Category: Columbia SC

It’s Saturday

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Well Kinda sorta.

45 min sketch of Macy 15×22″ cold press fluid paper looking like an outtake from an Egon Schiele nude exhibit. His nudes were always stick thin with long bodies.

Is she finished??! No!!! She was 45 min late and I had to get back to Augusta for a hair cut. One MUST not miss your hair appointments ever!!

Hopefully I will get around to finishing her tomorrow in between drawing the eight talking heads testifying this week. 😳😳😳

Margaret trying to resist the urge to binge the crown and then there’s also Night manager by John LeCarre that I finally found on amazon. Ps. I did see the Good Liar with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellan. Hard to go wrong with that combo. Interesting and a twist. Love a twist. Xoxoxox

The ladies of the Hearings

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Ms Val Demings – Fl I think. Such a gorgeous lady.

Ms Jackie Speiers Ca I might need another go round with Ms Jackie. Her face is too wide. It’s really longer and narrower but still a fun sketch.

Ms. Stefanik – NY – I did these ladies because they seem to consistently question the witnesses. There are a few more but at five minutes each tough to catch them. Maybe Monday or Wed or?!

Incidentally the sketch the hearings group is growing. A friend in Aiken has decided to give it a try too. Not seen hers yet but she’s a great painter. Join the fun. Maybe we need a Facebook group?!

Margaret tired after a very busy day watching old old episodes of MASH still just as funny as they ever were. Xoxoxox

And the party continues

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Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch wow what a woman!!

I call it a party because my friend Ruth and I discuss our drawings via txt and talk about what’s going on. Always amazing how easy some people are to draw and others forget it.

Beginnings derwent watercolor and inktense pencils. Stillman and birn Alpha.

Adding more layers. Then I dab at it with a wet sable brush. And 8 I think. And if it goes to dark or threatens to run I dab at it with a Kleenex to lift color. Watercolor pencils can get oh so dark in seconds and some colors seem to run like crazy.

Hmm try number two at Adam Schiff head of the Intelligence Committee. Love the sketch but it’s not quite Adam. So will give him another try.

Devin Nunez the opposition. A Better sketch than Schiffs but not as good as the Yovanovitch sketch.

Bytw people are asking me for a book. Who knows. Maybe?! Going to try to draw all the talking heads and the major witnesses.

Oh yeah there are six more of these so far.

If u like this kind of stuff check out parispsalters feed on Instagram. A hoot.

Margaret xoxoxo

Naomi

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Was a naughty girl and had to stay after school.

Couldn’t be me could it?!

The very bad sketch. What’s with the hands and that shoe??!

At the end of the portrait session. Was thinking about future mulch pile for her but after looking at her a while and talking to Ruth abt her after I got home I realized some of the problems Ruth was having at life modeling where causing my problems.

Tomorrow I will lift some highlights out and work on her braids some more.

Tape and Mr Clean are my friends once Naomi is dry.

Margaret off to bed soon. Gotta draw some talking heads manana.

Xoxoxox

What I did today

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Drawing the impeachment hearings.

My friend Ruth britpeach on Instagram and I draw the talking heads and txt each other about the hearings and our drawings. Actually a lot of fun. I put up my Lamy after this one because the ink kept smearing.

No idea why. And I didn’t feel like dealing with it. Maybe because it was my Lamy joy the calligraphy pen and I didn’t wait to let it dry enough?!

And everyone needs a Jack Russel in their lap when they draw don’t you think?? She did take a break and sit in the sun for a little while then she was back.

Drawn in a stillman and birn alpha, my favorite stillman and birn, with watercolor pencils no ink no pencil to start on most of them.

Friday I will have to take pics to explain how I do this but similar to oil painting where u start with shadows using a burnt sienna watercolor pencil and slowly firm up the drawing.

Margaret whose tired. There are SIX more of the these, three bad ink sketches and two partially finished ones. I can finish those Friday. Xoxoxox

Win some and lose some

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A sketch of Fealing Lin that I did in my handprint sketchbook in Boone last month.

A month ago already. 😪 I do LOVE Boone classes at Cheap Joes and hanging out with Mike Alan and Fealing. That equals a great week.

The painting. It could use a few more darks but quitting for now. After all it is in my sketchbook.

Today I decided to work on this train wreck painting of my dear granddaughter Livie.

I had tried to lift it out when I screwed it up with too much green but that’s easier said that done when it’s hot press.

All I can say is EEKKKK.

TOO dark. And all those odd shaped drips are where the paper is absorbing paint due to the loss of its surface when I was lifting.

As Fealing says I blame the paper for a bad painting. Cant possibly be moi!!

In this process I also lost the drawing. Can’t see it at all.

Good news is there’s another side of the paper Fabriano 300 # hot press. I can have a do over or just go with a new pic of her with better lighting aka shadows and highlights.

Margaret who just took Zoe on a long walk and is hot and tired. I thought we were getting the arctic chill this weekend but it’s almost 70 outside. 😳 Xoxoxox

Julio Reyes

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A undercover spy drawing if the teacher Sunday – Julio Reyes. Really a great class. They taught us everything they know about how to mix paint and prepare surfaces for egg tempera. He and Candace his wife poured their generous hearts into this class.

They gave us the biggest most detailed handout I have ever gotten in a class outside of college, provided all the materials but the painting panel continually going beyond what is normally done in any class I have taken. I highly recommend them. Too bad we don’t have a picture of the amazing paintings turned out in this class. Can’t wait to polish mine. Yes they taught us how to do that too with a piece of old silk scarf.

These are powdered pigments that I bought today at CityArt over in Columbia also known as Art Express on the internet. The owner Randy is great so I do like to buy from him when I can.

You mix these pigments with water and egg to make egg tempera. I couldn’t resist. Not quite the colors we used in class but they were there. Gamblins a great reliable company soooo I scooped them up. More about that tomorrow when I post Candace.

Margaret who has driven all over NC and SC in the past two days and is Tahred now. Xoxoxox

Random success

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So here she is after class is done. Julio and Candace did a terrific job. You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

Painting went a lot better today when I realized you could use the egg tempera in a manner similar to acrylic softening edges with my finger smudging the paint.

I also had a lot of fun painting hair with my loose goose paint brush from Cheap Joes. I couldn’t paint straight lines with it if I tried.

The cost of egg tempera is a lot less than acrylic so I may have to buy some of the minerals to mix with the eggs and try it out.

As teachers Candace and Julio were so thorough. We know how to make paint. Tricks to make the painting process easier and how to prepare aluminum panel to paint on or even marble tiles offbe free as leftovers at tile shops. Our class also included a great hand out.

If you ever get a chance to take a class with them do. I highly recommend it.

Margaret ready for a fall nap. Xoxoxox

Williams Street

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I turned the corner of Eaton Street onto Williams Street in Key West to see a church glowing in the sunlight surrounded by shimmering palm trees so I had to pull over and draw the scene quickly. Then a bicyclist joined the scene. What more could a girl ask for on a hot sunny day!?

Hmm I think I need to add a chicken or two don’t you?!

Lamy EF Stillman and Birn Zeta

Margaret in Raleigh where it’s going down to 40 tonite and Key West in December is going to feel fabulous!! Xoxoxo

PS went on a shopping trip to Jerry’s Artarama and bought a handprint journal. 6x 8 ish inches linen cover. Excited to see if the paper is as good as the larger one I was forced to buy at Cheap Joes because they don’t have Stillman and Burns available. I really liked the big one so today I bought a smaller one. I mean you can wipe the paper clean in my big one. Even after you paint it. 😳😳😳

Coming along

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To say he’s been a struggle is an understatement but he’s getting there. He needs a wash of yellow ochre or quin gold to knock back some of the pink because he’s part Indonesian and my niece says her son is too pink!!

First wash

Always a problem trying to get a good color for some people because there are only so many combos you can make.

Second or third wash

I spent a lot of time wiping him out and starting over again. 😵😵

Better

It’s pretty easy to wipe out fluid cold press almost back to white and start over. A good thing and a bad thing but I did over and over. Went thru a LOT of Kleenex and quite a few paper towels.

Fluid 140 cold Press

Colors. A lot of alizarin crimson raw sienna for skin with Andrews turquoise, mineral violet, ultramarine, cad red and burnt sienna shadows. Eyes burnt umber ultramarine dabs of mineral violet. Whites alizarin.

Margaret ready to put her feet up for the day. Xoxoxo