Category: Columbia SC

Day 987 Polo!

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This polo pony and rider took hours to draw and paint. Lesson learned when doing a horse like a face BIGGER is better. 

The rider looks tall because he’s up out of his saddle in the stirrups a little and polo ponies tend to be short.  Who wants a tall polo pony. Nobody. It makes it harder to hit the ball on the ground and it’s good to not lean out of the saddle too much. 

Anyway actually drew this with pencil on 300 # Arches cold press and painted it with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors plus cerulean.  

Truly time to paint. Margaret in charlotte. Xoxo I feel a trip to cheap Joes coming on!!

A bit of fluff or?! 

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Really enjoying making these pages in my reclaimed Saks catalog – from my sons recycle bin. You can’t tell but there’s actual journaling under this page. 

This is the first one I did. 

I forgot to take photos of the process but it started out journaled on and then white and green and finally blue acrylic paint. 

The cover 

One of the pages in process. 

Then I added collage elements. And Prismacolor art sticks and neocolor ii and hmm white paint pen. Some stamping. You name it it gets done to these pages. One of the things that makes it fun. 

Go sign up for Juliana Coles awesome Book of the night class. 

I think I like the graffiti like aspect of these pages. I do love to look at some interesting graffiti. I actually left this at life modeling in the art studio Saturday and nobody decided they needed it more than I did. Hmmm does that mean it was respected or they hated it. 

Ttyl Margaret off to charlotte for a class in wc. Let the fun begin. 

Day 985 Some Rachel time

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A good way to start a Monday!


This ones a little busy but it was a busy day on Thursday. For that matter so was Friday. 

Oddly I noticed Rachel looks a little tired in this sketch. If I hadn’t deleted it I would go back and look at it to see if she was. Those kinds of things turn up in sketches even if you don’t notice them while you are watching. 


I actually think I might like this better unpainted. Oh well. As you can tell the news continues to astound me. The spy novel keeps building and building. 

As Chuck Lorre posted after Big Bang “our best hope to save the day is an eighty year old slab of beef jerky from Arizona(McCain) and his trusty sidekick Scarlett O’Hara(Lindsey Graham)!!


Off to bed. Ttyl. 

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 984 Alex and Willie

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Every Sunday I watch CBS SUnday Morning. My fav bits on it are the partsabout  artists or singers people stuff. And this show is crammed with them. Alex was on this am talking about his 45 impersonations. Hard to resist sketching him. He morphed into 45. The mans definitely making me political!! 

The background was Quin gold but not enough contrast w the head. Like the orange one better. After all he is the Orange One”

Have always loved Willie and meant to just draw him. He just popped onto the page. What’s not to love about an 84 year old who says “we woke up and we are still not dead!”??

Think they are done. Maybe. Trying to resist the urge to scribble on them in the background with a soft dark pencils. So many quotable quotes from them both.  

Painted on 280# Arches Cold Press with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus cerulean, hematite and cheap Joes Andrews Turquoise. Pen pentel brush pen. 

Ttyl Going to try my hand at horses today. 

Margaret taking a walk in the park today too. 

Day 982 Last Nite!

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After several disastrous sketches I knew I could handle our beautiful Asian model when I did this watercolor in ten minutes or so. 

All sketches are 11×14 in a Super Aquabee tablet. Love that paper. Painted with my whisky painter box loaded with WN and Daniel  Smith Quin coral and an old Cotman palette loaded with every quinacridone I own plus thalo blue and green black and white gouache. Painted with a pentel waterbrush. 


These are all two minute sketches. Some of these will probably be altered. And most are pretty awful. As in EEEKKK I Don’t feel good and I can’t draw a thing tonite. This one was the worst. 


Better.  I decided to give up my go to Dr Sketchys pen the Pentel Brush pen and use a Noodler Konrad. Life improved.  I always think it’s interesting how a change of pen can improve your drawing skills when they aren’t going well. 

Next We had a challenge to turn her into a fox. Evidently her stage name is Foxy. As some of you know I like to draw chickens. Follow them around at Key West to draw them or sit and watch them and sketch them. Never thought chickens could be so much fun but they are. 

Really like the sketchiness of her body and legs in this one. 

Ttyl another busy day. Haircut picking up paintings and back to aiken for a reception for a friends show.  

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 965 141 People in one Week 

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Well I made it. Added another another 14 people yesterday when we were at the Standardbred Harness Races yesterday at McGhees Mile Track in Aiken. Starting from the last one draw to the first one drawn at the end of the post. I am going to paint some of these today I think since this is day 7. 

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​Flipagram of the sketches. 

All of them are drawn with my Lamy safari in Lexington Grey ink in my Stillman and Birn Alpha. Most were drawn from real life except the 20 or so talking heads. 

In the window at the Mexican cafe on Laurens street in Aiken. 

At the races. I was afraid to shop out my sketchbook after I did this because a certain bird was busy telling people what a great sketched I was. 

Off MSNBC Friday nite. ditto that

Hanging the new Augusta State University logo sign at the Dental School Friday. These guys were working hard. Two guys only but they hardly stood still pushing and shoving the big scaffold that would take them to the top of the four story building. 

More of the two guys. One worked continually nonstop the whole hour or so I was drawing. Pulling and pushin. And backing the truck up. 

Contour drawings because they were moving fast. The angles they got on their bodies were as good as any dancer or yoga as they pushed and shoved the heavy scaffold. 

In line waiting at chic fil a and the dental school check in. 

Too right luck at chic Fil a and a guy waiting to see the dentist at the college. 

A three generation family at chic Fil a  

More tv talking heads. 

My heroine Rachel Maddow. So brilliant. 

Talking heads MSNBC especially like the Bernie Head. 

Lawrence O’Donnell taking heads. Love him too. 

Rachel Maddow and her talking heads 

Panera sketches Tuesday

Panera Tuesday 

Panera Tuesday the rest are at Panera Monday and a few more talking. Heads from MSNBC. 

Heads on Morning Joe. 

As I said will paint some of these. I love having my own coloring book. Total people. Depends on how you count them. 141 if I count all the contour drawings at the Dental College and in the crowd at the races. 

Ttyl 

Margaret who has to paint. Xoxoxo

Day 964 100 people in seven days Day SIX

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Time to finish up those 100 people. In the meantime there’s always the tv to draw from. 

I am completely absorbed by the unfolding spy whodunnit on Eachel Maddow every nite on MSNBC. I even take notes and draw some of the talking heads or players in this dramatic story. Last nite it was General Flynn who was working for the Turkish government to the tune of $500000 while he was head of our National Security. 

I don’t think Robert Ludlum or John Le Carre could make this stuff up. Just crazy stuff going on. 


And yesterday ALL the holdover Obama attorneys were fired and told to clear out by close of business. Usually they stay to finish up their cases and then leave. Not this time. And Hannity a tv talking head seems to have precipitated it. Hmmm. 

The double page spread. Still have to find one more head to draw. 

Colors used.  Quin coral and gold and burnt orange. Burnt umber and ultramarine and cerulean. A dab of orange. 

Ttyl off to the flat track horse races in Aiken. No nekkid painting today. Going to miss my painting peeps. 

Margaret xoxoxo who hopes it’s not freezing cold out today. 

Day 963 Rachel Maddow!

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These sketches brought the total of people drawn for the week to 82 or so. Has been riveting lately. It’s like watching a spy novel written by one of my favorite authors John Le Carre or Robert Ludlum unfolding in real life. 

So why did I write all the notes?! My mind tends to drift when I don’t take notes. It’s rather like a doodle for me. It keeps my attention focused and it helps me remember what’s been said. Truly I think I would be paying attention with or without the note taking BUT I kind of like the way it looks too. 

It’s my writing on my art work taken to the extreme. And you know I do love to write on my artwork. It gives a sort of Susan Shie flavor to it. 

I almost left her without her black jacket and top painted. I took a pic like this in case but decided to paint it and I like it better painted. 

Here’s the sketch.  

And a sketch of her only guest that night US Congressman Eric Swalwell who is also fascinating.  Not to sure how his right cheek got so much darker. Oh well. I guess I could go back and paint the other one but just been too busy. Getting close to the 100 people mark for the week. 

The sketch. These are done in my Stillman and Birn Alpha with a Lamy Safari loaded with Lexington Gray ink. 

Colors used. Quin gold Quin coral Quin burnt orange cerulean burnt umber ultramarine blue. 

Ttyl 

Margaret xoxoxo off to do her last ten people. 

Day 961 – Day 2 -OneWeek100People2017 

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No idea how many people I have drawn now. 20 last evening at Panera and 11 more off MSNBC. Right now this Al Franken sketch is my favorite. 

I also like most

Of this page except for Eve. What happened there?! 

And this page except Lawrence. 

The blank spot is for the no longer missing Christopher Steele who Al Franken said he would go to the ends of the earth to interview. Go Al!! 

Think Lindsey Graham looks good as does  Adam Schiff. Both have interesting faces. Rachel. Hmm will try again. 

Panera.  Soooo cold. I thought I would freeze. I started to go to the chic Fil a bit it was crawling with people and sooo noisy. So I left and went to the quieter Panera. 

A lot of families were there. I am

Blaming the cold for these mostly awful drawings. All though there are a few bright spots like the grandmother on the right. 

I think all the Panera people were done in an hour. So that’s three minutes per person. 

I drew these people twice. Big baseball discussion. Dad showing the son how to hold the bat.

Prismacolor pencils Stillman and Birn Alpha Lamy with Lexington gray ink. 

Ttyl off to paint. 

Margaret. Xoxox

Day 959 -OneWeek100People2017

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That’s 14 or so a day?!! Is this a new kind of torture?! Or just an excuse to spend the week drawing everyone I see?! You say Why? For the fun of it! To improve my eye! Change of pace!  To get me out and drawing in the community. 

Now to get them done. Luckily I am on spring break this week. Hurrah! 

This sketch out is being lead by Marc Tao Holmes and Liz Steel. 

I drew these people at Farmhaus Burgers in downtown ugusta. It was slammed with people. And the burger was pretty delicious too. As were the French fries not that I could eat all that food. 
The guy on the bottom left was completely absorbed in his iPhone. I wish I had had longer to draw him but I was on the run. He kept putting his heads on top and all over his face. I wonder what he was reading?!

A few drawn of the dvr the Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. He was interviewing Michael Moore always an interesting man. Great thing about the dvr is that you can pause it if you need too. Since these are suppose to look human but not represent people I didn’t. 

More talking heads on Brian Williams show. Top Left – Congressman Elliott Engle who refused to shake 45s hand. First president he has done that with. 
These were drawn in just a few minutes  with my Lamy safari in a Stillman and Birn Alpha. 

Ttyl off to draw. Stay tuned.

Margaret xoxoxo 

#OneWeek100People2017