The Great Mary Whyte

January 23, 2023Leave a comment

Have finally had the honor and privilege of taking classes with her. I don’t think you can ask for a better hard working sharing teacher. If she knows it she will tell you.

Mary Whytes painting. Took her an hour and a half. Not quite a half sheet

Outside of a college art class the atmosphere is hard working and on your toes kind of environment. Lecture and Mary painting in the am then it’s your turn. If you work hard u can turn out two paintings in one day. Since my rotator cuff is shot I didn’t try that in the second class.

Full sheet Arches 300# done in Mary’s class in St Simons. Of course I can’t remember the lovely models name. No doubt in my notes.

The first one I took from her I did a full sheet in under two hours. That’s a lot of fast painting. Since the studio floors were concrete as I told Mary I limped out in both feet. OUCH. But I would do it again if I had too.

The sweet UGA student who modeled and played the guitar. Last time I will use fabriano. Sucked up the color like a sponge. I gave it to him and he was delighted. His dad Ken was our workshop helper and they were both delightful.

Mary’s painting. Oh so much better than mine. I am always tight on my first attempt in a class.

Painting #1. Tight but not as tight as the guitar player

Second time I sat. I really don’t like to and the floor was wooden BUT I didn’t want to limp the blocks to much car after class so I sat.

A quick sketch of Teesha. Something I do during class when I take notes. I listen better.

So since Mary says the secret to painting is to paint I signed up for a two day class in Charleston with her at Gudger Hall at St Johnnes Lutheran south of Broad on the Charleston peninsula.

Out the north facing windows at Gudger Hall

A lovely old building. Of course the paint flew during the day and the evenings on Edisto were heavenly.

The great Teesha by Mary Whyte painted in class. She’s the model in a lot of Mary’s books and is like Mary just a sweet heart.

My painting of Teesha the last afternoon. Then we were off home. If you can’t take a class with Mary there’s a Northlight video for $15 that you can buy and it’s almost as good as being there and her book on how to paint portraits. She leaves nothing out. Bytw Mary’s assistant thought this was Mary’s for a minute when I showed it to her. Made my day as well as my husbands.

Oh one last nite before I close. When you take Marys class in Charleston she and Sharon treat the class and a plus one with a reception in her studio. Heavy hors d’ouevres and the wine flows.

Margaret in rainy Georgialina curled up on the sofa reading when she should be painting. xoxoxo

Morning scribbles

January 20, 2023Leave a comment

To say my sketchbook habit has fallen off would be an understatement. Been working on this stillman and birn alpha sketchbook for a year. Oops. Mostly these are birds and 2 cats on the back porch done with a uniball that I smear w a damp finger.

Daisy the cat was done with grey tombow. She loves to sit in the window and stare in at us in the den. Sooty the black male being solitary like he’s prone to be and yes he’s fixed. All our outdoor cats are.

Out back last night. It went from a nothing to this in about a minute last nite. Then it fizzled out just as quickly. Sunsets are so fleeting.

And yes the kitties still think they are starving ever morning.

Margaret show has to get busy drawing for Watercolor Live today. xoxoxox

Drawing the lovely Crystall.

January 18, 2023January 20, 20236 Comments

Chrystall as a fairy. You have to love her as a model. You never know what she will wear or if she will wear anything. She designs and makes all of her awesome costumes and also does fire batons as well as other performing. You can follow her adventures at crystallinecreative on instagram

These are both gesture sketches with a pentel ink pen drawn quickly. Then painted. This one was probably ten minutes The first one was a longer pose. Chrystal posed for us in a Zoom session. Lots of fairy poses. Best $10 I have spent recently.

My favorite type of sketchbook when I am doing live model drawing. Lotsa sheets. Loves watercolor and ink plus it flattens out mostly when it dries. I have it in every shape and size they make. I usually use the two biggest sizes for life modeling thru zoom or Dr Sketchys. Great for all those gesture poses.

This is one I use for everyday things when I don’t have my other fav Stillman and Birn handy.

Margaret xoxoxox

A question

January 18, 20237 Comments

Trying to decide which two portraits to enter in the GWS show. which ones would u choose?!

AC at the sweetest guy and a great artist. But NOPE I won’t let him give me a tattoo. Ouch I think they must hurt too much. If I ever got one he would be doing it. He’s a sweetheart.
Half sheet Kilimanjaro 300# M Graham paint.

The Church Lady. A great model from Mary Whyte class in St Simons last February. Love her red hat and those pearls. Half sheet Kilimanjaro 300# M Graham paint.

Garden Party. Another great model from Mary Whyte class in Charleston last year. Think she’s out. She gets lost in the background.
Half sheet Kilimanjaro 300# M Graham paint.

Time to clean up my painting table. Taking watercolorlive next week w my friend Mike.

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxox

Out my window

January 17, 2023Leave a comment

Kayakers head down the Savannah on any given day that’s half way nice no matter the temperature.

This was part of a thirty day challenge Ruth and I did to draw our neighborhood. I got three done she got a couple before we got hot drawing the Inktober challenge which we did do everyday for 31 days.

Mark this one for sale! 11×15” watercolor and gouache 😘

Margaret xoxoxo who will try to do better posting in this new year!

Portrait painting

July 2, 2022January 17, 2023Leave a comment

She may or may not be done. Not fond of the too loud quin gold and the too heavy pencil that won’t erase but otherwise like her a lot.

Took an online class with Fealing Lin a couple of weeks ago thru Cheap Joes online. The biggest plus is that we get to keep the video on YouTube forever. A big plus.

Another plus you can contact Edwina May at cheap joes to get put in your favorite painters waiting lists if you can’t score a class.

My friend Mike aka Linda joined me in the zoom class. Even though she was in Raleigh and I was at mine it was almost like being in Boone in one of Fealings classes. We texted each other our paintings back and forth during our class breaks.

Oops really not fond of him. Lost some of his mustache and the quin gold really got out of hand. Eyes need work and I need to lift his mustache.

And she definitely needs work. Not sure what BUT sooner or later I will.

Loving these lazy summer days. I suppose I am having too much fun just lasting with the hubs yet around the house to bother painting. My bad right??

Last evening we were floating in the pool watching the swifts dart and dive overhead for their dinner. Who knew they did that??! Or maybe it was just a whole new view of them from below instead of from the deck?

Then the next door neighbors shot off fireworks for a half an hour. Scared our feral cats to death but we loved them. I actually posted a short video of them on Facebook last night.

Tomorrow night our other neighbors will go to town with their spectacular fireworks display. He has enough fireworks to fill up a long bed pickup in his garage. Grandkids are coming and they are going to love it! So are we.

Out my back porch on the Savannah river just now.

And earlier today. I thought the rain was suppose to continue.

Happy fourth!! Love Margaret xoxoxoxo

Plein Aire Fishing

May 27, 2022May 27, 20222 Comments

Well while he fishes I paint.

Flags flying at half staff on the Thurmond Dam.

The sketch. The only pencil I had was a thick leaded 2B derwent sketch pencil. Yes I forgot a regular pencil too. Sigh. You know when fisherman are ready to go they are ready to go. 😂😂😂

Off course I didn’t finish them. Left the big wash brushes at home. Both of these were painted with a tiny size 4. I rarely use anything smaller than a 10!

Both are fairly small. 1/4 sheet 140 arches rough. The pad just fits in my painting bag so I took it along.

Will finish these when I get home but off to moms memorial so these will languish on the studio table while I am gone.

Mom at 90. She does recently from Covid. Refused to get the shots.

On her 90th. She was 96 when she died in April. RIP Lucy June!

Maggie xoxoxo

It’s All About the Cherry

May 27, 20227 Comments

Half sheet Kilimanjaro 300# M Graham watercolors w Mary Whyte colors in it per her portrait painting book.

My niece was excited about eating her chocolate milkshake at Rutledge Cab Company in N Charleston. Great restaurant bytw!!!

Why do I always make problems to fix like the light background?

Storm blowing in from Georgia. Mostly a deluge but no tornadoes thank goodness. Hugs Maggie xoxoxo

Another Monday with Crystal

May 26, 2022May 26, 2022Leave a comment

The long pose – 40 minutes – pentel brush pen and watercolor in my superaquabee tablet. Crystal of @crystallinecreative did a terrific job as usual during this live zoom session thru Townsend Atelier. She’s doing online modeling sessions via Townsend Atelier about once a month on Monday at 5 EST. You can contact them at mailto:peggy@townsendatelier.com.

Ten minute pose

Fishing again today. That’s my husband up at the top of the dam – the blue dot. You run up and down that hill to land fish. Not me. I sit at the bottom and paint. Of course I didn’t finish anything today. Maybe I will get them down tomorrow. Some dummy left most of her brushes at home. Duh.

Maggie xoxoxo

Been drawing

May 25, 2022May 25, 2022Leave a comment

In my small Stillman and Birn alpha w a Office Depot mechanical pencil.

The best of the lot. My sweetie Hunt. 4×6”

I measured his head when I drew this one by holding up my 2B mechanical pencil. His head is very long and narrow. Kind of like the rest of him. He’s 6’3”. Lots of whiskers. Mustache and goatee. Going grey but still has a lot of pepper in his once black hair.

Next up a watercolor or two of him sooner or later.