Da da with a long Ā Also Known as David

November 16, 2021November 16, 20213 Comments

My youngest grandson Dada on Ampersand Aquaboard. 11×14 watched a NWS zoom video on how to paint on Aquaboard with Ali Cavanaugh then we painted on our own. Came together for a critique on Saturday.

I never realized David has my son Ben, his daddy’s eye brows til I painted this. Funny the things you notice when you paint people. The eyebrows on those two are identical shapes.

Lots of thin layers. Rather reminded me of the class I took with Mario Robinson a few years ago. Lots of sheer thin layers.

Hours later. I scratched his hit with my Olfa box cutter as I listened to the critiques.

Need to work on making the bubbly background Ali does which I love. This is a screen shot from her Instagram feed so you can go followed her. She also has a patreon page for $20 a month to encourage portrait painting which I think I will do sooner or later.

Margaret xoxoxo

Fall trees in my yard. If I could change anything about my house it would be to put some of my front yard trees in the treeless backyard. The previous owners cut them all down when they put in the pool. Anyone want a pool. Please come and get it. Trade you for a few trees and maybe a patio.

Waiting for this beauty to go red. Maybe by my birthday Sunday?! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Margaret xoxoxox

A quick sketch

November 13, 20212 Comments

What I was looking at. Now in the trash. They always seem to mold before Thanksgiving.

Fun sketch along with John Muirs Law on Shopkeeparty’s YouTube. Give it a whirl! It goes live shortly.

I think I actually baked a perfect loaf of bread. Gorgeous and tasty.

Margaret who has a painting to finish. Xoxox

Inktober – 24 Down

October 24, 2021October 24, 2021Leave a comment

Seven to go. Used three pens. Lamy Ef or a micro uniball and sometimes a white pentel gel pen.

Here’s the star. She’s run me off the sofa except for the corner of one cushion. She needs the rest today.

If at first you don’t success try try again.

So I succumbed to too much white pentel gel pen. Might have been a good one otherwise.

The best one so far I think. Drawn w a micro uniball.

Kicking back. She rarely lies on her back.

Out my windows this am!! Love the light hitting the mist.

Margaret excited I have made it this far in inktober. Xoxoxo

More inktober

October 18, 2021October 18, 20212 Comments

Can scarcely believe I am keeping up. 18 days now and 18 drawings. That’s a first for me.

As you no doubt know my model is prone to rolling over stretching and turning her back on me if she’s annoyed. Does she care if she’s holding the pose like a good model?! NOPE!!

Margaret trying to keep the words to a minimum. Lamy Ef w Platinum Black ink black micro uniball white pentel gel pen and stillman and birn alpha. Small books are so much less demanding. Xoxoxox

Nest time

September 28, 2021September 28, 20212 Comments

We started with an egg sketch.

From a fun paint along with the delightful Berskshire, England artist, Liz Chadderton, on Shopkeeparty.com. She’s always a lot of fun and brimming with ideas, tricks, and tips. Plus she loves to paint any and all animals. I wish I had her energy!

We started by drawing eggs off center in the sweet spot. 1/3 up and 1/3 from edge. Used a piece of rough arches.

Next we applied masking fluid to our eggs..

Then we drew the nests and applied more masking fluid. I used a bamboo stick. Masking will ruin your good brushes so NEVER use it on them.

Then we applied a light layer of watercolor using our chosen colors. Liz said to only use 6 colors. You never needed more than that.

Mine were indigo, Thalo blue, Prussian blue, burnt umber, Payne’s grey, and moonglow. I finally added raw sienna. I needed a lighter earth tone.

Then we dried it added more masking fluid for more sticks and added a middle tone layer. As usual I went a little dark.

Hair dried a lot of masking fluid today. Something ideally you should never do as it makes it tough to remove.

More masking fluid added and dried then the darkest color. I tried using Q-Tips to put the masking fluid on. DONT. Yuck.

Lots of blobs of masking were what the teacher ordered. They take a while to dry.

Then we rubbed and rubbed and rubbed off all that masking. Now it’s too white. So we used a rigger, in my case a Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose brush. Don’t you love the name? It’s really a slim dagger brush. Makes the best curls and swirls. And terrific curly hair.

Last we added more color to knock out some of the whites. Mine were a little over powering. I also used my loose Goose to sling lines aka brushes on it.

I also dipped my Loose Goose into some Winsor Newton white gouache to add a few more pieces of straw and curly bits where I didn’t have any. Bet you can’t tell where I did that.

This class is available for purchase on Shopkeeparty soon if you would like to try your hand at a nest or one of Lizs other classes. All are available as video on Shopkeeparty.com.

I highly recommend Liz! Margaret xoxoxox

Fun with David R Smith

July 23, 2021July 23, 20212 Comments

Stay tuned for part two.

Never wear blue readers when you paint. Lots of fast slapping paint around. And splattering water to make dots in the damp paint. Then painting again.

Arches 280# cold press paper

Well who knew I would be painting rocks? But I did. I liked it so much I did two. Another Shopkeeparty class.

And then I took another longer class from David and his friend Bob Ross today. Another crazy fun class. He sweetened the class by giving a 20% discount. Now I am thinking abt buying the video. 😳😳😩

The first layer. Quin gold Andrew’s turquoise alizarin cobalt. Maybe ultramarine?! You can watch the cideo too on Shopkeepartys YouTube channel.

The photo. Just those plain rocks they use in landscaping yes those. If you wet them they are actually colors. Who knew!!

The second one on Hahnamuhle 140 Cezanne. And yes I wore the blue readers again like a dummy. Then I took them off and returned them to Costco. Nowhere on the wrapper did it say they turned everything yellow. But truly why didn’t I take them off. This one is better BUT just think what it would look like if I took off my blue readers DUH!!

Two for one. So this one counts for Friday too. Off to Atlanta tomorrow for the next week. plenty on my phone that you have not seen so I can continue my knitting.

Hate to leave this morning view out my back window but needs musts. Off I go tomorrow.

Hugs Margaret. Xoxoxox

WIP Paris Cafe

May 18, 2021May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Hahnemuhle 140# half sheet

Wishing I was sitting here having an espresso followed by a croque monsieur. For now. Too tired to work on it anymore today. Not crazy abt the people but then that’s not new. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

First wash yellow ochre alizarin and cobalt Cad orange.

And the rest of the first wash. Cad red light, cobalt teal, cerulean w neutral tint yellow ochre and dioxzine mixed in. Funny how light the left hand buildings look now

The shadows added and MORE windows So many windows

And now. Time to put my feet up. Color me tahred. Xoxoxox Margaret

The Fox I hope

May 13, 20211 Comment

Well maybe …in the gates but waiting for the race to start. Hoping not to be an also ran.

The sketch kind of sort of done.
Peachtree Road.
The cars need some more work and I think I will add some more people.

Maybe.
Half sheet Hahnemuhle 15×20” 140# rough

Can I just call this done?!

This is my primary picture I am using. I have a ton of photos of the Fox. I snap them when traffic backs up at the light or just put the phone on the dash and take a surreptitious pic or two.

Using this one to add the tall background building. I think it could be a good painting too. That bright sunlight and great shadows in it.

Currently looking at it upside down to see if anything outrageous stands out. Sometimes they do. Like no focal point. The right hand tower of the Morrish influenced Fox will be my focal point.

Try upside down. You will see it works.

On another subject. New cat on the back porch. Eeek. Worse my cats who are bigger than it are afraid of it and run when it tries to eat their food. Dummies don’t know they are suppose to run it off. Sigh.