Bird of the day well actually

February 18, 2023February 18, 20234 Comments

Been working on this bird for a few days. Maybe a week off and on.

This is 9×12 and done. I like a lot. So I decided to paint a bigger one. BYTW this one is available if you need her at your house.

The background wash went well but darn what was with the bird drawing. the back looks like spikes and regular ones at that. Regularity is an anathema in a painting. So how do I fix it without starting over?! So of course I kept on painting.

Starting the head. And then of course I forgot to take pics. Sigh. Really like the quin gold and the quin rose with cerulean on the neck and around the beak. But then no more pics. Sigh.

So here she is almost done but those spikes are still annoying me. So yesterday after madly painting with Vlad I thought slap some paint on the background and get rid of those spikes.

So I did. And it went well. I painted the horrible spikey look out. HURRAH!! But then I got the dreadful green run across the bottom of the beak. The 140 kilimanjaro was waffling like crazy with huge ripples making the washes run like crazy. To make it worse the green run was THALO notoriously staining of any paper. NIGHTMARE time.

Slapping cobalt on to give her some curves.

So her she is today. The paper dried amazingly flat for all the ripples it had yesterday. Maybe I can grey out the green streak. Tomorrows job! I do like the way she looks now.

Maybe a crop to take a couple of inches off on the right?? She’s a big girl at 16×20”. Did I say I have already drawn another one?! 😵‍💫

Tonite sunset was rather spectacular. I saw it out of the corner of my eye as I was heating up our dinner leftovers. We do love a good bowl of leftover soup.

Margaret ready for bed xoxoxox

Hand is now cramping

February 6, 2023February 6, 20234 Comments

Almost done. Twelve hours or so just today on this 1/4 sheet. Fabriano Artistico cold press 300#

Endless drawing. Third time. First trace was wrong second draw was lifted by masking. Spent three hours redrawing. Or was it four. 🙃🙃🙃😵‍💫

Now to figure out where to put the masking on the bottle. 😳😵‍💫

Jar masked. Kept dipping the brush in soapy water and drying it off. Also dumped the masking in the lid. Went much easier after I did that. I think asking the whole letter and lifting the mask to paint the dark will be easier than masking the highlight around each one. We shall see

Masking on jar removed. I think it looks awful. so hard to soften those edges that masking leaves.

Quitting for now. Need to work on the jar some more esp 1858 BUT my hands and shoulder are DONE.

Finally standing back from it i think it looks amazing if I do say so myself. since it’s sucked up most of my life for the last few days glad it does.

Margaret xoxoxo where’s the chocolate?

Somewhere in Italy

May 5, 2021May 19, 20211 Comment

On the whole I like it but feel it’s a little light. I will sleep on it and decide. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Even before painting I managed to smear the worst color of all to remove- Alizarin- on my lovely pristine white paper.
Eeek.
I did blot it off a little. By the end it seemingly became much less noticeable. Thank goodness.

First wash. Boy that took forever. While it looks dark right now it really dried to become very light. cobalt alizarin yellow ochre and cad orange

Sky wash done. I managed to keep my fingers out of for once. Cerulean neutral tint dioxzine violet

Adding shadows. Cobalt yellow ochre dioxzine and neutral tint

Suddenly those darks make the first washed look so light. How strange is that?! The blooms aka rocks on the foreground are made by splattering water on the greys once it dries a bit.

And done for now. You can only see a bit of the alizarin smears. Handy the lady has an alizarin top isn’t it!?

Margaret all in for tonite. Michael’s tomorrow for some fixative I hope. Otherwise waiting til I go to Blick this weekend.

Xoxoxo

You Can’t Have Enough Blue!!

April 27, 2021April 28, 20212 Comments

Ultramarine Cobalt and Thalo Blue!!

Guinea fowl Acrylic 12×12” gallery wrapped canvas

The photo. I do love these funny quirky birds. So like a mini dinosaur

The beginnings. This is all done with paint not adding water to the paint.

Colors used Ultramarine cobalt Thalo lemon yellow cad red alizarin titanium white.

I noticed that my liquified seemed to have dried out much more than the more expensive golden paints.

The brushes. Used a lot of those dirt cheap house painting brushes. Make great grass like marks.

Everyone needs one of these. It opens any jar or better yet tubes of paint. Opens the small to the large size. My youngest son said he wanted to inherit mine. I found them at Publixs in the kitchen section during the pandemic. He was thrilled when I gave him his.

Go buy one. You will be glad you did.

Quitting for now because it’s annoying me greatly!!

Zoe who the kitties love but she does not love them back.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 139 last page

July 23, 2020Leave a comment

Finally got around to the last page in my sketchbook. Been sitting on the table w all the junk to get around to it. No idea why I haven’t been. I do intend to draw this blue jay but wanted to do that in my new sketchbook not last page in the old one. Another 90 plus pages done. Didn’t want to stick this blue boy on the last one. I do think jays are so pretty. I have been hand feeding them all week. They won’t go to the feeder. Instead they eat off the porch rails. Three of them show up every day to check the offerings.

This might be done now BUT I couldn’t get my saber brush to work today – odd since it worked fine to do the electric lines yesterday. So I may need to do that or not.

Bakes two loves of my favorite back of the King Arthur bread bag bread today. One sliced and in the freezer the other on its way as soon as it’s cool. Shouldn’t be making white bread but it’s sooo good. My grandson Henry asked me to mail him some. I would if it would get there fresh but it won’t.

Margaret xoxoxo ready to knit. That scarf might be done by Christmas as this rate.

Day 64 when u start talking

May 17, 20201 Comment

To an onion you know you have been alone too long. Told it I had drawn a really great picture of it before I copped it up for ratatouille. I even cried. Onions always make me cry when I cut them up. 🤣

Told you it needed paint.

Margaret watching As Time Goes By for the jillionth Time waiting for the bread to finish rising.

Day 32 An online class

April 15, 2020April 15, 2020Leave a comment

15×22″ rough press 300 lb Fabriano

Painted this today in an online class with Vlad Yesilesev. Vlad is Russian from Moscow and has the most fabulous accent. The man is so knowledgeable with an MFA in art. Paints as fast as lightning. He taught everything from how to do a value sketch then draw it to the actual painting of it. Can’t wait for Saturday.

Will take another on Saturday. A lot of fun once the people in class figured out how to work zoom. Quite reasonable at $19. I was going to take his class at Olmsted Pleine Air in Atlanta next week but that’s not happening. This is far cheaper. Course no individual attention because he can’t see us painting but heck who cares.

We did a value sketch and painted from it not the photo.

The photo

First wash. I think mine was a little dark.

Trees coming along. ALOT of dry brushing.

Grass added. And the shadow in the road.

Oh my buildings painted. He just whizzes along. Next time doing a quarter sheet- that’s 10×15″.

His painting. Sooo much better than mine.

Getting done. Has too much fun painting the tree with my Vlad saber brush. Way too much. Should have stopped earlier.

Then I blurred it out and thought why not add some spring green leaves popping out. U do it with one of the Escoda perlas held sideways. There was a lot of dry brushing in this painting. Most of it. Lol.

Next time I will have the drawing down a head of time and I will find my 140 # rough Fabriano. Hmm maybe order some 90# rough which is what Vlad uses for these demos.

And I drew Zoe earlier during sbsdrawingparty with Danny on YouTube at noon. It was draw something from nature after a chat with Tommy Kane- a fascinating man. Zoe’s neck is too long because she got annoyed, turned her back on me, and went to sleep.

Lamy Safari Stillman and Birn Alpha.

I need to paint the background but Vlad wore me out. Three hours of painting as fast as I could.

Oh and I cooked dinner. Japanese’s sweet potato sushi salad with sticky rice and nori.

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxoxo

Day 2129 Last of the Rock Star

August 15, 2019Leave a comment

George. This guy was gorgeous in a black leather jacket. Did not do him justice.

Buddy Holly. Hmm they must have just done famous rock n rollers because I know he was long gone by the 80s.

Loved this girl but no idea who she was either.

Something about this one I really love. Same girls as last sketch. Because they only remained in one spot five minutes or less while continually changing poses they are all quite a challenge to draw. Ten or twelve models rotate through what was the sanctuary.

Wet Paint is always fun.

Guess I am heading home now. See ya manana. Margaret. Xoxoxo

Day 2128 More Wet Paint

August 10, 2019August 9, 2019Leave a comment

The models were dressed as 80 s rock stars. Did I say that yesterday???

Think this is Elvis. But wasn’t he dead in the 80s?? So who could it be dear reader.

Last but not least Michael Jackson in his trademark red jacket that my oldest really wanted one of to wear when he moon walked all over the house. Really needs his jacket painted.

Margaret hugging grandkids and off to Cats. Excitement!! Xoxoxo

Day 2127 Wet Paint

August 9, 20192 Comments

Discovered a bunch of quick sketches I did at wet paint a year or so ago when I pulled out what I thought was a new sketchbook.

A bunch of models were dressed as different rock stars and would hold poses for a minute or two on plinths through out Sacred Heart. They always scream draw me draw me.