#28

March 25, 20232 Comments

Done. **Painting #27** done since January.
Quitting. I like this one. A little too realistic because of the hard edges would be my only critique. The roses went well. Did them with alot of wet on wet to keep the edges soft. I seem to be painting alot of leaves lately. Ready to NOT paint leaves. Lol.
Half sheet fluid 140# which performed so well I wonder why I ever use anything else. Lifted like a champ.

**The photo**
Johannes Vloothuis did a free class on artist network today. While he was doing oil i painted watercolor. Really not painted in the same way at all but i enjoyed. He runs a very well organized class. his prices are so reasonable as to be ridiculous. $25 for three upcoming classes. I may take them although i really need to be doing my own work but i am a sucker for a deal.

He provides a very easy to print sketch for the class. On the pay classes he even provides a how to transfer it if u don’t want to draw it.

Ready to rock and roll. Used masking to save preserve my whites for the flowers.

The roses were done by saturating them with water and dropping buts of color in til I was happy with them. Probably the most successful roses i have ever done. The wood was done with my chinese brush flattened and then dry brushed. I should have used some of my old acrylic brushes that are splayed from paint drying in the ferrules.

Leaves were painted with blue and yellow i have and then i added some white gouache to a few. i used thalo blue ultramarine joes turquoise colbalt green gold cad yellow light aureolin yellow ochre to name a few. Oh and chrome green and thalo green. I tried them all. I should gave tried my beloved winsor newton filbert. Super painting for leaves.

See ya in one of Johannes classes. Margaret who is tahred xoxoxox

Finally Done

March 16, 2023Leave a comment

The fingers were way too short especially her thumb. Really rather amazing you can lift a figure out when u use arches. Not sure how this technique would work on any other paper but arches.

I did run across an interesting website that has a great list on which watercolors can be substituted for other watercolors like quin pink -alizarin or rose madder. I saved a copy. You probably should to.

Gorgeous day today . Spent a while outside looking for the bald eagles which according to the guys were hunting out back. Camera in hand. NO bald eagles.

Margaret xoxoxox

Marathon continues- Finishing edges

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023Leave a comment

Yeah its a thing. Spent most of the afternoon painting the gallery wrapped edge of the mountain painting w a 1/2 Winsor Newton imitation mongoose flat.

Thats a 12 FOOT strip about two inches wide trying not to get black paint on the front of the painting. Formerly stark white it’s now black. I tried ultramarine blue but didn’t like it.

I used blue tape to tape the edge off but was worried it would peel off the fresh paint.

Another problem w blue tape is that it always leaks when i use to to tape off walls. 🤪 I was NOT interested in painting it again ever. Then i realized using a damp paper towel i could wipe any leakage off the dry paint from yesterday. Zip and it was gone.

The blue tape DID help. Painting those edges is always an onerous task when you do an acrylic because they never stay clean.

One more day varnishing it w Miniwqx polyeurethane. Drying time makes the process take longer.

And i missed sitting out on the back deck today enjoying the gorgeous early spring . Tonite there are frost warnings. Brrrr

Margaret xoxoxo

The correct color

March 13, 2023Leave a comment

I actually took this out on our wet back deck to photograph when the rain let up. You get more accurate color photos on an over cast day or so they say. The great debate was on as to whether it was done. I decided it was.

Heres the photo i took inside last night. A BIG change in the color, isn’t it?! Anyway the new owner of this large painting pronounced it “wonderful” so i take it that he thinks its done. Painting the edges, varnishing, and adding the wire tomorrow. This will eventually end up in the owner’s cabin in the Western North Carolina mountains.

Nature does not hurry and yet everything is accomplished. (Lao Tzu) is the theme of this painting.

The vultures have been gathering on our sycamore alot recently.

One was on the pool fence today feet from the back door. Fascinating creepy things. According to my husband they only eat meat once its rancid. No feathers on their head lets them get right into that rotten meat. 🤪

I had to take these pics thru the bars on the back deck rail. I was afraid to go outside for fear of scaring him off.

Pretty cool catching him with his wings wide open. Well at least part of them. There were several more in the yard. Our attack cats ran them off.

Margaret xoxoxox who had enough excitemnt for today. Lol.

My Husband’s Cat

March 10, 20234 Comments

Pumpkin 300# cp Fabriano Artistico may be done. Shes aging right now.

The paper masked and first pour of a variety of purples and blues.

Second pour.
I also added some burnt sienna on the left.

Biggest decision. How to paint all that fur and keep it soft?! 😵‍💫Found a Liz Steele @lizsteelart post on instagram where she used four colors today all of which i happened to have -Daniel Smith French Ultramarine Blue, DS Buff Titanium, DS Monte Amiata and DS Red Iron Oxide which i thought would be perfect for Miss Pumpkin. This is my test page in my Stillman and Birn Alpha. Lots of wet on wet for the fur test.

Before i stripped off the masking. Not a big fan of masking. You have to soften alot of edges after you remove it.

Lots of sharp edges now on her face. I had to lift out some of them by rubbing them w a nylon flat and remove the rest of the masking.

And here she is now. The watermark lettering does not show like that when you look at the painting. I also had tto wet the back of the paper toto wet the back to try to flatten the paper which was

Margaret xoxoxoxo

And like that it was over

March 3, 20231 Comment

Loved Judge Newman. What a great even keel kind of guy. My fav sketch today too. Funny story. I didnt notice he had a beard and mustache til i was almost done because i was so intent on drawing him. His hair. Well he had alot less til they read the verdict and i said wait he has alot more hair. Then i added it.

The prosecutor Waters did an awesome summation. His side kick today was even better. Well done to all the prosecution team. We didn’t think it would go their way but it did. Guilty!!!

And this guy what can i say but he was B O R I N G today. No wonder they lost.

Guilty. Hope he enjoys the rest of his life in the SC jails. More than his wife and son got.

Watercolor and inktense pencils superaquabee book. Each drawing is about 6×9”.

Margaret xoxoxo

Another day

March 2, 2023Leave a comment

You got it. Another drawing. This time of my sweetie.

Calling this “A Good Book”
Watercolor pencils in my superaquabee. 6×9”

Margaret exhausted from her allergies. Yes the yellow pollen is flying early in Georgialina. Sigh. xoxoxoxoxo

Court reporter 3

March 1, 2023Leave a comment

So yes i drew him three times. I hear u saying how weird is that?! Seems appropriate to post the last drawing today when both sides have rested finally. Superaquabee tablet w Faber Castell watercolor and Inktense pencils.

This is the first drawing in case u missed the post.

This is the second one i posted. Then i didn’t draw another one though i did follow the trial to the bitter end. I would vote him guilty though i think the jury will be hung. i think Dad shot his son in a drunken pill fueled rage when Paul hounded him yet again about the pills. Mom was there when it happened so he pulled the other gun and shot her too. They always carried guns with them to shot hogs when they were out and about on Moselle so they were always handy.

The ospreys are back cavorting over the house shreiking which is how i saw this one flying just above my head. I heard the shreik couldnt find it til i looked straight up and there it was. Gorgeous birds. Six foot wing span.

Margaret who is tired and ready for bed after book club. Nite nite. Xoxoxoxo

Do i like it is it done?!

February 26, 20232 Comments

Ballerina quarterish sized sheet arches. All done wet in wet using six colors, the hideous potters pink was one. Had the nasty color forever. Who knew it could make wonderous skin.

It was A Ken Call class that Mike and I finally did today that is part of Watercolor Live 2023 back in January. Kens website is well worth a look. His portraits are gorgeous.

This is what it looked like at the beginning. Ultramarine , Potters Pink, Burnt Sienna Sodalite Genuine Paynes Grey and Burnt Umber on arches 140 cold press. I have some 300 but i did not want to cut it up to try this technique when i didn’t know if i would like it. Arches now costs $28 a sheet. Ouch. That was before inflation.

Drips are in with Ken. Me too. I do love a good drip. You use a flat synthetic brush to lift color almost back to the white on this project. Did i say we lifted a LOT in this painting??? Really kind of an amazing technique at least in his hands.

There are two videos of him painting on youtube. Both are about an hour and a half long if you are interested in trying this technique.

https://youtu.be/rzXfr75fbPQ

https://youtu.be/10E4HPMKDfo

Margaret who is ready to go to bed! G’nite xoxoxox