At my house in solidarity with Italian Urban Sketchers that couldn’t get out and draw. Did I say drawn last Sat. Just painted today?! Summer coming fast along the river!!
Stillman and Birn Zeta uniball micro Watercolor
Margaret thinking abt zipping up a stack of face masks. Hmm if only I thought they would work. Sad times. Xoxoxo
Not the usual a journal page a la Juliana Coles style. I have taken two or three classes from her. Ps her classes are fascinating and cathartic.
It’s not done but thought I would share it with you. I woke up thinking about this. When you do that you have to make it. 
Going to write the number of cases world wide and the deaths on it sooner or later.
The start. I journaled across a piece of Canson watercolor board with a soft pencil and smeared it.
Circled random words with a grease pencil. And added yellow paint. Wish I had a nasty green yellow but nope. 
Notes on possible words to use.
Adding words with a grease pencil. Dots were done with the end of a paint brush dipped in paint.
Improving
Notes from the news. Reminds me of watching Hurricane Dorian last August.
Using my Pentel brush pen to add lettering like on his chin. A white gel pen on the scarf and eyes.
Now. Trying to take away some cuteness. Paint on eyes was dabbed on with a finger then swirled around with the end of the paint brush. White paint lettering on scarf so it shows more.
Painted with that cheap acrylic paint. The kind in the small bottles. It has a tooth you can write on unlike the expensive stuff.
Next up cases and death toll world wide.
Try it. Very cathartic.
In the meantime. Knitting. Yarn at my feet on the stool.
Sock progressing slowly but looks like I will have plenty of time to finish this pair.
Margaret whose going to be sticking closer to home.
Been working on her.
Small changes. More darks around her face changing the eyes. Everything is slightly off.
Shadow under lip. Think the left eye is still to high. Sigh.
Here she is now. Better but… I also took about an inch or so off her right shoulder. Still too wide but better.
Margaret back to being enthralled with the corona virus news. 😳😳😳 Hang on tight and don’t go taking a plane trip. Xoxoxo
will keep us from gathering at USC Aiken to paint. The weather predicted today was terrible (tornadoes and torrential rain) but we soldiered on.
First break. An all over wash of quin gold some burnt sienna alizarin a touch of mineral violet.
Coming along more of the same colors.
When I left Aiken
Now. I keep losing the edge across her arm and thigh where the drippy background meets the body but really liking the background. I can lift the burnt umber off the skin.
I also lifted her shoulder about 1/2″ to make her body more in proportion with her head which is a touch too big.
Added some more darks to her face especially around the eyes and the chin.
Really like the background which is a combo of all the colors used plus cobalt. Nice swirly look made mostly by splattering wet on wet.
Will post her again after I lift the spillover on her body. Have to let it dry first.
Highlights mostly lifted out now.
My favorite bit. Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre stripes. Or was it burnt sienna
Margaret watching the Super Tuesday returns. Xoxoxo
After my Saturday disaster I really didn’t want to make the drive to Aiken but I got a nice painting so am glad I did.
First break. Funny how washed out she looks.
So how did I paint her?? The big question I got yesterday.
Most of the painting was done with a two inch flat black velvet. Finishing with my 10 Charles Reid da Vinci.
First up a wash of quin gold all over her. It just gives a nice glow to African Americans.
Then I judiciously started adding burnt sienna and burnt umber for shadows. A swish of cad orange on highlights on her back. Piling on Andrews turquoise as well as a small dab of ultramarine toward the end for shadows and cad red light on the highlights – ears, the tip of the nose and on the elbow.
The hair is burnt umber and ultramarine. Not sure why I left the divot on top of her head but will fix that sooner or later.
The cloth she is sitting on is burnt sienna and cad red light.
Margaret relieved she can still draw after Saturday.
Gypsy got in the Transparent Watercolor Show which is a National Show in Kenosha Wisconsin in June. Who cares if she wins?? Feel like I won the lottery with her just getting into the show. So excited got zero sleep last night.
The show is ranked with The American Watercolor Show and the National Watercolor Show.
The difference in the shows in TWS your painting has to be all transparent watercolor. Lots of things disqualify it. Too much pencil. Gouache. Not lifting all the masking fluid. All these things don’t disqualify you from the other two shows.
If the judges Kathleen Conover and Herman Pikel decide I get one of those nice juicy checks I will be heading to Wisconsin don’t you know. Lol.
I actually had to look on the map last nite to see where Kenosha was. Due north of Chicago. Should be lovely in June. We shall see.
Margaret whose in charge of book club tonite. Eeekk Xoxoxox
Aslyn So far. 15×22″ cold press Fluid
Needs a background which will set off the face and right shoulder. Maybe a dark blue?!
Annoyed I didn’t draw her 1/2″ to the right so I could have gotten her whole right foot in.
The drawing at forty minutes.
Second break.
An hour and a half of painting.
Colors used. Quin gold raw sienna cad red light burnt sienna Andrews turquoise. Alizarin burnt sienna and mineral violet for shadows. Hair burnt umber and ultramarine
Charcoal Coach Larry
Al Beyer oil. Funny story. I thought he was painting a skeleton at first glance. All the stripes in the blanket. Duh.
Acrylic Drew Murphy
Fredlianis mondrian. 🤗
Eve!😳🤗
Bill oil on metal panel
Margaret whose going to stare at Ashlyn a while til she tells me how to finish her. Aka tired from a very busy 24 hours. Xoxoxo
Or perhaps nearing completion. Having fun doing these tiny journal pages which incidentally seem to take as long as an 8×10″ spread.
Watercolor pencils pitt pen Lamy pen Ef and safari
Margaret done for the night xoxoxo
After lifemodeling at noon.
Already changing her.
So far right now. Ilaina and I continue our torture. 🤣. Think this one is the best so far though her face is a little to red and the grey stripe on the left needs to be lifted. 
The drawing at first break. Her face was still not right. And the right hand too narrow.
Second break. Before her face got too red. Sigh.
On the whole I like her But check back tomorrow for minor changes.
My favorite bit of the painting. Almost abstract.
Colors used cad red light cad yellow light cad orange alizarin cobalt Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise and mineral violet. Hair ultramarine and burnt umber but needs to go darker.
Greys burnt sienna cobalt and/or ultramarine and burnt umber.
140# Fluid cold press paper
Drew Murphy acrylic
Al Byre oil
Eve Crit charcoal
Fredliani as I have nicknamed him or Fred as everybody calls him. Rather like the wild colors in this one. Fredlianis letting his fauvism show. He’s even messed up his palette. Usually it’s surgically neat and orderly.
Ruth Pearls photo of a daff in the snow in Chickamauga Ga today.
Margaret xoxoxo
Did I say exhausting?
Nothing like a sixty mile drive to paint and hanging out with friends to make you Tahred. 🤣But I managed to nap after the tenth correction after I got home anyway.
I thought the pose would kill me drawing it. Arms and legs going every which way. And that hand and foreshortened arm on the right. Eeekk.
I drew that arm and hand over and over again til I finally figured out you can’t see her forearm duh.
But maybe this is how she looked when I left?! Her face was squinchy but like the body.
And what about that neck. Groan.
The things you don’t notice in an hour or so of painting.
So here she is now. As Mike pointed out her eyes were NOT right. Too close together. So I fixed that. I also lightened her chin and widened her weird neck that I had given her.
Added a few shadows and called it quits. Well till I decide more Ilaina torture after I stare at it for a while.
Margaret going back to her nap. Xoxoxox
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 