Category: Daily drawing

Along Hwy 28

Leave a comment

Somewhere between Abbeville and McCormick. Painted in Stillamn and Birn Zeta sketchbook. Could be my new fav. Lovely paper. And Fealin Lin palette.

I was off on a trip to the cabin in Sapphire to hang out with my little germ bombs aka my dear sweet grandchildren. My kids their parents called and said are you sure you want to come. Hmmm no I wasn’t sure. But I was packed and I was on the road.

Then my mom who is self isolating in Asheville said no I shouldnt go. My niece had already said the same more or less- No kids babysat by grandparents til the coronavirus is gone.

So at about Anderson I turned around and came home with plenty of time to sketch this barn I have long admired. Now I even have time to paint so trying not to leave the house.

Artisinal Purell perfect for St Paddy’s day.

Wine and Vitamin C

I am prepared!! And I have wipes and tp and paper towel and plenty of paint and paper.

Margaret xoxoxo listening to dr hymen. He’s so good. Thanks

Today I painted.

1 Comment

Not the usual a journal page a la Juliana Coles style. I have taken two or three classes from her. Ps her classes are fascinating and cathartic.

It’s not done but thought I would share it with you. I woke up thinking about this. When you do that you have to make it.

Going to write the number of cases world wide and the deaths on it sooner or later.

The start. I journaled across a piece of Canson watercolor board with a soft pencil and smeared it.

Circled random words with a grease pencil. And added yellow paint. Wish I had a nasty green yellow but nope.

Notes on possible words to use.

Adding words with a grease pencil. Dots were done with the end of a paint brush dipped in paint.

Improving

Notes from the news. Reminds me of watching Hurricane Dorian last August.

Using my Pentel brush pen to add lettering like on his chin. A white gel pen on the scarf and eyes.

Now. Trying to take away some cuteness. Paint on eyes was dabbed on with a finger then swirled around with the end of the paint brush. White paint lettering on scarf so it shows more.

Painted with that cheap acrylic paint. The kind in the small bottles. It has a tooth you can write on unlike the expensive stuff.

Next up cases and death toll world wide.

Try it. Very cathartic.

In the meantime. Knitting. Yarn at my feet on the stool.

Sock progressing slowly but looks like I will have plenty of time to finish this pair.

Margaret whose going to be sticking closer to home.

Shhh. Don’t tell the teachers.

Leave a comment

Done I think but I have been known to be wrong. I actually measured her eyes dropping verticals and horizontals with a long ruler. Something I never do. Shhh. Don’t tell the teachers.

I also softened the right edge of her face using a nylon round. Tough brush. Scrub scrub scrub and it keeps its point. You could have cut an apple with that razor sharp edge.

Oh I softened her top lip. Why you say?! Keeps it from looking cut and pasted. if you don’t soften the edge of the upper lip it looks cut and pasted on.

She doesn’t look quite so much like she would eat you for dinner. All that softening of edges helped with the ferocious look.

Saturday. Eeek. Tilted eye and nasty background that doesn’t coordinate on both sides.

Back to that right annoying eye. Actually used some white gouache mixed with a dab of quin gold to pick out the highlights.

Oh and those three dots on her eyelashes – all gouache mixed with quin gold!!

Margaret watching the election returns. Xoxoxo

Alezia 3

1 Comment

Been working on her.

Small changes. More darks around her face changing the eyes. Everything is slightly off.

Shadow under lip. Think the left eye is still to high. Sigh.

Here she is now. Better but… I also took about an inch or so off her right shoulder. Still too wide but better.

Margaret back to being enthralled with the corona virus news. 😳😳😳 Hang on tight and don’t go taking a plane trip. Xoxoxo

Azelia 2

Leave a comment

Our model once again was Azelia.

The drawing

Second break?!

Once again I started with an allover layer of quin gold to give her a nice glow. Then I added burnt sienna alizarin Andrews turquoise mineral violet. You know the drill don’t you?!!

Laying in the hair and the yes with ultramarine and burnt umber. Eye shadows mineral violet and turquoise with a bit of burnt sienna. Lips alizarin mineral violet.

L

Background still needs work. Eeek. And can’t decide quite what to do to her eyes. Maybe darker eyebrows might help. And then who knows.

Al Beyer oil

Al Beyer paints. Oil!!

Bill Daniels. Love his take on her. Maybe a candidate for the witch in wicked?!!

Fred doing his Mondigiliani thing. Acrylic on cardboard. He got a lot of ribbing for his cardboard. As if the driver of five different very nice cars including a Lexus and a fancy Cadillac 2 door can not afford some new Masonite.

Joya. Oil on canvas. Always interesting to see everyone’s take on the model. So different.

Last Drew Murphy.

Margaret staring at Alezia and making a fix list. Xoxoxo

Lifting a straight line

Leave a comment

The easy way. The bar behind her was lifted by tapping it off and lifting with a swipe of a Mr Clean. The blue grey background was perfect for leaving a steel colored bar.

Oh and I added a bit of ultramarine and burnt umber along the bottom edge of her foreword leg.

Tossing her in the done pile.

Before

Margaret wondering how fast the wind is blowing on this cold blustery day.

Joya Steps up

Leave a comment

Edited with Waterlogue

Our model was late so Joya nimbly volunteered to model for our gesture sketch session.

The one minute poses. We tried to get her to pole dance but she said NOPE!!

More 1 min poses. She really did some interesting poses.

Three minute poses. We all loved drawing someone with clothes on. Especially the folds and wrinkles in them.

Five minute. I gave my sheaf of drawings to our model Joya. She quipped if I had known you were going to do that I would have given you( aka me) real paper(aka not newsprint).

Charcoal pencil.

Another one dumped into Waterlogue. Such athleticism!! The best she could do in the pole dancing category. 🤗

Margaret giggling at Young Sheldon. Xoxoxo

Neither rain nor sleet nor hail

Leave a comment

will keep us from gathering at USC Aiken to paint. The weather predicted today was terrible (tornadoes and torrential rain) but we soldiered on.

First break. An all over wash of quin gold some burnt sienna alizarin a touch of mineral violet.

Coming along more of the same colors.

When I left Aiken

Now. I keep losing the edge across her arm and thigh where the drippy background meets the body but really liking the background. I can lift the burnt umber off the skin.

I also lifted her shoulder about 1/2″ to make her body more in proportion with her head which is a touch too big.

Added some more darks to her face especially around the eyes and the chin.

Really like the background which is a combo of all the colors used plus cobalt. Nice swirly look made mostly by splattering wet on wet.

Will post her again after I lift the spillover on her body. Have to let it dry first.

Highlights mostly lifted out now.

My favorite bit. Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre stripes. Or was it burnt sienna

Margaret watching the Super Tuesday returns. Xoxoxo

Life modeling at USC Aiken

Leave a comment

After my Saturday disaster I really didn’t want to make the drive to Aiken but I got a nice painting so am glad I did.

First break. Funny how washed out she looks.

So how did I paint her?? The big question I got yesterday.

Most of the painting was done with a two inch flat black velvet. Finishing with my 10 Charles Reid da Vinci.

First up a wash of quin gold all over her. It just gives a nice glow to African Americans.

Then I judiciously started adding burnt sienna and burnt umber for shadows. A swish of cad orange on highlights on her back. Piling on Andrews turquoise as well as a small dab of ultramarine toward the end for shadows and cad red light on the highlights – ears, the tip of the nose and on the elbow.

The hair is burnt umber and ultramarine. Not sure why I left the divot on top of her head but will fix that sooner or later.

The cloth she is sitting on is burnt sienna and cad red light.

Margaret relieved she can still draw after Saturday.

Every Once in A While I amaze myself.

2 Comments

Gypsy got in the Transparent Watercolor Show which is a National Show in Kenosha Wisconsin in June. Who cares if she wins?? Feel like I won the lottery with her just getting into the show. So excited got zero sleep last night.

The show is ranked with The American Watercolor Show and the National Watercolor Show.

The difference in the shows in TWS your painting has to be all transparent watercolor. Lots of things disqualify it. Too much pencil. Gouache. Not lifting all the masking fluid. All these things don’t disqualify you from the other two shows.

If the judges Kathleen Conover and Herman Pikel decide I get one of those nice juicy checks I will be heading to Wisconsin don’t you know. Lol.

I actually had to look on the map last nite to see where Kenosha was. Due north of Chicago. Should be lovely in June. We shall see.

Margaret whose in charge of book club tonite. Eeekk Xoxoxox