But first. Don’t forget pencils4tea at 1 pm EST. One hour of wild drawing fun. See u there. Well i hope my husbands birthday so off to the grocery store for a few last minute goodies.
The photo Have long meant to paint Frank but could never slow down long enough to do it. He wasnt in Judiths portrait rotation but just an if u want to paint here he is. I love painting craggy old men w beards. The sketchFirst layers. Have to stop and remember to take pics. My fav skin tone paint. Daniel Smith Quin burnt orange and quin rose. Ultramarine in the shadows. Beard cerulean, ultramarine and andrews turquoise with bits of ivory black. Forgot the pics. andrew turquoise in the ceiling. Burnt umber and ultramarine in the eyes w dabs of perlene maroon. Blacks are mixed from ultramarine and burnt umber or quin bunrt orange. Quin burnt orange and burnt umber paneling. When u think hes done but there are edges to soften and shadows to add. Then i added the big scary. Ultramarine in the shadows esp on his nose and the ceiling and paneling on the left. Then i declared him done.
I think Frank wanted to be painted. Relatively an easy straight forward paint. i do wish i had used more ultramarine in his shirt. Always looks good in a black shirt.
Drew this last night of my sweet husband w my caran dache neocolor ii. And this yesterday am. H appy Birthday Dickie.
Have a super day. Margaret off to the races xoxoxoxo
Get your pencils sharpened. Don’t forget tomorrow is @drawingisfree _org at noon EST. Click on the zoom link. Cant wait for the fast paced hour of drawing people . We usually draw at least 13 heads. Great practice!
Day 85! #jyportraitchallenge Jill@jilliam58!!Time To Jump back on with the portrait of back pack girl. An outdoorsy woman living her best life.I thought she was done til i realized her chin was a smidge too long. Made her looks like Nixon or Jay Leno. Oops.Adding the scary ultramarine shadow on the left. Always looks like a terrible screw up when you do it but add in skin tone, soften the edges and voila you have a great shadow .Daniel Smith quin burnt orange and m graham quin rose for skin. m graham Burnt umber and ultramarine for hair and blacks. Cheap joes Alizarin bricks. m graham Mineral violet straps. 9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.The sketchThe photo. Thanks! Judith @jyportraitchallenge @JudithYaws and Jill@jilliam58Been busy with family visiting. A river cruise this weekend. Everyone had too much fun. Trestle on Little River. The Big Trestle on the Savannah. Osprey nest in the middle of it.
Margaret putting her feet up. #86 and 87 are done. Stand by dear readers. Xoxoxoxo
Day 76 – #jyportraitchallenge That hair was alot of fun. Tried to loose the edge of his hair w wet on wet. All the shadows on his face caused alot of trouble.
The reference
Used these brushes a 1 1/2” chip brush for the background & #4 cheap joes golden taklon, a Chinese brush that I got at Binders In Atlanta and a 3/8” dagger striper from masters touch. The chinese brush is fun to use on hair.
The sketch
Mostly used Cheap Joes American Journey for this painting. You get alot of paint for a good price.
Eeekkk the ugly time
DS quin burnt orange and quin rose, Cheap joes andrews Turquoise, cj yellow ochre, cj burnt umber, cj cerulean, cj cobalt , cj alizarin, and cj hookers green, cj Cad Yellow, m graham cobalt, mineralq violet, and ultramarine watercolors, 9×12” superaquabee sketchbook
First I did Drawingisfree_org on IG. 13 Drawings in an hour. Two had TWO people in them😵😵😵. i got so lost in drawing i didn’t realize when time was up. As the last time they got better and better.
#1 Chloe our fearless leader not my fav alot to draw in 2 1/2 min.
#2 mother daughter duo but seriously TWO people in Five Minutes???!
#3 she had one eye closed. Alrighty then. And in and out of shade. #4 much better. An older lady who moved alot but…still like her. #5 Now we are rocking. #6 interesting woman w a huge head band. #7 like this one#8 another good one. words are from the music being played. #9 a dont mess with me lady! alot to draw in a couple of minutes. Actually think this one was 8 but a crazy pose. My peast fav eyes and mouth wide open. #11 Joe or was it Bill. One of my favs. #12 A South African bundled up because its winter there. And i thought he was an elf. Lol #13 An Irish lass w pink hair. Really wanted to color it but thought i would mess her up since this is done w water soluble graphite. Some of the pencils i have been using. Lots of water soluble graphite and lead. Day 57. Was not wild abt her but hated not to show up. Did not like her fake nails aka daggers of her glued on looking eyebrows. The red hair was fun. And she was done. Might Not be the actual one i posted because i for once deleted them ALL. Last but not least a commission I am working on. A Sweet little girl so cute. Yesterdays. Day 56 #jyportraitchallenge. Bacchus or Dionysus – God of Wine! Interpreted by @modbodadrian
All i can say about todays paint is never make the head smaller than four inches according to the wisdom of Charles Reid. Oh he also said don’t paint what you can’t see!! Could not see the right eye or the where the nose was no matter how hard I tried!
M Graham watercolor and a few Daniel Smith. 11×14” Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook
Painted w a Mary Whyte fav paint M Graham and her fav brush a cats paw, @davinci_northamerica #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes and paint at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”.
Margaret ready for bed. I guess u know why now. Xoxoxox
LIVE from Paris! Drawing is Free at Noon EST on Zoom!! NO Nudity. Just drawing heads. GREAT practice
Day 54- My fav painting so far.
Keeping it fresh i hope and not overworked. I used Mary Whytes fav flesh combo M Graham raw sienna and quin pink for the flesh tones. Works well for all skin tones just varying the amounts of raw sienna and water to lighten or darken the mix. Its the only combo she uses for skin tones. Sweet face w her fun two tone hair. Fun painting her curly hair again today. While i remembered to do the hair wet on wet it ran too much. Thicker paint next time.Lots of great lost edges in this painting
Day 55 #jyportraitchallenge. Definitely a TOUGH paint. All that shadow and the pic is black and white so what to do with the background?! Lots of dark blue since its the compliment of peach/orange and makes her skin sing. The blue also let me loose her left side in the shadows.
My fav part is where her left hip meets the background.Day 54 #jyportraitchallenge. Another crazy busy day so i just did our lovely model in profile. Hmm got the ear too far foreward otherwise fun painting her hair and the lovely lights on her chest. I used a big cheap chinese brush and a Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose for her quin gold and quin burnt sienna tendrils. The Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose is a very long very skinny saver brush that is almost impossible to control. You have to trust it it will make perfect curls.Day 52 #jyportraitchallenge. Love her eyes. Fun painting her curly hair. Forgot to soften the hairs edges by painting into the background wet on wet. Hopefully next time. Works so well w fluffy curly hair. Drawing went well. Done quickly.Day 51 #jyportraitchallenge. Miranda. So many details to paint. Need i say more!? Drawing went well. Done quickly. Painting wasnt bad either just too many things to paint. Note to self. Do not tape the corners. Duh!DAY 50!!! of the #jyportraitchallenge. Did not ever think that i would get this far. David @gotsix2 flew off my pencil and brush. Glad he’s done. Beard could use some more grizzle in it but hey done is good.
M Graham and a few Daniel Smith quins – gold burnt sienna and scarlet.
11×14” Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook OR Meeden cp 140. Or Fluid cp 140.
Painted w a Mary Whyte fav paint M Graham and her fav brush a cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes and paint at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”
Maggie who wanted to be sure to post today. Xoxoxox
Day 47 of the #jyportraitchallenge.Another watercolor I like. Getting to be a pattern. Hurrah!! She actually said she was done today.
Arches cold press 9×12”
Forgot to take process pics again. Too busy painting. Sorry!!
The photo
Quin scarlet and azo orange w dabs of the purple color background (why not spread the joy around?!) used for her hair otherwise Mary Whytes palette colors.
The pencil sketch Always a relief when the model shows up on the paper.
The purple on the background is a combo of ultramarine and perylene maroon a lovely combo. Painted w a Mary Whyte fav a cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”.
Giaio an Italian Artist @florentinogiaio on arches 140# cp 9×12”The photo
Her name Giaio means Joy. Finally a watercolor I like. I managed to jeep it really loose.
The sketch- yes i did one. First washes. Love her sweater.
Used a moltow masking pen to leave the white hair wisps. Painted w a silver brush cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat.
Shadows added w ultramarine aka the big scary (an ultramarine wash in the shadows) and the flesh tone injected into the ultramarine. I Just about done. Have to remove the masking fluid. love the Moltow masking pen but next time will buy a pebeo one. The Moltow masking is tougher to remove but it was so nice being able to make the lines fast w no messing w a dead paint brush full of masking.
Mary Whyte palette colors.
Thanks! Judith and @fiorentinogiaio
Gorgeous morning. Pansies still flourishing which is unusual for this time of the year. Usually long dead and gone but its been 66 here. More pansies and nasturtiums which are coming on like gangbusters.
Thanks Chloe @drawingisfree_org We were live from Paris sketching!! The Zoom link is at the top of this page. What a great FREE opportunity!!
A marvelous face on this old man sitting almost in the dark en Paris. My Fav sketch! All of these were done in my superaquabee 10×14” sketchbook with two Derwent sketching pencils a lightwash and a 4B I got at Blick Atlanta. Lovely dark soft pencils with a thick lead. Love them.
These are all two and a half -3:14 minute poses. The length of the great music she played. Different song for each pose mostly Francais, mais oui!
In case u r wondering where I have been now on day 43 of the #jyportraitchallenge on IG. Check them out at @maggieinsc.
This is a totally FREE drawing session. His first time attending and she asked him to pose😵😵😵. His glasses really were crooked. Every Monday @drawingisfree_org has two sessions at 4 am EST and noon EST. Short 2-3 minute poses w different attendees being called on for a quick pose. So fun. Great music for each pose.Her 80th coming up but shes still drawing! Hopes to spend it in Paris sketching. I Lots of hands to practice on. A challenge when the pose is two and a half minutes. Great spikey hair and yellow glasses which i didn’t get to. Loved her hair!
Despite a Zoom collapse which was a total reboot and a power outage right before the end best fun i have had sketching since BC Before covid.
Used two Derwent sketch pencils a 4B and a lightwash which had been languishing in my pencil box. Yes I have a PINK pencil box. Lol. Actually i have several to store my watercolors in my color. Not my best but only two and a half minutes. 🙃Grwar curly red hair. Chloe our fearless leader. Started is off posing to some great French music. When in France do as the Francai do, n’est-ce pas??
A Bientot! Margaret xoxoxo whose gotta go paint. #jyportraitchallenge
Day 21. Looks easy right??! Mar @marcastenada_model #jyportraitchallenge Cute Audrey Hepburn look. Love Audrey. The sketch. Just didnt look quite right. I should have fixed it then but NOPE. Fluid 140#cpSo far so goodCobalt was much better but three coats on the background. 1 teal 2 cobalt. 😵💫 Nothing easy today. Her face does not look right. Better. I had a laundry list of tweaks. Her hairline lifted, her mouth got another quarter inch, i moved her right eye down , added some kore shadow under her left eye and softened some of the lines on her chest. I think thats it. Hmm. Anyway whether or not she’s right i quit.
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 