Category: Cheap Joes

Day 231 So many Spots!!

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On the Farm down Florida way. Arches 280 cp. Nice paper. Scratches so well. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

The photo

Vlad’s value sketch.

My sketch. Did get tired of drawing a jillion little cows and all those legs. 😜 My dad used to joke to us on trips to count the cows by counting their legs and dividing by 4. That was the best part of drawing a jillion cows. Remembering the joke.

First wash. Cobalt cad yellow alizarin dioxzine cad orange yellow ochre

My cows are too light I think. We shall see.

Painting the background trees. Still using the same colors and burnt sienna and umber.

So I painted my cows a little darker grey. Cobalt yellow ochre and alizarin dioxzine mix. That mix will give you all kinds of grey.

Greens mixed with cad yellow cobalt and indigo. Oh and cobalt teal on water tubs.

Think this one is different but I can’t tell. Shadows under white spots? NOPE. Since these are Holstein cows painted lots and lots of grey and blackish spots made with that same grey mix. I think I added ultramarine and a dab of alizarin to mine.

Cows up close.

And adding in the foreground tree. Once again that green mix on the grey side.

Can I put my feet up now?!

Margaret xoxoxox

Day 233 Alla Prima

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My granddaughter and I were painting together today. I decided to do one of her. No pencil drawing first. Not too bad. Her hair is wild aka bed head. She might have dreadlocks soon. Now if I could just get rid of the seam. What was I thinking?!

Groan. It’s not like I didn’t have some fluid 150 cold press nearby.

Cad red and cad yellow. Alizarin Quin gold burnt sienna burn umber a dab of black. Peacock blue and Verditer blue – a pretty soft sky blue that I think has white gouache in it

Stillman and Birn alpha which was very forgiving when I lifted a few areas.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 228 Kitties Wonder

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Chased around after the kitties drawing them today. There’s always something that gets their interest. Sometimes it’s me. Hmm.

Ps fixed the spelling of kitties. But too lazy to take another picture. Now comfy on the sofa.

What is she doing?! I know that’s what they are thinking. Didn’t someone have fun with Hallie’s marking??

Yesterday I lifted tails of everyone but the tigers. One male the black two females the torties. Like calicoes torties are almost always female and bring good luck.

My torties are named for Halloween. Hallie and Weenie. Weenie and Tootsie are quite friendly. Thinking he might need a rename but what?? Hallie is coming around. Tigers as shy as ever.

Lots of baking going on today. Snickerdoodles and quiche or a frittata since I leave off the crust.

I drew the recipes in my recipe sketchbook but letting the ink dry over nite before i color them.

Ok lazy Tahred woman fixed it.

Margaret ready to watch Queens Gambit. Xoxoxo

Day 217 Assisi, Italy

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Flew off to Assisi Italy today with Vlad Yesileyev on his paint along. So far. Leaning toward this is DONE but might change my mind in the am.

The photo

The value sketch by Vlad Yesilev. I am bad. I don’t look at the shades. Rather look at the painting.

First wash.

I use a muffin Pan to mix the first wash-yellow ochre cobalt and alizarin – in so I can save it for the next painting instead of tossing. I do have to stir it up before use because the color settles. Moving along flowers started.

Same colors as first wash and burnt umber dioxzine and Andrew’s turquoise.

Well underway almost done. I forgot to take photos. Oops. We added indigo mixed w cobalt to our colors. Should have had two windows but I messed up. So I have three up top. Another oops.

I decided I needed to fix the top of the left door. It was NOT aim perspective.

So now I am done. Pot kitties fed. Chicken pot pie in the oven. Time to put my feet up and snuggle Zoe for a while.

Margaret xoxoxox

Day 201 Venice Canal Part Deux

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Or should I say Duo?!

Think it’s done. The way I left it Sunday after The paint along with Vlad Yesileyev. I was not happy with it and thought about trashing it. Aka turn it over and paint on the back.

I actually used a large 1″ bristle brush to wash this off after I taped it up. It lightened up a lot. Thank goodness. Hate to waste half sheet of Kilimanjaro. Down to about one sheet of it. Eeek.

So I slowly stated adding color to it. Adding a lot of black and grey. Actually used ivory black. As well as mixed greys and blacks.

I also Added A grey unifying wash on the brown building on the left and across the bottoms of some Of the others.

I also added some blues-cobalt ultramarine cerulean and Andrews turquoise. And Browns burnt umber and burnt sienna mixed with blues and that darn Dioxzine purple.

Then I decided it needed some more black and some vague details on the right walk way. Oops I had forgotten them. Joes turquoise and grey to the rescue.

Subtle Changes so I didn’t kill it again.

And this is it now. Really like it a lot.

Scrubbing off color was so much fun I decided to scrub this one too. It too has gone to the dioxzine side. Duh.

Look how light it is now. This one won’t be so hard to fix. Not as much to do.

Margaret listening to the news. Xoxox. Stay safe and wear your masks people. Hugs!!!

Day 203 Paris Awnings

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so far. Half sheet Kilimanjaro 300 #. Really like that paper. Need to order more. One sheet left. Eeek.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Vlads photo

So complicated. A famous French cafe near Notre Dame and the Sorbonne. Just drawing the balconies was SHOOT me now please.

First washes. Wow that was mad. And a lot of mud colorful mud but mud.

And more and more things paintted. We flew through the cars.

And now. Still have to work on the people but I decided to make a quiche for dinner.

Yummy.

And knit a bit. At the rate I am going an inch or two a night I won’t be done with this scarf til October. Christmas is coming, right?!!

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 210 Parafruegel Costa Brava Spain

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Flying away with Vlad Yesilesev on today’s paint along. I think I actually finished for once. Reserve the right to get up tomorrow and change it. Half sheet Kilimanjaro 140#. Trying to decide if I want to buy more 300# Kilimanjaro. Down to my last sheet but I have a large stack of the 140 so I may use it for a while. #useitup Also a stack of arches cold press #280.

The photo

Vlads value sketch

The sketch

First wash

What people already.

Oops forgot to take photos.

More darks esp foreground and under the umbrellas. The balcony. Playing with my saber brush which us fun to do squiggly calligraphic lines with.

thought it was done but nope.

added a few more whites and more balcony shadow.

Anybody want a kitty kitty???

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 200 Drawing Upside Down With Danny Gregory

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Om his Thursday noon draw with me post on youtube. You never know what he’s going to draw. Usually interesting and free. Might have to add an Austrian stamp to this. What do u think??!

Could not leave my sketch alone but had to decorate it esp since my palette was open and wet. Quin gold w dabs of burnt umber and ultra marine blue. Splattered with burnt sienna.

The sketch with my micro uniball and my Namiki Fude. Stillman and Birn Alpha.

We drew from this upside down Egon Schiele sketch of his wife. They both died from the Spanish flu in Oct 1919. He trained under Gustav Klimt and does wonderful strange sketches of people. Maybe he drew them upside down like we did today?!

Margaret xoxoxo

Day194- Down Edisto Way

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A quick sketch while on the beach today. Micro uniball Fabre Castro watercolor pencils stillman and birn Alpha

BYTW you can own this house for a mere $4.9 million. 5 bedroom 9 baths on the front.

My favorite watercolor pencils. Buy please tell me why there a pthalo blue instead of cerulean or cobalt. Someone please explain.

Margaret ready for bed. Another busy day manana xoxoxo

Day 191 Rousillon Revisited

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Paint along with Vladislav YesileyevThis one needs some darks. I don’t know how I DO NOT get them dark enough. I used a piece of Kilimanjaro 140#cp because I have a lot of it. Nice paper. I guess I need to give it the color test to see if it takes color like the 300 lb Kilimanjaro does. I found two more pieces of that but Cheap Joes is having a sale so I would like to get more while they have free shipping over $35.

I also think I need to make the windows darker and make the building look rockier. Maybe a few more darks on the big bush on the right. I was too tired this evening to do anymore. The photo somewhere in Provence

The sketch.

First washes. So light. There was a time when I made these very dark. So hurrah. Progress. Let it fly with a big kolinsky sable.

Sky wash and the bushes washed in.

First washes on the buildings.

Bushes begin. Can yellow cobalt yellow ochre. Bush Darks ultramarine and indigo. The place purple is alizarin dioxzine cobalt and yellow ochre. A greyed purpley bluey color

More Darks under the arbor. Alizarin cobalt and burnt umber Darks added in the buildings. Lots more browns added to it. And the required cobalt and alizarin dioxzine mix.

And here we are again needing more work groan.

Hugs. Ready for bed. Margaret Xoxoxox. Off to the beach Tuesday. Packing tomorrow. Hasta la vista Xoxoxox