west across Georgia and the Savannah River.

Because it was a stormy sky I used a lot of marks to make it hopefully seem stormier. 

These are done with Prismacolor art sticks and colored pencils in my Stillman and Birn Zeta Mixed Media Journal. Lines and lettering with the Lamy Safari I think or the EF. 

Ttyl Margaret xoxox

Day 915 Atlanta 

These are based on photos I have taken in Atlanta the last few years. Drawn on Stonehenge paper with Prismacolor pencils and art sticks. 

The High Museum 5×8″hmm this building is all white but not in my version. Added the red sky to hopefully make building pop. And dabs of lime green to make the red pop or was it the other way around. Complimentary colors do that. 

Ponce City Market-  5x 8″

I take so many photos of this building. So hard to get close enough to take pics of Tower on the right and the name on top of the building. I think one day that name will be an Atlanta icon similar to the Hollywood sign. 

The only difference in these two is the sky. The blue made the orange pop. Complimentary colors do. Think it helped don’t you?!  Also like the letters sort of there but not quite. 

 Fox Theater

I am always getting stuck turning left onto Ponce de Leon from Peachtree in front of the Fox Theater.  I love looking at it. And since I am stopped dead in traffic at a light I whip out my phone and snap a photo or two. 

The Fox is a fairytale Moorish palace complete with a  twinkling star strewn ceiling worthy of Scherazades tales in the heart of Atlanta downtown. If you haven’t been to a show in this one or the one in Detroit treat yourself and go. Just magical. 

 I am going to have another go at this one because it was the first one I tried and it’s not too great. And the Fox needs more from me. 
Thanks for stopping by!!

Margaret xoxoxo 

Day 904 Movie challenge 


There’s something about a Miss Marple show. I love all of them in their various reincarnations. 

 I have sketched Miss Marple before – the previous actress before Julia McKenzie. Julia portrays a sharp tougher version of Miss Marple and GPTV our PBS channel has been replaying her series on Thursday nites and Sunday afternoon. 

Sunday I like to just let PBS run as long as it’s not begathon time. Thank goodness they are done with that for a week or so. 

I paused the tv and took a pic of her in an interesting pose. 

I drew her with my pentel brush pen off my iPad. And it didn’t go well. I got too heavy handed with the dark shadows. 

Gouache to the rescue. Almost like using acrylics. The background is watercolor. Peacock blue and hematite green. Then I scratched the wc off the palm tree. 

Last spread in my Stillman and Birn Zeta. Hurrah. 

Ttyl 

Margaret xoxox

Day 903- I had to

Paint Calvin the guy who showed up for me to draw Friday. In the rain playing “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”

 47 degrees rain and I was out there with him drawing him. Which of us was crazier. 

Stillman and Birn mixed Media zeta journal Ted Nuttalls transparent palette. 

Here it is before I drew it. 

Sketchbook School homework. Fill a page up with doodles using various pens and pencils. 

Here are the six pens and pencils I used to make the marks with. I have to day I thought this was a dumb assignment but really enjoyed the 15-20 minutes it took to draw this. 

Made me feel like Picasso or maybe Matisse. 

Try it I bet you will like it too. 


River Bend sunset out my back door tonite. So bright it lit the den up which was how I noticed it. I was too busy blogging to look. Oops. 

Ttyl 

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 902 Mahjong Ladies and a guy 

Trying to fill up the last few pages of my Stillman and Birn zeta sketchbook. Drawn with my Lamy Safari filled with Lexington Grey ink. 
Stopped by Higher Grounds cafe to look for a book and found multiple tables of Mahjong filling the cafe. 

Irresistible. I sat down to draw them. I don’t think any of them ever noticed me sitting a few feet away sketching them. They were very involved in their games. 

Oddly enough they had been there the day before when I played bridge there with my friends. I am now wondering if they are there everyday. Will have to drop by and see. 

This old man was also irresistible. He was sitting there reading something and enjoying his coffee. Clemson orange shirt. A lot of that lately.  Championship game tomorrow nite. 

Painting. Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. Been adding slot of purple to the quin sienna in the backgrounds. And my painting with my Richeson #12 mop. Keeps me from getting too picky. 

I resisted the urge to splatter. Think the guy could use some don’t you?! 

Have a great Sunday. Stay warm. 

Margaret xoxoxo who thinks it’s time to shed her flannel jammies don’t you?!