Day 43 Koosje’s Killer Sketchbook Filler

April 26, 2020Leave a comment

A fun live class today. And oh my were we busy. We drew 16 pages but have ideas for 34 more pages all neatly enumerated in our journals.

The title page. Just a small 4×6″ Venezia Fabriano 90# paper journal. Had it for years and never used it. It’s day has come.

Two Blind Contour Selfies done with 2 Crayola crayons. NO mirror. Put your finger on your nose and trace your face with the finger as u draw it. WHAT?! Not so bad considering and quite interesting to try.

P. 4 Draw the contents of your purse. A veritable jumble but also fun. So much stuff I missed drawing my sunglasses in the pile-all THREE pairs!! 😳 Namiki Fude. Really having fun with that pen.

Draw a musician. Micron uniball. Wish I had used my Namiki Fude. Cal Scott is quite the guitar player. Excellent job!!

We had two more opportunities to draw Cal and listen to him. Did NOT like my brush tip pit pen. I think I will toss it. The tip is all splayed and chewed. Wonder how that happened.

Last time drawing Cal with the Namiki Fude. Like the lines MUCH better.

Draw your shoe four times- each time faster. Five minutes to start. Last time 15 seconds. What?!

Added the story of my poor lost Chaco flip flop which I actually found in a parking lot over in Columbia FIVE DAYS LATER. Still wearing them. Fav want weather shoes.

Draw a double spread of various things around the house. Fun. Lamy Safari!!

Drawing Meditation. Focus on the wrinkles in your hand. Micro Uniball

Sixteen pages in TWO hours. Only 34 more pages to finish. What?!!

I decided to add the background colors.

Margaret whose Tahred. Xoxoxo

Day 40 dragging

April 23, 2020Leave a comment

Calligraphy day with Danny. I LOVE a calligraphy. And it’s the last drawing in my Stillman and Birn I started at the end of March. Fastest I have filled one of them. An alpha has about 94 unique pages. So a lot drawing.

This may be one of my favorite drawings. The Hepburn quote was too good to pass up and there was That amaryllis newly flowering. A new shoot coming on now and two new blooms while the two in the sketch are drooping. Too good to pass up.

I like the added page of my parents old business ledger from years ago with both of their handwriting on it. After I did the lettering with the Namiki Fude which will defy your urge for perfection I lightly painted a vining plant and splattered the background.

First drawing yesterday in my new sketchbook. Filled up the other one. 52 double pages in about a month.

This one is a little loud and ovnoxous but I had fun which is all that matters. Words for strawberries in a wide range of languages. Hope they are spelled right.

I drew this with a set of water soluble Pilot Varisty pens that I have had for years. A veritable rainbow of colors.

Danny did freeze frame drawings job sbsdrawingparty today from his video Red Hook of Tommy Kane doing some urban sketching.

Danny tried to wear us out. Each drawing was only two minutes. Lamy Safari.

Last but not least a quick sketch with Koosje drawing cups and bowls from the kitchen. Only improvement would be to make a bigger difference in the height of the stacks. Thought about using a spoon but it was too late.

Drawn with a Pilot Precise Rolling Ball marker that bleeds when you wet it. Fun effect.

Margaret who needs a nap. Xoxoxo. Ps don’t forget to wear your masks.

Day 35 Breakout

April 18, 20203 Comments

Well just a ride to Walmart and back for a drive by pickup. People all over the place. Old people with NO masks buying “essentials” like ferns and palm trees(the houseplant kind!!)😵😵😂

Another sketch of my corner. No idea how I twisted the table like that but oh well. And the red chair is a bit off but the red in the drawing is fun. Maybe a bother go round tomorrow.

Another day of messy pens. Found my twisbee in the pen drawer. I thought hmm not used that in awhile. It leaked everywhere necessitating a ledger patch. It seemed to travel around the page. Sigh.

I “fixed this sketch. Used an old ledger from dads business years ago to cover up the smeared ink.

Margaret who needs to call her mom so ttyl. Xoxoxo

Day 33 Lemonade

April 17, 20202 Comments

Is what you get when you paint over a nonpermanent ink pen. I forgot I went over the letters with a pilot varsity pen which is NOT apermanent. 😫😫😫

I do have plans to fix this so stay tuned. Sometimes they don’t get done in one day.

Zoe actually held her pose for me because she was giving me the jrt stare which means she wants something. And I wasn’t giving it to her aka outside Now. She really wanted to go out and bark at her nemesis two very tall Pointers the neighbor dogs.

I thought coloring the background red was a good idea. It was too pale so I had to keep coloring it and then I added orange which helped.

But these do look better colored. ESP like the jrt head colored orange too.

Margaret ready to watch some comedy on tv to be happy. Xoxoxo

Day 32 An online class

April 15, 2020April 15, 2020Leave a comment

15×22″ rough press 300 lb Fabriano

Painted this today in an online class with Vlad Yesilesev. Vlad is Russian from Moscow and has the most fabulous accent. The man is so knowledgeable with an MFA in art. Paints as fast as lightning. He taught everything from how to do a value sketch then draw it to the actual painting of it. Can’t wait for Saturday.

Will take another on Saturday. A lot of fun once the people in class figured out how to work zoom. Quite reasonable at $19. I was going to take his class at Olmsted Pleine Air in Atlanta next week but that’s not happening. This is far cheaper. Course no individual attention because he can’t see us painting but heck who cares.

We did a value sketch and painted from it not the photo.

The photo

First wash. I think mine was a little dark.

Trees coming along. ALOT of dry brushing.

Grass added. And the shadow in the road.

Oh my buildings painted. He just whizzes along. Next time doing a quarter sheet- that’s 10×15″.

His painting. Sooo much better than mine.

Getting done. Has too much fun painting the tree with my Vlad saber brush. Way too much. Should have stopped earlier.

Then I blurred it out and thought why not add some spring green leaves popping out. U do it with one of the Escoda perlas held sideways. There was a lot of dry brushing in this painting. Most of it. Lol.

Next time I will have the drawing down a head of time and I will find my 140 # rough Fabriano. Hmm maybe order some 90# rough which is what Vlad uses for these demos.

And I drew Zoe earlier during sbsdrawingparty with Danny on YouTube at noon. It was draw something from nature after a chat with Tommy Kane- a fascinating man. Zoe’s neck is too long because she got annoyed, turned her back on me, and went to sleep.

Lamy Safari Stillman and Birn Alpha.

I need to paint the background but Vlad wore me out. Three hours of painting as fast as I could.

Oh and I cooked dinner. Japanese’s sweet potato sushi salad with sticky rice and nori.

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxoxo

Day hmm 32

April 14, 2020Leave a comment

Left one is prismacolor pencils. Did him because I really didn’t like the Lamy Safari version on right. Same guy!!🤔🤔🤔😵

Here he is. An Aussie mug shot.

So I played with the one on right some more. Now I actually him better and think he looks more like the original. Maybe I will work on Mr Leftie some more.

Last nite was crazy. 60 mph winds whipping for hours. 40 tornadoes reported in Ga and more on SC. None hit here as far as I know hit that wind kept me up howling all nite. About five I could hear the big oak near my bedroom CREAK!! I have never heard it do that in the 20 yr I have lived here. Scared me so I went downstairs and slept on the sofa at the other end of the house. Woke up about nine. NO power. So Zoe and I sat in the back porch enjoying the gorgeous morning. I have finally gotten rid of most of the pollen.

Power back so it was time to draw with Danny.

Since I couldn’t draw with Koosje I did it later today. Some old half dead flowers that I need to pitch.

Glad this crazy day is done. A beautiful soft sunset.

I am up early in the morning for the grocery store. Margaret who is tired.

Day 31

April 13, 20201 Comment

Something fun for Easter. Hope yours was Hoppy. I do enjoy doing these little tiny snapshots.

Did u find Zoe and the Easter candy?! Lamy Ef Noodlers eelskin Ink.

This am.

Finally got pics of the Downy on the suet. Was afraid he would fly away if dived for my camera so I used my iPhone.

Margaret who cooked all afternoon again. Not sure why. Pork chops oven brown rice cauliflower and coconut cream pie. Yummm Xoxoxox

Day 30 Recipes

April 12, 20202 Comments

These are always fun to do but the squares got really wonky on me today. I decided I would only draw things I could see on the coffee table. Yes it’s quite the mess. But I do like these little snap shots.

Started writing down recipes. Still have two more to do but got sidetracked talking to mom for TWO hours. She said her arm got tired. Both arms. Well she is 94!! 🤔🤔

Did I post this yesterday?! It’s time people it’s time. Hmm oh wait it’s always time right now isn’t it?!

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 28

April 10, 2020Leave a comment

Amazing how busy you can stay doing nothing important. I got up before 8 to draw with Koosje on Instagram but couldn’t find her soooo I drew this:

The corner of the den and out the den window.

Then who popped up on my phone Koosje sooo I drew this.

Part of the shelf in the den. Kinda fun and lots easier than the first one.

So I was ready for Danny at noon in between a little cleaning sheet washing dog chasing cat feeding and you know important things. NOT. He wasn’t on til 1. What?! Then I found Mary Berry she of the British Baking Show fame. Who knew she’s been well known in England for years and years. So I watched one while waiting for Danny. She’s so charming. So utterly British.

And darned if we weren’t drawing a plant with Danny. Too lazy to find a new plant I drew the white amaryllis again. Hohum is the way I feel about this version.

What next?! Watched Mary Berry while waiting for sheets to dry and walked. A lot. In front of the tv.

And I thought this recipe sounded tasty. I do love a good Eggs Benedict. So of course I wrote it down and illustrated it.

Out my window this evening. Sun came out. Oh yeah. Meant I had to fill the pool since there we got zero of the predicted rain.

Margaret about ready for bed. Zero face masks made. Maybe tomorrow?! Xoxoxox

Day 27

April 9, 2020Leave a comment

I actually got up in time to do the sbsdrawingparty with Koosje this am at 8. Usually I am thinking about getting up.

Draw the room with a plant in the foreground. Colored pencils. I used Watercolor pencils because I was too lazy to get up and find my colored pencils at 7:55. Enough just to show up. They are now found and sharpened aka ready.

I just happened to have a great white amaryllis that I needed to bring in off the porch. What a treat to see it going crazy again around Easter. This is its third year blowing for Easter.

Anyway a fun technique to use. See you there in the am?!

Finally got this one done sorta more or less.

Danny’s class bombed out so that’s it for today. Think maybe I should have left this black and white. Oh well. Now it’s just a photo of black and white.

social distancing on the river.