Category: Cheap Joes

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

Selfie time

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Eeekkk. Tyvek selfie 18×24″ Dr Ph Martin Hydrous Watercolor.

Taking a class with Myrna Wackov. Check the link her fascinating website and blog. Quite interesting all self portraits on strange surfaces. Today was tyvek a plastic material that houses are wrapped with – that white outer layer before the siding goes on. Yes you can use watercolor on it.

She had us sketch a selfie three Times using contour drawings.

Photos were taken by reversing iPhoto and using a timer delay. Then looking down at the phone. Always a scary proposition. Try it for some whacky selfies.

Then we drew it with a needle nosed bottle on the tyvek w well Karen and I used diluted burnt sienna Dr PH Martin watercolor. It disappears leaving no lines.

Then we added watery Dr PH Martin watercolor. I actually drew with the end of my perla paint brush dipped into the watery dark hair paint to get the thin lines. I also used my Isabey squirrel mops. Did my Charles Reid splatters. Turning it into a soppy mess.

Myrna uses all kinds of things to paint and draw with – sharpened chop sticks coffee stirrers mop strings even tampex. Yes you read that right!!

One last thing about this wonderful product. You can wipe it off while wet. You can even use the Kleenex used to wipe out to stamp color elsewhere. Strange stuff tyvek. Also what post office mailers are made of.

Margaret exhausted Xoxoxox

Being slack

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Actually packing like a maniac. Will be out of town for most of next month. 😳😳😳

Worlds longest supply list 😵😵😵

Taking a self portrait class with Myrna Wackov in Athens Wednesday-Friday. I should post the her supply list. Insanely long. As my friend Karen said it’s like a scavenger hunt finding all the stuff. A different technique each day.😵😵😵😵

Then I am racing off for two weeks in Key West. I hear you say oooo rough life. Once I get it all going it will be awesome.

Then off to DC to bury my dad in Arlington a big whoop de doo military funeral with generals and cassons and emissaries fromthe South Korean Government. Cousins coming from all over the country. Should be fascinating. Lots of sketches to come!!

In the meantime one of my fav chicken paintings ever on Yupo lovely slidey weird plastic paper. WARNING WILL SMITH WARNING. NEVER EVER touch the Yupo with your fingers. Or u get spots. Curable with alcohol. But eek. It won’t take paint there.

Love the roosters zaniness. Heading to Key West soon. Cant wait to be do some chicken chasing and some chicken painting. #keywestrooster #keywest #chicken

Margaret off to bed. Xoxoxox

Day 2116 Court reporter part deux

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These were such fun to color with the tombows whilst I watched tv last night. Four tombows flesh green and two blues one of which was light. The other was so dark I could use the blue on my brush for shadows.

Think the color improved him greatly.

Page two colored. Just used two tombows flesh and a wierd green. Then added water to the green. You never know what will happen with tombows. Sometimes good sometimes not.

This is before. I think it too was improved by color even though it’s simpler.

These are my friend Ruth Pearls. You can follow her on Instagram at Britpeach She used Derwent watercolor pencils and a copic market.

Her second one. I think the bottom sketch somehow is perfect of Mueller. Such expression.

Margaret who wants to finish her book called. The Irressistible Blueberry Bakeshop and café. I think I have gone Blueberry crazy baking too many blueberry pound cakes. I discovered I am NOT a lover of big wads of cooked blueberry. However I have friends that LOVE it.

Day 2113 Court reporter time!!

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Best thing about congressional hearings is getting to draw the talking heads. My dear friend Ruth Pearl and I would LOVE to be court reporters of any needs us. Too much fun. Will share a couple of hers with you after I ask her.

Page 5&6

AND I finished this hahnemuhle journal. Now I can go back to stillman and birn. The hahnemuhle hated the tombow markers. When I tried to brush them out the paper peeled. WHAT?!!

And the spine is totally broken and falling apart. Last time that happened was when I first used Stillman and Birn. They sent me a stack of four to replace that one book. WHAT was I thinking changing even if it was to try out a nice non plastic covered journal. Sigh.

Page 1&2

Tombows. Always fun not as messy as watercolors BUT I think I will paint the other two pages I drew today. 11 heads all together.

Have to say he’s DIFFICULT to draw. Not sure why.

One tip. You can draw these guys in 5-10 min. If u start where he’s looking right and don’t finish wait. Sooner or later he will resume the same position and you can finish. Try it – it’s a lot of fun. That’s how I did the big one. Every time Schiff or Nunez questioned him I worked on the big one some more.

Page 3&4

Page three. Especially like the one on the bottom right.

Ink ones are my Lamy Ef a sweet writing pen with noodler brown ink.

Margaret who might have to listen to more news. 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

Day 2084 – the kid

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At this point. The Kid 15×22″‘hp Fluid. Forgot to ask his name yesterday when he modeled for us.

Started without a drawing. Drawing large shapes Like oil painters do.

Both light and dark. WHERE are his glasses?!! Took til almost second break before I notice oh wait I can’t see his eye because he has on glasses. Duh.

Started adding

And adding. How did I not notice his mouth was too small too forward?! 🤪

More shadows but that mouth. I am an idiot? The things you don’t notice when you have a live model. And YES I got up and walked off and looked at it.

Finally his mouth is where it belongs. Sigh.

When I went to bed last night.

And the way he looks right now. I moved his right eye up and widened it.
Burnt sienna cerulean cobalt burnt umber hematite burnt scarlet or other. Vlads neutral tint. White Gouache mixed w cad yw light. Ultramarine
Andrews blue Alizarin dioxzine violet vandyke brown indigo

Hmm is that all of them.

Paper is 140# hot press fluid which has stayed oh so flat despite my repeated drenchings of the paper. Love this stuff. Need to order MOH from amazon. AND you can even lift on it which never happens on hot press. Once it’s there it’s there on most hot press.

Margaret who just got a new grand baby today David Christoper 8.8 lb. A BIG boy just like his dad whose birthday was today. Super birthday present for my son Ben.

Xoxoxoxo

Day 2083 Devastated

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That my beloved watercolor teacher Charles Reid the master of all American watercolor painters according to the man who knows them all Joe Miller of Cheap Joes died unexpectedly Saturday.

My dear friend Mike and I were hoping to take another class from him in Sarasota in the spring all figure painting but it’s not to be.

He will be greatly missed by his family dear Judy and Sarah and Peter, all his students and friends all over the world.

Early on he distinguished himself as a wonderful teacher.

Dearest Charles and Judy Reid in Boone at Cheap Joes.

He touched us all making us better artists and better people for knowing he and his darling Judy.

One of his fabulous flower paintings. I am so lucky to own one.

Rest In Peace Charles.

Margaret xoxoxo who will be forever grateful to the great man.

Day 2063 The Carolina Wren

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Wasn’t going to do this today. I have a friend who needs cheering up so this postcard is flying off to the friend tomorrow.

And of course it’s drawn from my favorite photo I took last week.

Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro cp 140# derwent inktense pencils and Charles Reid palette colors. The strawberry is dotted with gouache mixed with cad yellow light. Strawberry is cad red light burnt sienna and a mixed neutral tint.

Wren mostly yellow ochre burnt sienna and burnt umber with dabs of mixed neutral tint on the eye and legs.

Margaret who is going to eat a salad for dinner. Xoxoxox