Day 185 Low Country Cottage

September 14, 2020May 19, 20215 Comments

Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. And of course more work to do on it. Fun painting the palm trees though couldn’t get them dark enough the first time round.

Arches 280 cold press.

I know I am going to try to paint the roof grey. Will paint some yellow on a scrap and then paint colors over it to see what turns it grey like a metal roof. Thinking purple will. Maybe on the blue side. We shall see. Will posts my tests too.

The photo. Kind of nondescript right??! Really in Cortez FL but I have seen 100 like it in the low country.

Value sketch.

The sketch.

First wash

Second wash. Actually a lot lighter than the photo

Adding darks. Should be one shot but I never get them dark enough.

And more darks.

Done for now. Definitely needs work. Thinking lighten the small palm in the middle because the chair is the focal point NOT that palm.

Tomorrow right?!! Margaret xoxoxo

Day 183 I might have learned something

September 12, 2020September 12, 20202 Comments

Looked at this one and thought that hubcap in the middle is TOO yellow. I have to knock it back.

So I did. Now the focus is on tractor not it’s tire. Woohoo. Progress.

Finally I know that I have learned something taking the paint alongs with Vlad and that I can do it ON MY OWN. Hallelujah

Because the focal point is the point of highest contrast. Anything else should be greyed out. The focal point should be on a third point. And this one is done. See how your eye goes right to the white boat on the left top?! FOCAL POINT!!!

Today I spent some time emphasizing it.

Before. The boat did stand out but now it really goes boing LOOK AT ME! It was killer trying to straighten out the wash not he right side. Was not sure of the mix!!!

NEVER EVER stop a wash w a HARD LINE. What was I thinking?!!!

Day 179 Cortez, Florida

September 9, 2020May 19, 20211 Comment

Fifty miles from Sarasota lies the small fishing town of Cortez. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

15×22″ of well behaved Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro cold press. LOVED painting on it esp when I consider the price of $54 for ten sheets. What a deal. I also used ALOT of Cheap Joes American Journey paints like yesterday’s cobalt of the paper tests. Why you ask?? Good bright colors. HUGE 37 ml tubes for the price of 15 ml tubes. When you paint with Vlad you go through a ton of paint so the American Journey never gets a chance to dry out. Once it’s dry it won’t rewet easily like my favorites Holbein and M Graham.

Ok Needs some more work like why did I stop the water on the right side. Hmmmm and a few more darks.

The photo

Vlads value study.

Getting sketch started .

Finishing that up.

First wash. Always interesting how the little grey marks that are so pale in the water show up in the last washes.

Lots of greys yellow ochre gold cobalt and some Andrews turquoise on the left boat. In the end that turquoise looks white.

Interesting I think.

Sky done. Andrews turquoise cobalt and some neutral tint on the blue side. Then last minute indigo on the left.

Trees done and boats starting to appear. Trees are cad yellow cobalt neutral tint and yellow ochre oh and burnt umber. All mixed to the green side.

And now they are really showing up. Why did I forget to paint the back end of the left boat. Duh. The things you do when madly painting. And how did I twitch the one piling on the building to make it crooked?! A real duh. Hate things like that.

The boat has a nice glow doesn’t it?! Who knew.

Scratched some poles and masts into the left tree and a few branches on the right tree.

Suddenly most of it’s done. Time for details.

Wires and lines dark darks. People in the restaurant. And there’s that wash I didn’t Finish. That hard line is going to be difficult to fix.

And here it is now. I did work at fixing the piling. I am going to put a dark dark over the wonky one. See if it will knock it back.

Quitting for tonite. More manana.

Tv time. Been watching the Rob Lowe cop show on Brit Box. He’s the police chief in a Lincolnshire town called Boston. Good show full of strange quirky people.

Margaret xoxo w her feet up.

Day 169 Cadaques Spain

August 31, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Verdict out on this one. I know u are tired of that line but maybe I will like it better in the am. Usually do.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Vlads photo

My drawing

First wash

Still first wash on sky and boat.

Background trees washed in.

Done for tonite.

Margaret watching kitties play. Xoxoxo

Day 165 Key West time

August 27, 2020Leave a comment

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 164 Sweating in Barcelona

August 26, 2020August 26, 20207 Comments

Another wild paint along with Vlad. Can’t wait for the next one Sunday. Painting boats. Love boat paintings

10×15″ Kilimanjaro 300#. I decided to use Kilimanjaro to see if it scraped like the nasty arches did.

The Arches scrapes great to do leaves, branches or grass. Maybe it will scrape for boat lines. Or I can use my dads antique arches that’s probably 20 years old. I know it scrapes great.

The photo. Kind of a nothing photo don’t you think except nice sunny light, umbrellas and a beautiful old building.

The value sketch

First wash- the water stage

Colors growing. Aka more first wash. Umbrellas really orange but odd it looks so red in this photo.

The second darker washes more pigment. The tea stage.

The last layers. Lots of milk. Aka thicker paint. I think mine moving be too thick.

And the way it is now. Kinda wishing I had not added the Browns and the grey trees on the left. Sometimes I get up in the morning and like them a lot better. We shall see right?!

Had fun drawing all over it with my white gel pen zip zip and always solid unlike white gouache.

Margaret ready for bed but has to watch one more episode of Schitts creek-my current binge. Soooo funny on Netflix’s. Watch more than one before you pass judgement. Xoxoxox

Day 160 – Wow

August 22, 2020August 23, 20202 Comments

We are already 160 days into the corona virus epidemic. Hard to believe but then I guess 170000 dead says it all. Right?!! 😢😢😢

So I entertain myself with drawing my back porch birds and the other animals in my life. I do love to think about what they think. So I give you the Beauty contest page 😬

Lamy Ef, Caran d’ache neocolor ii, Noodlers Eelskin Ink, Stillman and Birn Alpha.

Five kitties on my back porch. Anyone need one. Wild cats one and all but hopefully tame soon.

Terrible pics. They really are adorable playing the way kittens do.

Margaret xoxoxo who hopes you all are safe and healthy. Bet I will be drawing kitties soon but first I better wash those windows. 🤭🤭🤭

Day 158 Update

August 19, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

The Finger Lakes Upstate NY

Fabriano 300# rough 15×22″Paint alongs with Vladislav Yesileyev

Done. I lost a lot of whites and can be almost impossible to get back.

Had fun drawing white lines on it with my white pentel gel pen. It easily lays down a really white covering line. If it’s not getting entered in a Watercolor Show doesn’t matter if it’s gouache or gel pen does it?! Yesterday. I added ALOT OF DARKS today and tried to finish the water. A few more windows and darker ones bigger shadows more shadows. Greyes the power pole down. Built a fence and a dock well sort of.

Somewhere in Paris
Fabriano 300# rough 15×22″

Done

Added more darks and some whites with my white pentel gel pen. The darks really make both of the paintings pop don’t you think!??

I think when it comes down to it I just like to draw with something. A pen is good a crayons works so does a dark juicy pencil.

Fabulous clouds tonite.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 144 Paris Barges

August 5, 2020May 19, 2021Leave a comment

Nothing better than walking by the Seine in Paris passing the barges under the fabulous bridges, Pont Alexander, and by such landmarks as Les Invalides and my fav – le tour Eiffel aka the Eiffel Tower.

Vlads picture

A wild paintalong with Vlad. I bet his wife, his manager, has to wear track shoes to chase him around.

Vlads value sketch.

Seems I forgot to take a pic of my sketch. This is Vlads.

First wash. Almost done.

And the washes are piling up. Pointy brush w Paris grey to the Eiffel Tower and the Pont Alexander.

Sliding toward home. Pulling the masking off the boat lines and a few other whites I wanted to save.

Going to have to fix these lines now the masking gone. Can’t leave them stark white.

Lines

Looking better. Really need to work on softening my lines.

Calling it quits for tonite.

What a difference a few minutes makes in the sky.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 143 Giverny 2

August 4, 2020May 19, 20212 Comments

Notice the numbers have gone down. I counted today exactly 143 days since IT started. I had been using Gov Cuomos count. I guess NY started before Ga.

Today I decided to repaint Giverny on different paper with different paint. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. I spent an hour this am talking to a customer service rep at Cheap Joes. Great guy, very helpful, stuck out in the boonies near Boone NC where Cheap Joes is located. We talked each other’s ears off.

The gist of the conversation was I don’t like my cream colored Fabriano rough because it’s c ream colored. Great paper except it’s NOT white. And it takes the brightness away from the watercolor.

Turns out there is Fabriano rough white. Some is wafting it’s way to me as I type.

So I pulled out that annoying arches 140 block. Did I say it’s bright white. Paper may be rotten but it was the right color.

It was taped up ready to Paint. I also used my Fealing Lin palette full of non Chalky Daniel Smith M Graham and lovely Holbein plus A bit of cheap Joes Andrews turquoise and his alizarin permanent.

I think the whole thing is much brighter due to the white paper and the paint. The bottom one is the one from today. Top is the Fabriano cream w Lukas paint.