Day 79 – Venice

June 3, 2020June 3, 20202 Comments

The Grand Canal Venice. All this travel is wearing me out. Aka and now I am Tahred.

Off to the races aka paintalong with Vlad Yesilesev today . I was rotten. I didn’t do the value sketch because I was drawing this largish painting. 15×15. Rough press Fabriano.

The photo.

First wash. Whew that was exhausting but I like it so far.

Vlad has us screen shot his value sketch so I had it anyway.

And then we were almost done. Zip zap. I lifted some of the water. It was getting to dark.

Here’s how it looks now but I still need to work on the buildings on the right. Too tired to care right now.

Worked on this a bit. Darkened the walls.

Here’s what it looked like. It still needs a couple more things but mostly done.

This is the next paint a long with Vlad Yesilesev. I wish I could make it but in Atlanta for a birthday. The big first one for my sweet grandson David. Can’t wait. And I have a very similar photo I took in Bayeux France so really wish I could make this one. Poop.

Yesterday’s baking and it was delicious.

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxox

Day 76 The chair

May 30, 2020Leave a comment

Really a rocking chair. I just love this chair. Silly I know. Usually it sits in the corner of the den and nobody sits in it though it’s quite comfy. An extra chair. Definitely a challenge to draw this very curvy chair.

Namiki Fude pen.

I think this is done now. Somehow I managed to forget to paint the balcony. What?! I also lightened the tree. And worked on the store a bit. I forgot I was going to do some writing over the one store front. Maybe tomorrow. Lol.

Margaret watching the riots all over the country. 😢😢😢xoxoxo I hope you all are safe tonite.

Day 70 National Show

May 23, 2020June 3, 20201 Comment

Loosing my mind entering but Gypsy arrived at the National Transparent Watercolor Show this week. Still can’t believe she got in. Summertime got in the South Carolina Watermedia Show and thanks to my friend Colettes reminder I entered it in the National Watercolor Show. Cross all your fingers and toes it gets in and that Gypsy wins a big juicy prize.

Makes me wish I had finished this one today. Pepe’s the oldest eating establishment in Key West but sinuses were feeling stuffed up so nursed them and binges some tv shows today. Already working on a headache is not conducive to painting under stress especially palm trees which are always tough.

Edie on Amazon. LOVED it. Now watching Silent Witness. Only 18 episodes to go on Brit Box. 🤗

Also watched Inferno on AMC about some nuts releasing a pandemic to thin the earths population with Tom Hanks riding into the rescue. The Dan Brown spin offs always are wonderful for watching major art hot spots in Europe vicariously like Florence in Inferno.

Margaret is still feeling a little stuffed up. Xoxoxox

Day 69 Havana

May 21, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Might be my favorite to date. Coming off the watercolor board soon.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

The photo. A wet day in Havana.

My sketch on 300 lb rough Fabriano

First wash with very watery yellow ochre alizarin crimson cobalt blue and a dab of cobalt teal.

Trying to fix my street. Was too choppy. Aka wipe it out with tape and a sea sponge.

And done. I added a bit more yellow ochre and cad yellow on the sidewalk and lower edge of the building because it is so yellow.

At some point I decided I hated my painting so I had lots of fun playing with my Loosey goosey dagger brush from Cheap Joes. Love that brush. It makes all those thin thin lines.

Ps sign up for a paint along with Vlad Yesilesev.

Margaret ready to find some lunch or is it dinner time. Xoxoxo.

Day 66 Roofs of Rousillon

May 20, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Yesterday. LOTS of Problems. First was a headache. Painting with a headache is not ideal. Glad it’s gone.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

The value sketch. Wow that was tough all by itself. Looks like a bunch of jumble to me. And I was bad about not following it. Soo much to think about, do and learn during one of the paint along with Vlad Yesilesev. I will say he does a wonderful job. Patient Sharing kind. Endlessly answering the same questions with graciousness and interest and much patience from his students.

What more can you want in a teacher?!

The photo

The sketch. I got lost in the roof tops. So many jammed together. Didn’t even draw half the chimneys. Oops

First wash. You watch him paint and follow behind him.

Moving along second wash.

Rest of the second wash. Going to the dark side. Eek

Third later begun. Adding details. I should have stopped here. Too bad I didn’t.

maybe it was the headache that made me not like it?! Really not so bad is it?!

A better picture taken with my ipad. Odd it takes better photos than my much newer iPhone.

Heading to Spain to Palafuegel with Vlad Yesilesev. Still time to sign up. Might be the best $19 you will have ever spent.

Another paint along tomorrow. Highly recommend. Always fascinating. Tough but satisfying.

Storms rolling thru today. Lots of rain thank goodness. We need it.

Really love this one late this afternoon. Most recent one had a lot of thunder and lightening. Amazing to watch the bolts shoot out of the skies and a little scary especially when there are multiple strikes at the same time.

Margaret worn out from not a lot. Long walk with Zoe and clean up from TWO leaking sinks aka washing and tossing.

Xoxoxo

Day 67 Palafruggel

May 19, 2020May 19, 20214 Comments

Hmm maybe I will like it better tomorrow. Right now I am my own worst critic and want to change quite a few things but probably won’t. Too Tahred since I painted from ten-5 today. 🤪Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

The photo. What a view!! On the Costa Brava in Spain.

My value sketch done last week on drawing class. Thank goodness. A bit of a break.

The sketch.

first wash.

Second wash underway.

Moving along. Dashing to the finish line.

And done. Well thinking of splattering the foreground. And may do something for the trees foliage after I think about it.

Margaret tired from paintings from 10-5. Repainted the Roofs of Rousillon before zoom took down the video.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 61 sometimes it

May 15, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Takes me a while to figure out what’s wrong w a painting. Did not like this one. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Till I darkened the roof on the right. It was competing with the focal point of the roof on the red barn. Oops. Think I still need to darken the smallest roof. But oh so much better now. A day or two of looking at it and bingo there was the answer.

Today I took a sketching class from Vlad which really was about how focus a painting using a value sketch. 32 of us showed up for 4 hours with the master Vlad. He has an MFA from St Petersburgs Art Institute in Russia. That’s a lot of art practice to get a degree.

Lots of great tips on focus squinting and shading.

a page of my notes today.

the photo – not much there is there. Guarantee if he paints it it would be wonderous.

And how to focus. Lightest light will be focal point. We used 3 shades well four if u count white. Light medium and darkest dark.

Also taught us about perspective which I already knew though sometimes it can drive me crazy.

And for dinner tabouleh veg salad and strawberry shortcake for desert. Yum.

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxo

Day 60 Cambridge NY

May 14, 2020May 19, 20212 Comments

The Barn in Cambridge. Oddly enough the birthplace of my hero Charles Reid. Paint along with Vlad Yesilesev yesterday. I do wish I had kept my Transparent colors on the shadowed bits of the barn but oh well. Fav but the orange one on the right. Like its glow. Think I will lift some of the purple on the roof of the big barn.

The sketch

Vlads value sketch. I didn’t take a pick of mine yet. Oops

First wash.

Trees. Lots of dry brushing.

Hmm no idea is this one done?!

And here it is done again. lol.

This is Vlads. Already sold or you could buy it for $400.

Margaret looking forward to painting the Roofs of Prague on Sunday. It’s my new thing I guess Xoxoxox

Day 59 My White Amaryllis

May 13, 2020May 20, 20202 Comments

And a quote from Reese Witherspoon. This white amaryllis has been blooming steadily for SIXTY days one stalk at a time. Thought I should commemorate its swan song. It has consistently shown up to do the work of blooming. Third year it has come back to bloom.

I journaled a bit about the amaryllis in pencil and painted it faintly in the background on the right page.

Namiki Fude Eelskin Black Ink

A sweet fat cardinal wallowing in bird seed on the back deck.

Margaret who is Tahred again. Xoxoxox.

Day 58 – En Provence

May 12, 2020May 19, 20215 Comments

A lot of egregious errors I thought and maybe a repaint when I finished but I really like this the more I stare at it.Things that bothered me yesterday no longer do. I think it has a great glow about it. I really love the tree. Who cares if I messed up the hard fought for dappled tree shadow on the right of the tree by misting it too much and it ran everywhere. 😫 and the roof line was not quite right. I no longer care and like it a lot. How would we take this no account ho hum picture and make a good painting out of it?! Hmmm.