Category: Asheville

Toyota time

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Now that I have had my second vaccine I decided time to brave the Toyota showroom cesspool and get my car a check up.

Was fun to have a real human to draw for once. This lady held quite still for a long time reading a real book.

Drawn with a fine Pitt pen stillman and birn alpha. Painted with this set of travel fuumuui kolinsky brushes I got from Amazon. Sizes 4,8,12. They have brass tubes for handles so they can collapse into the leather folder they come in. Nice brushes for $25. Great reviews. People love them and they hold up well.

Evidently Zoe’s kitty missed her while we were in Atlanta. This cat will not come near me. I can only pet her when she’s eating. But Zoe. Much to Zoe’s chagrin she follows her around rubbing all over her. Doesn’t she know most Jack Russells like to eat cats!? Lucky for her Zoe tolerated them.

Margaret xoxoxo

Otterly fun

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I got a little heavy handed in a lot of ways with this little guy. Too much masking fluid and it was in lumps. No clue why it did that. Then I made his body too fat.

The photo which was twisted a bit to the right.

Doing the face. Colors used. Burnt umber, opera pink, grey, burnt sienna, quin gold, ultramarine. Lots of wet on wet.

Adding the body.

Done for now. I think he may need some more splatters. I may give it another go. But first a nap.

Hugs xoxoxox

One more

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High Street, Henley, UK

Hot press fluid 140# watercolor paper

I did this on a shopkeeparty.com paint along g w Ian Fennelly that I posted in my YouTube list of his classes yesterday. Lots of fun. Love hitting the Pause button.

I started painting this a little after 9 last nite. But it was fun.

The drawing and the shading. This is mostly tombow pen with some Pitt pen for details. The Pitt pens are permanent.

Watercolor layer done. I only used a few colors. Quin sienna, ultramarine, alizarin, burnt umber a dab of cerulean, and yellow ochre. Next time I will use more transparent color.

the finish. I really enjoyed doing the details in ink with Pitt pens like the column cap, the bricks, the sidewalk, tv antennas and a plethora of other details. Shading with cross hatching so much fun. It’s somehow soothing. I used a .03 Pitt pen for that. The Pitt pens have India ink in them.

Now I need to do some of Augusta or Atlanta. Really enjoy doing these. Been a pen nut since first grade and probably a painting nut even longer.

Margaret watching an ink seminar on crowdcast. My there are some positives about covid like zoom and crowdcast activities.

Xoxoxo

That was fun

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Took an online live class with Ian Fenelly. I have long wanted to take a class with him but never been where he was teaching. I have to say with ten years of public school teaching under his belt he’s an excellent organized teacher.

There are some pluses to the pandemic. If you haven’t tried one or two you should. shopkeeparty.com offers something for everyone. The photo Winsor Castle.

Starting the sketch with light grey tomboy pens on hot press fluid paper. A half sheet size.

Since Tombows are water soluble it is a great idea to use permanent markers on it to show details. The idea is to make an exaggerated perspective using some lines that are square but most not.

Watercolor layer done. Quin gold, Thalo blue, burnt sienna and andrews turquoise.

The markers and some of the paint brushes.

Adding details with the grey tombows. It was getting a lot of fun to do at this point. The fact that it did not all have to be exactly in perspective was freeing. Who cares if a line wobbles here and there. That’s part of the fun.

I added a lot of cross hatching per Ians direction. Done for now. Now it’s time to look at it for a while.

The bit of sky was added because I had some grey mess of Tombow that I couldn’t cover up any other way.

I recommend a class on Shopkeeparty.com. Thursday Keiko Tanabe is teaching. Will be scratching her off my bucket list come Friday. And next week Liz Chaderton is doing a very fun otter class. Once a week they offer a free one hour demo paint along on Tuesdays. I meant to do the otter with Liz today but got up too late. No sleep last nite. Might try it tomorrow when it’s on YouTube.

Margaret ready to put Her feet up and stare at her painting for a while. Xoxoxox

Fly away to Old Havana

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Old town Havana Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. Fabriano 300 lb rough paper which I have decided I now hate. It kept holding edges. Put paint on and there was a hard edge. What the heck. It’s not suppose to do that at $16 a sheet. This is a half sheet.

The photo

Vlad’s value sketch.

The drawing and what a pain it was.

First washes just three colors yellow ochre alizarin and cobalt blue.

Midtones. Adding I burnt sienna neutral tint dioxzine purples cad orange.

Adding darks. Burnt sienna burnt umber ultramarine vandyke brown

Almost there.

Done doe now. Who knows what it will tell me in the am?!

Margaret tired of looking at it.

Here Kitty Kitty

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A Torbie aka tiger cat w orange on it. Took an online zoom class with Liz Chaderton on shopkeeparty.com the photo

Tacking the paper down. A half sheet of Kilimanjaro 300. Have to order more from cheap Joe’s.

The drawing You would think as many cats as I have drawn this would be a piece of cake. Nope.

The palette opera rose, perlene maroon, gamboge, Quin gold, Thalo blue, Cheap Joe’s Andrew’s turquoise, and ultramarine blue. My fine mister spray bottle.

The eye first. Painting wet on wet. Keeping the edges wet so they won’t get hard edge.

Starting to look like a cat. Trying to keep those edges wet. Eeek

painting fast w an 8 sable to keep the edges soft. A fine spray mister to soften edges of ears.

Almost done. Adding the dark layer.

Touch up time and then add whiskers with negative painting and white gouache using my saber brush. Hmm I actually used my loosely goose brush from cheap Joe’s a skinny saber brush.

So far for now. Let’s see what I think in the am.

Big thanks to That’s What Friends are For for $30 certificates to spay neuter and rabies shots for the kitties and to Dr Bagshaw and his fantastic staff at Edgefield Veterinary Services for doing the job for that price. I took them some fresh home made banana bread. Still have to catch one of the tigers and take her.

Margaret whose kitties are mad at her since she had them neutered yesterday. Three sore tummies and one sore bottom. Ouchie. Xoxoxo

A post before

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It slips my mind. I think the only time Henry holds still is when he’s doing class work. Virtual school now out for this week.

The first drawing was terrible as you can see. Doesn’t pay to lay off of drawing people for a while. No a curve in the back of the first one.

Practice is necessary a lot or you get rusty.

I didn’t get around to drawing the chair again. Class was out for lunch.

Colored with Fabre castell watercolor pencils, stillman and birn alpha, Lamy ef.

Margaret xoxoxox

Oops meant to post

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This yesterday.

Drawing Van Goghs The Room with Danny Gregory. Always a fun activity on YouTube. Low pressure. Everyone yaks away via chat while Danny yaks. Last about an hour. He’s always relaxing.

As to The Room. Drawn with Caran d’ache neocolor ii which are crayons that turn into watercolors. I wet them with my fingers aka finger painted. I was too lazy to get up and find a brush so I stuck my fingers in my nearby water glass and smeared the color around.

Did u know the actual painting has turned purple. Some reaction to the underpaintings color. Oops Vincent what happened?!

Margaret xoxoxo

Reflections in L’ Isle Sur La Sorges

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Aka France Evidently the town in Avignon is a lot like Venice w Canals and boats. Also near Vaucluse which I live near another Vaucluse. Guess the French Huguenots settled the one near me. A lot did settle in South Carolina.

So far but as usual a WIP a work on progress. Someone please tell me why I hate them when I am done painting three four hours and always like them better in the morning!!?

Vlad paint along Sunday. One more paintalong next Sunday before he takes a winter holiday break.

The photo

I think I need more shadows in mine and an oranger pinker roof. A few more darks in the foreground water. Try to lift some lost highlights. Mr Clean to the rescue I hope.

The drawing

300 lb fabriano rough paper half sheet 15×22. Really don’t like this paper. Maybe I will repaint it tomorrow on Kilimanjaro. The fabriano just sucks up paint making it look pale.

First wash. Always a wild ride with Vlad. Five colors. Yellow ochre alizarin cobalt cad orange. and neutral tint or as he calls it emergency mix.

The whole thing is painted with the same mix of paint and water.

Moving along second wash. Usually we paint everything from the first wash thru each layer but not this time.

Adding greens and darks. Still only a few more Colors. Indigo burnt sienna burnt umber

And here we are as of now. Spent most of the day waiting for the Carpet cleaner to come to clean the sofa the kitties pooed on. They ate now litter trained and e sofa will be covered up as soon as it dries. Aka no more kitty poo.

Margaret tired from not doing a whole lot. I did bake a quiche full of chopped veggies. Does that count?!! And moved stuff out of the way of the carpet cleaner. Xoxoxo

Drawing with Danny Gregory

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When you aren’t inspired to draw or paint guarantee Danny Gregory on his YouTube Draw with me show will get you going. Free every Thursday at Noon.

We all drew a pigeon skeleton today. Well the show was last weeks show. I was busy so did it today. That’s the great thing about YouTube. The shows wait for you and ready when u are.

He furnished the picture we drew.

I used a Micro univalve pen and a namiki fude. Oh and a lamy ef. All that cross hatching was eating up the ink. I may add watercolor to it but letting it dry overnight before I do.

Stillman and birn alpha.

Catching up on escape to the Chateau on YouTube then my binge of Killing Eve on Hulu. Love watching the British couple rehabbing a decrepit five story chateau WITH mote in Escape to the Chateau. The jobs they undertake are monumental on a show string budget. Watch it. They are intriguing. A visit there is on my bucket list.

Margaret xoxoxo