Day 214 Kitty Doodles

Got bogged down doing paperwork today but managed to draw the pot kitties on my back porch. Oddly once again two are missing. Last time that happened they turned up. So who knows. It’s a wait and see right?!

This morning they were busy playing inside and outside. Spent the afternoon snoozing. As I type they are waking up. Of course I Am done drawing them. Sigh

Anyway here they are. Used my Namiki Fude. Faber castell watercolor pencils. Was afraid to dampen the watercolor pencil because I knew the ink would run. Really need to order a bottle of platinum black. Never had these things problems with it.

Stillman and Birn alpha.

Zoe’s ready for Halloween. She was very excited when I put on her Halloween scarf.

The knitting is growing. 16″ or so now.

Margaret thinking abt a nap. Xoxoxox

Day 198 One more down Edisto Way

Having a binge tv do nothing day unless I had no choice. Driveway visit with a friend I hadn’t seen since hmm well about 198 days- not since Covid started. Hard to believe we are almost at 200 days since lock down begun. 1000 deaths per day for 200 days and no end in sight. Cheery thoughts on a gorgeous fall day.

I meant to draw some people in this sketch but of course they hopped in their go cart and zipped off down the beach about the time I sat down to draw this scene. Oops.

Hope I didn’t share this already. My granddaughter and I got out at the crack of dawn to take this pic. Did u know the birds start flying away from their roost almost the minute dawn strikes. It was like 3 2 1 liftoff dawn is here. And off they sailed. Next time I will have my good camera and get out there 15 min earlier. 😩😩😩

Margaret xoxoxo

Day194- Down Edisto Way

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 182 Tractor time

Ok so I like to draw vehicles. If I had my big sketchbook and fav juicy Derwent sketching pencil I probably would have drawn the cars at Costco or Chic Fil A drive through today.

BUT NOPE so I drew the tractor at Good Earth a local store that sells local produce. Great tomatoes green beans corn peaches apples and some locally produced items like my favorite popsicles King of Pops.

Today o realized there was a convenient place to draw the tractor and it’s trailer. I added some of the plants and moved some around for a more interesting arrangement a la Vlad recommends. Why take the class if u don’t give it a try?! If I had a pencil I would have done a value sketch.

Pilot micro pen Fabriano Venezia sketchbook. Tiny thing postcard sized. Sooner or later paint when I get around to it. It would love some paint. Maybe when I finish this one tomorrow.

Kitty taming coming up tomorrow. Aren’t they adorable?

Top-Bottom

Tiger 1 or 2 (twins), Blackie and Halley short for Halloween kitty. Her twin sister is Weenie. 🤣

Xoxoxoxo Margaret Tahred from shopping hauling groceries upstairs and then washing them all. Endless washing washing washing.

😘

Day 181 – Value Sketching

Today I took another fascinating Zoom online class with Vlad Yesilesev in Value Sketching today. He always does one before he paints a scene or a photo.

These value sketches will be used for this months paint alongs on Sunday afternoons.

He says a value sketch determines your Composition and Value which are the most important things in any painting.

After you determine your Composition you do Value with the highest contrast in your focal point with lightest and darkest. There will also be more detail in this area. NEVER copy a photo.

It does not have to be pretty.

So here’s what we did today. The photo. Kind of Ho hum boring.

Cortez Fl Cottage cropped. changed a lot hasn’t it??!

The value sketch. The Adirondack chair is the focal point. I think these things are really cool. That chair just really pops when you see it in person.

Venice

Cropped.

You can highlight what you want to like that great arches bridge.

Provence

This one was not cropped.

My value sketch. Now to try to do this on my own before I forget how. So little time and so much to do.

Margaret putting her feet up for now. Xoxoxo

Day 165 Key West time

A work in progress.

To chop it down or not to chop it down. What do you think? .

The sketch and then I forgot to take photos. Duh. Did not turn out the way I had envisioned but it’s growing on me. Like it better without the bikes.

Just some of the watercolor paint my dad left me. I have a lot more since I don’t buy a lot of Cheap Joes. Just alizarin and Andreas turquoise. Some of this paint is more than twenty years old and still soft and useable. Aka good paint.

BUT I am going to replace the Lukas paint with Cheap Joes. Good paint as opposed to crappy paint at a reasonable price. Cheaper than any other except Lukas which is nasty and chalky.

Spent the day sorting my own paint for an upcoming class. I did find quite a few tubes on her list.

Swore I was never buying more paint then I hit amazon. More paint coming. Oops!!

I mean I didn’t have the right colors for the Kathryn Giles class, you know?! And I have been on the search for a good Transparent yellow. She says she has one. We shall see. Besides I eat Cad yellow and cad yellow light like peanuts so I can always use more..

Back to Schitts Creek. Margaret xoxoxo

Day 162 Out My back door

Scribbling the birds eating and the lush greenery from all the rain.

No pencil in this sketch. Just using the Caran D’ache Neocolor ii crayons which are a lot of fun.

May hit this with water. The colors will really pop but it would loose all the scribbley lines which I like. What to do what to do. Stay tuned.

Caran d’ache Neocolor ii stillman and birn Alpha

Margaret off to Laguna Beach CA to paint with Vlad Yesilesev. You should come too. Get ready for paint to fly. Xoxoxo Have a wonderful Sunday.

Day 149 in the corner

Is what it feels like when the power keeps going out from our crazy thunder storms. On the other hand we are getting plenty of rain. In the past years August has been a month of drought. The whole world a large dust pile.

Somebody please tell me why so many books are boring colors. A few red and orange ones. A blue one here and there but most are white black or grey. Wonder why?!

Same tools as yesterday except I paint this one with water to release the neocolor ii s power.

Here are the jays with water added to the neocolor. They darken a lot.

A fun art toy to play with. Beware heavy ink will smear sometimes. Darn it. Even if it’s waterproof.

Margaret whose been binge watching Professor T on PBS Passport. A quirky odd crime show set in Antwerp with subtitles. I think I am beginning to understand the language. Part Dutch part French and a lot of English slang. Xoxoxo.

Stay dry in this crazy summer weather.

Day 148 Jays

Been feeding the birds on the back porch rails. I have been giving them red hot seed that the squirrels won’t touch. Not do the raccoons seem to.

Twins My fav pic of the jays. There are up to four at a time on the porch.

Keeps them out of range of the back porch wild cat Gus who loves to be fed but won’t let u touch her. Got to catch that baby making machine and get her fixed.

Lamy EF Namiki Fude

Caran dache neocolor ii

Eelskin Black Noodlers Ink

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 147 always meant to draw

Vultures on the side of the road as they fed. Today was the day. You know when u like to draw birds any bird will do. Vultures aka Buzzards hold still longer as they either eat or HOPE to get a turn at dinner.

Did you know their heads are naked so nothings from their dinners will stick to them?!!

Nature is interesting isn’t it.

These sketches only took about ten minutes in my small Venezia sketchbook. 4×6″ Drawn with a fat juicy dark Derwent sketching pencil. Love those. Kinda fond of the Venezia too. It was too nice to use for quite a while. Almost full now.

Here’s to vultures cleaning one roadkill at a time. Very interesting to watch as one defends the dinner from the others who lurk in hopes of a taste or two.

Margaret xoxoxo