Category: Atlanta georgia

Day 214 Kitty Doodles

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Got bogged down doing paperwork today but managed to draw the pot kitties on my back porch. Oddly once again two are missing. Last time that happened they turned up. So who knows. It’s a wait and see right?!

This morning they were busy playing inside and outside. Spent the afternoon snoozing. As I type they are waking up. Of course I Am done drawing them. Sigh

Anyway here they are. Used my Namiki Fude. Faber castell watercolor pencils. Was afraid to dampen the watercolor pencil because I knew the ink would run. Really need to order a bottle of platinum black. Never had these things problems with it.

Stillman and Birn alpha.

Zoe’s ready for Halloween. She was very excited when I put on her Halloween scarf.

The knitting is growing. 16″ or so now.

Margaret thinking abt a nap. Xoxoxox

Day 213 Upside down

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After the upside down drawing I got into a discussion with my dear painting friend Ruth Pearl also my guiding light for art critiques about looking at your art upside down to see problems.

So today I tried it. I want to see if I can apply what I have learned from Vlad Paint Alongs to this fairly simple photo.

I did my value sketch. It is a little big. Should be postcard size. Oops. And I should work on a wider range of values from dark to light but I have a good start.

I want to make the top right window the focal point.

Then I turned it upside down to sit and look at for errors. Why do errors show?? Because you aren’t looking at what you drew but the shapes and tones of the value sketch.

I noticed right off the bat that the building was wonky. Aka lines weren’t straight. A good thing or bad thing. I also noticed that the top window did attract your eye right off the bat.

I cheated and drew it first. Now I have to go back and make some Adjustments. Like a taller roof on the left building and the chimney on the right one.

I guess I should turn it upside down and look at it too.

Something else I like to do is take the color out of a photo to reduce it to the elements.

Ps don’t forget just because it’s not there in thenpainting doesn’t meant you can’t add it.

Been watching Frank Francese paint watercolors on Cheap Joes YouTube. https://youtu.be/EPSfkIL9nzs
There are several of them. Love his bright colors and his wild paintings.

Margaret ready to watch Part 2&3 of Frank’s Beach painting. Xoxoxox

Day 210 Parafruegel Costa Brava Spain

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Flying away with Vlad Yesilesev on today’s paint along. I think I actually finished for once. Reserve the right to get up tomorrow and change it. Half sheet Kilimanjaro 140#. Trying to decide if I want to buy more 300# Kilimanjaro. Down to my last sheet but I have a large stack of the 140 so I may use it for a while. #useitup Also a stack of arches cold press #280.

The photo

Vlads value sketch

The sketch

First wash

What people already.

Oops forgot to take photos.

More darks esp foreground and under the umbrellas. The balcony. Playing with my saber brush which us fun to do squiggly calligraphic lines with.

thought it was done but nope.

added a few more whites and more balcony shadow.

Anybody want a kitty kitty???

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 200 Drawing Upside Down With Danny Gregory

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Om his Thursday noon draw with me post on youtube. You never know what he’s going to draw. Usually interesting and free. Might have to add an Austrian stamp to this. What do u think??!

Could not leave my sketch alone but had to decorate it esp since my palette was open and wet. Quin gold w dabs of burnt umber and ultra marine blue. Splattered with burnt sienna.

The sketch with my micro uniball and my Namiki Fude. Stillman and Birn Alpha.

We drew from this upside down Egon Schiele sketch of his wife. They both died from the Spanish flu in Oct 1919. He trained under Gustav Klimt and does wonderful strange sketches of people. Maybe he drew them upside down like we did today?!

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 198 One more down Edisto Way

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Having a binge tv do nothing day unless I had no choice. Driveway visit with a friend I hadn’t seen since hmm well about 198 days- not since Covid started. Hard to believe we are almost at 200 days since lock down begun. 1000 deaths per day for 200 days and no end in sight. Cheery thoughts on a gorgeous fall day.

I meant to draw some people in this sketch but of course they hopped in their go cart and zipped off down the beach about the time I sat down to draw this scene. Oops.

Hope I didn’t share this already. My granddaughter and I got out at the crack of dawn to take this pic. Did u know the birds start flying away from their roost almost the minute dawn strikes. It was like 3 2 1 liftoff dawn is here. And off they sailed. Next time I will have my good camera and get out there 15 min earlier. 😩😩😩

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 197 Venice

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Today our paint brushes flew to Venice on a paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev . Of course I would rather be on the beach down Edisto drawing whatever came my way but all good things end right?!!

Probably needs more work in between washing stacks of sheets and towels. Who knew you could rent a house without linens and what a house it was. Three houses in one. I had my own guest house connected to the main house by an elevated walk way.

The main house from the guest room. You can see the MBR suite house peaking out from behind the crows nest. And of course it had an elevator. Doesn’t every beach house?

The photo

Vlads value sketch.

Vlads drawing.

First wash

Almost done.

For now. Half sheet of Kilimanjaro Cold Press. 15×22″

Margaret Xoxoxox tired from running up and down all those steps here and at the beach house.

Day 195 Out the Window

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I should add an egret cruising in to this drawing. There are at least 100 egrets cruising in now to roost under the windows in the trees that I didn’t draw in this sketch.

Micro uniball stillman and birn Alpha

Trying to remember to do a focal point while u sketch and let the rest go as background and foreground is not easy. I tried.

Of course the egrets are on the side of the trees away from the house so u can just see a dab of white here and there. Truly there are at least 100. I just saw 25 land in quick succession. Then they sit in the trees and clack and growl at each other most of the night. Also a few wood storks cruising by. Hard to tell if they are roosting. There. And a youngster or two. No sun tonite or I was going to drive around the lagoon and look at them. Maybe tomorrow evening if it’s sunny. I took this one thru the screen on my rooms cute little porch. Did I say it needs a rocker or two?!

Spent the morning at the Serpentatium. Always interesting.

Margaret putting her feet up for the day. Xoxoxox

Day194- Down Edisto Way

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A quick sketch while on the beach today. Micro uniball Fabre Castro watercolor pencils stillman and birn Alpha

BYTW you can own this house for a mere $4.9 million. 5 bedroom 9 baths on the front.

My favorite watercolor pencils. Buy please tell me why there a pthalo blue instead of cerulean or cobalt. Someone please explain.

Margaret ready for bed. Another busy day manana xoxoxo

Day 188 I just had to.

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And I should have left it alone but NOOOO I couldnt do that.

So I have quit now. Impossible to knock out that yellow and make a nice tin roof on the house like a Low Country Cottage would have.

Bytw in case u were wondering the Low Country is the coastal area of South Carolina starting around Orangeburg about 90 miles from the coast. A slower way of life.

My moms fav cookie. I love the orange cranberry walnut version

Our family has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember. Originally on the back of the Quaker Oatmeal box.

My son Bens fav. Also quite a few of my friends. Some like them with nuts some without. I usually make both types.
My friend slim trim Alexis will break her diet for a few of these and my friend Elizabeth- well better than anything to her. Tell her I am baking and she WILL show up. Voted best cookie by all the Saturday artists. Well at least a big fav.
Grits is …. well these can’t be beat. Best made with nasty mineral laden Edisto water. Anything with all that milk and cheese is bound to be good right??!

I didn’t wet this watercolor pencil because I was afraid it would smear the ink. What is with that ink?! Should be permanent.

Pot kitties. My pots used to be gorgeous til the pot kitties took them over. A veritable kitty play ground.

Tootsie short for Tootsie roll actually came in the house today. Oh my.

A few more kittie pics because who doesn’t love kitty pics?!!

Margaret whose made two loaves of bread and hand made artisan pizza today as well as a jillion other things now calling it quits. Oh wait ones still in the oven. Xoxoxox

Day 191 Rousillon Revisited

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Paint along with Vladislav YesileyevThis one needs some darks. I don’t know how I DO NOT get them dark enough. I used a piece of Kilimanjaro 140#cp because I have a lot of it. Nice paper. I guess I need to give it the color test to see if it takes color like the 300 lb Kilimanjaro does. I found two more pieces of that but Cheap Joes is having a sale so I would like to get more while they have free shipping over $35.

I also think I need to make the windows darker and make the building look rockier. Maybe a few more darks on the big bush on the right. I was too tired this evening to do anymore. The photo somewhere in Provence

The sketch.

First washes. So light. There was a time when I made these very dark. So hurrah. Progress. Let it fly with a big kolinsky sable.

Sky wash and the bushes washed in.

First washes on the buildings.

Bushes begin. Can yellow cobalt yellow ochre. Bush Darks ultramarine and indigo. The place purple is alizarin dioxzine cobalt and yellow ochre. A greyed purpley bluey color

More Darks under the arbor. Alizarin cobalt and burnt umber Darks added in the buildings. Lots more browns added to it. And the required cobalt and alizarin dioxzine mix.

And here we are again needing more work groan.

Hugs. Ready for bed. Margaret Xoxoxox. Off to the beach Tuesday. Packing tomorrow. Hasta la vista Xoxoxox