Pencils4tea live from Milan Italy

September 2, 2023September 2, 20231 Comment

Miss Marcia 3 min.
Always a lovely look to a watercolor of her.

14 live Sketches in an hour! 😳 @pencils4tea Thanks Ilairia and Kirsty and all of our models. Live on instagram from Italia aka Italy!! Always fun and challenging.

@Drawingisfree on instagram starts up again. More face drawing fun live from Paris for 1 hr at noon EST. Zoom Link in her bio on instagram. Pencils 4 tea will not meet next week. 😭😭😭 I really think these events have improved my sketching and loosened up my watercolors.

Highly recommend trying it. U dont have to share them and they will get better the more times you do it.

Our hostess Ilairia in Milan Italy 6 min.

Used 1 paint brush a 3/8” Princeton dagger brush. My cheap general HB charcoal pencil drawing w watercolors over it instead of pencil.

Ruth in Chattanooga 2 min
my frequent partner in art adventures for the last 12 years.

Wc Colors used DS quin burnt orange and quin rose, Cheap joes(cj) andrews Turquoise, cj yellow ochre, cj burnt umber, cj cerulean, cj cobalt , cj alizarin, and cj hookers green, Lukas Cad Yellow, m graham cobalt and ultramarine watercolors, 5×8” superaquabee sketchbook

Meg McCurtain 2:36 min.
Such a lovely long neck. In my next life I am asking for one!

Rone Prinz 3:45 min
Lovely puffy curly white hair and daisies my fav flower

Raphael 4:39 min
Really should have turned the book sideways to get his hand in. Oh well.

Molly 3:14 min
I finished her up afterwards because i knew three min was not enough to paint her lovely scarf.

Sarah Brunell 1 plus min.
Not enough tine of course. I took a deep breath and drew her. Then painted when we were done.

The weather here is beautiful after Idalia blew by. Sky is as clear as a bell. Cooled off from the brutal 100 degree days to 64 lows and highs of 85. Fabulous weather.

Margaret xoxoxoxo as usual ready to put her feet up!

pencils4tea today

August 17, 2023Leave a comment

Just 13 live Sketches in an hour! Positively relaxing. 😳 @pencils4tea Thanks Jane and Kirsty and all of our models. Live on instagram from the Uk!! Always fun and challenging.

My cheap general HB charcoal pencil drawing w watercolors over it instead of pencil. 9×6” Superaquabee sketchbook

Can’t decide if i like the quin gold roughly brushed on before painting or not.

Jane our leader today. Oops too heavy w the quin rose.

Marsha. Always like the way hers turn out too.

Susan. That hair. Should have been wispier.

Anna of the piercing blue eyes and a nimbus of white har which i never quite get right.

Beautiful Ilaria. wish i had do e a better job

Jude. It was good to know we made it to 2:45. 😂

Michaela another one i didnt do justice to her beauty.

Beautiful Daniella. Always has something of interest to paint.

Sweet Ursula. A challenge to draw in a few min. I did cheat and paint a bit after

Margaret ready for a nap xoxoxo

Day 107! The Red Feather

August 17, 2023Leave a comment

Don’t ask. Obviously i cant count. 🥴😵

Don’t forget tomorrow. Free every Thursday on zoom thru @pencils4tea on ig. Link on her bio. Just show up 1 pm est.

Day 107! The Red Feather. The fifth of the 7 I speed drew Friday and painted four of them including this one.

Quin rose, quin burnt sienna, ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cerulean and andrews turquoise for that five o’clock shadows.

Ultramarine and ivory black for hair and hat. Yellow ochre and cerulean background. Cerulean, andrews turquoise, burnt sienna and ivory black for shirt. Lt cad red feather.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks, Judith @jyportraitchallenge and @marzemog

Margaret ready to go to sleep. Zzzzzz.

Day 103! Carla the Cat Lady!

August 15, 20232 Comments

Day 103! Carla the Cat Lady! 1 of the 7 I speed drew Friday and painted four of them including this one.

Quin rose, quin burnt sienna, ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cobalt shadows

Hair yellow ochre and cerulean w burnt sienna to make shadows.

Her cat is ivory black, burnt umber, and ultramarine paunted w my big Charles Reid da vinci 10 kolinsky sable round from Cityart.

Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre background. Seems to be my fav background lately.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Almost done. Decided to add more contrast to the background.

Thanks, Judith @jyportraitchallenge and carla @carla_s_kunst

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 102 & 105- Pete and Thea

August 13, 2023August 13, 2023Leave a comment

Day 102! Pete
The name is Peter Bond. In my head that was funny. Maybe not.

There are 4 more portraits done and all of the sketches for the other three.

Quin rose, quin burnt sienna, ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cobalt shadows

Hair cerulean and andrews turquoise w burnt sienna to make greys.

Shirt cerulean and cobalt. Striped done w a splayed chinese brush.

Ultramarine and yellow ochre background with dabs of burnt sienna.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.
Thanks, Judith @jyportraitchallenge and Pete @peterlockhart

Thea Day 105! Thea. 1 of the 7 I speed drew Friday and painted four of them.

Quin rose, quin burnt sienna, ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cobalt shadows

Hair cerulean and andrews turquoise w burnt sienna to make greys.

Her awesome top is ivory black, burnt umber, raw sienna, and ultramarine splatted on w an 8 kolinsky sable round.

Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre background with dabs of burnt sienna. Seems to be my fav background lately.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks, Judith @jyportraitchallenge and Thea @theadebruin

Thursday is @pencils4tea day

August 11, 2023August 11, 20232 Comments

Link @pencils4tea in her bio On ig. Every TH at 1 pm EST in the US.

@pencils4tea Thanks Kirsty and all of our models. Live on instagram from Dundee Scotland!! Always fun and challenging.

Anna w a hale brush . Her hair is white.

Michelle from California w a handful of butterflies

My cheap general HB charcoal pencil drawing w watercolors over it instead of pencil. Superaquabee sketchbook

Flesh Daniel Smith quin burnt sienna and MGraham quin rose. Blue shadows mostly cerulean and some cobalt and Andrew’s turquoise. Brown burnt umber and ultramarine to make black. Greys whatever blue brown mud i had sometimes adding ivory black.

Gorgeous Alexandra 2:46 a failure she so lovely. Does not do her justice

I confess i spent another hour titivating these aka tweaking them. Added all the backgrounds and painted some of the people later always spending at most five min on them per person.

Lily and Angela Shannon –
5+ min LOVE this one!

Liz always a pleasure to paint 3:20 min. Love her top! 4 diff patterns on it.

Ursula from Germany who i chat w alot on ig. One of my favs 3:46. She might need a background. Only 1 i didn’t give one to.

Rafael- Il es Français and he looks like it!❤️ 3:30 min

Daniella 1:19 min i confess i drew the cat and painted her after it. I had just started the cat when it ended.

Maggie immensely tahred xoxoxox

Day 99 Dan

August 8, 2023August 8, 20232 Comments

First wash. Quin rose yellow ochre burnt sienna ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cobalt shadows

Almost done. Cerulean and burnt sienna background. just the pesky plaid shirt to do.

Burnt sienna and ultramarine for the plaid. Makes a more vibrant brown than just burnt umber. Cobalt shadows.

Margaret off to Asheville for the night! xoxoxo

Day 100. Hurrah I made it!

August 6, 2023August 6, 20236 Comments

She looks glorious under my ott light. She just glows.

Day 100! I thought this would be an awful painting but I really like her alot.

In the future i will be choosing the ones i want to do. Only problem is that i would never have chosen this one. Too many stripes on her face.

First wash and sketch. Almost forgot to take pics.

All those stripey shadows. I started w her hair then a coat of very light skin color. Let it dry and added the stripes working my way down. She just glows in person.

Shadows mostly ultramarine w quin burnt sienna and quin rose. Some of the stripes on the left are made with cerulean and the quin burnt orange and quin rose combo.

Quin rose and quin burnt sienna for the lips w a bit of ultramarine. Yellow ochre cerulean and quin burnt sienna for the hair. Quin gold and quin pink w cobalt in the background.

Sky is cerulean. Sea cerulean and Andrews turquoise w yellow ochre. First a wash of the three. Then i added in streaks of pure color.

Her sundress is cerulean and Andrew’s turquoise w ultramarine and a bit of the quin sienna for shadows.

Done. I could have softened alot of edges but didn’t. Too many to do them.

Bushes ultramarine yellow ochre sap green terre vert.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks! Judith @jyportraitchallenge and @likaanwo

Margaret who will not be putting her feet up. The minions are coming to swim. Ages 7-3. So cute but soooo busy. Xoxoxoxo

Day 97 Alice

August 3, 2023Leave a comment

@Pencils4tea tomorrow on instagram 1 pm EST Live from Dundee Scotland on zoom last week. Fun zany poses with crazy hats or objects a frequent challenge on this zoom portrait hour.

Alice @alicesulsul Day 97. Three more to go. Trying to catch up. Eeekk. All about the curly hair and the drips.

First layers.
Loving the drips. Burnt umber ultramarine and mineral violet for the hair w added dabs of cheap joes andrews turquoise. Quin gold and quin pink. Cerulean mineral violet and turquoise shadows. Clothes are the same colors plus holbein terre vert a Charles Reid favorite.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook which was driving me a little nuts. It waffles badly when it gets too many wet layers. Then it would run into the face. Eekk. What happens when u soak 90 lb paper. Oh well.

Thanks! Judith @jyportraitchallenge and Alice @alicesulsu

Getting there but hair a little boring. Time to add some andrews turquoise.

Found these fascinating British artists who draw and are using fabric. Great youtube videos. This one does portraits on fabric. Cant wait to watch it. As soon as I post i am.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 95 Scott

July 31, 2023Leave a comment

Drawingisfree_org today. 12 noon est 6 pm Paris France time. Last one til September! I am ready! Are you?!

Thought he was done yesterday in my hurry to go swimming but NOPE.

Day 95 Scott @onelifemodel. I did a bit of titivating(tweaking) to Scott. A fine line when titivating becomes too much. Wasn’t pleased w the final painting. Think he’s final now.