Category: Birds

Another Ibis

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My friend who joined me while I painted. Did I tell you he tried to eat my Charles Reid Holbein palette. He likes expensive food. Rofl.

And then there was the poop. What is it with birds and their indiscriminate bathroom habits – aka go wherever. On my table. All over the floor. Yuck.

The green is made from cad yellow light and peacock blue. Makes a spring green. The reverse painting aka background makes the ibis pop. If I darkened it he would stand out even more.

Margaret packing to head for DC in the am. Xoxoxox

Key West Snow Patrol

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If I am not painting palms I seem to be painting chickens. And an ibis or two. I borrowed the name but the chickens really do patrol Key West. On the docks. In the streets at the crosswalks in the restaurants under your chair or even on the table.

TIP!!

Next time I am only bringing superaquabee paper unless I break down and make a sketchbook from strathmore mixed media paper. Both papers LOVE watercolor. They don’t Waffle while you are painting and they tend to dry flat. Always a plus. Plus the watercolor paint looks gorgeous on the paper.

Going to bring my long skinny one. 6×12 and either a 5×7 or and 8×10. Then I am going to sit on a corner and sell the sketches. Lol. Aka pay for our dinner and our

gas.

Try them you will love them.

Margaret off to Hogfish for some grilled hogfish salad. Sooo delish and no chickens. Just fish dockside. They stay in the water rofl.

A chicken a day

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Will keep the doctor away. Painting by the pool today. Just playing with my Vlad Yesilev sword brush. Makes great wonky chickens. Burnt sienna cerulean cad yellow cad red light dioxzine violet. Alizarin and opera rose.

And the daily palm. I know I have painted this same palm at least three times. I may be getting addicted to palm tree painting. I ran out of cad yellow so this one may not be quite finished.

Same colors as above. Superaquabee tablet.

Margaret back reading her book. Xoxoxo two more days in the Conch Republic. šŸ˜’

Ibis time

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You know I love to draw a bird. And ibis are so interesting. They just about lose so you can draw them. These were drawn at the Kew West Wildlife Center here. Found out recently they live in Augusta too. Now I wonder if they are the small white birds I see flying up and down the Savannah. Anyway fascinating birds with their pink bills and legs. They love dog food. Bought a sack of kitty snacks today in hopes of feeding them and getting them to pose for me.

Cerulean and quin gold on bodies. Quin coral on beans and feet. Cerulean blue eyes. Such lovely birds.

Background burnt sienna burnt umber mineral violet quin gold hookers green

Lamy pen eelskin black ink superaquabee tablet.

Margaret sitting out the hurricane in Key West. It’s heading north to Georgia so don’t worry. We should be high and dry.

Xoxoxox

Barred rocks rock

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Did I say I LOVE drawing chickens??? Worth a ride to key west to just draw chickens.

I actually followed the chickens around at the homestead in the great Smokey’s National Park to draw these Barred Rocks. Too much fun.

I used to not like chickens. That’s before I started drawing them in all their infinite variety.

And somebody please tell me why I love to draw anything and everything when I am out of town. Staring at a bulldog lamp that’s saying draw me draw me. I don’t get that at home.

Lamy Ef strathmore 500 wc paper cerulean burnt umber ultramarine quin red quin gold.

Margaret who has to do a self portrait tomorrow. Eeekk. Xoxox

Day 2109 Where or where has Margaret been

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Well the WordPress site is at full quota. So we are working on migrating it to a new less expensive server. Address will stay the same – I think. šŸ¤”

Good news is you should be able to buy prints soon. Well maybe by Christmas. šŸ˜µšŸ¤—šŸ¤£

Tufted titmouse on Stonehenge print paper

I reduced the image size so I HOPE they aren’t too bad.

Purple finch. On cheap Joes Kilimanjaro 140#

I have to say that the Stonehenge is much less user friendly. I tried to lift the to intense grey on the titmouses back and it was a no go. It was stuck like gorilla glue to the paper.

However it stayed flat and gave nice clear crisp colors.

The Kilimanjaro waffled while it was wet though now it’s dry it is just about flat. But the waffling makes the watery washes float on the surface. Eeek.

That’s how I got the nice blob on the purple finches back. Or at least that’s what I am blaming the blob on. And yes it’s a prestretched block.

Painted with my Vlad Yesilev sword brush. Bytw it’s getting much easier to use. PS it holds tons of water.

For a local show next month. Watercolor to come.

I am still in shock over Notre Dame. This is for a local show next month. Watercolor to come. It was really a miracle that the north tower didn’t burn and take down the whole thing when the huge bells fell. Due to brave firemen that did not happen. Here’s a fascinating article about the fire fight after investigation of what happened.

Thank god for brave firemen fighters. One squad that risked their lives in the north tower was lead by a young 27 year old woman Master Cpl. Myriam Chudzinski. What a woman!

Margaret back to dusting her pillows in the dryer. Xoxoxo

Day 2099 Key West Parking Lot Rooster

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Key west parking lot rooster

He posed for me in front of the Lowes or was it Home Depot where he seemed to live in the parking lot. One gorgeous bird.

Fun to draw lines with it. Think next I will try a bird with my Escoda perlas to paint the bird and finish it with the sword brush.

First pass with the brush. No feet. They faded away somehow. And oh my he needs an eye. I left the eye and the beak off because they would have run into the red.

OH POO running out of room again. Guess I will have to delete some more pics sigh. What a pain.

Second stab at him. Get it it’s a sword brush. Wish I had not added yellow along the top of his head below the comb. I might go back and put some red over the yellow.

Loving the lines but those feet refuse to appear.

Added some more ground and. Ever can resist splatters. Also added beak and eye.

Here he is done. Except maybe add red under his comb?! Soon he will be flying off to a new home after I fix that yellow under his comb.

Charles Reid palette w Vlads Neutral tint. Strathmore watercolor paper 140#. Nice paper. Didn’t buckle at all.

Margaret back to watching Good Omens. Great show on amazon with David Tennant and Francis Dormand as God.

Xoxoxox

Day 2098 More sword play

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The male cardinal has made his appearance. Fun stuff slopping paint on with the sword brush. same colors as yesterday.

Loving the abstract quality of these.

Margaret whose off to bed as soon as Zoe comes in. Xoxoxox

Day 2097 Sword brush fun

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The picture doesn’t do this bird justice. She just glowed on her white paper in the sunlight on the dash of my car as she rode off to the mailbox.

That’s the sword brush from Rosemary’s Brushes at the top of the photo.

There is no way you can make a tight painting with a sword brush but it does some great line work that is slightly out of control. The feet show some of the line work it can do.

The lines in her hair and her straps were done with the sword brush too. It’s fun to draw with because you can’t control it well.

Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro watercolor paper in a 4×6″ pad. Colors used chrome green opera pink cerulean burnt sienna ultramarine. Think that’s it. And mud from my palette for splatters.

Margaret xoxoxo