Category: Daily drawing

Day 1044 – That Dirty Dried out Palette

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Now that I am home for a day or two I wanted to use my Ted Nuttall palette. This is actually Teds Palette. 

 

All those lovely transparent colors. 

And it helped with my procrastination mode getting started painting the Raisin and Harley painting 

which is finally transferred to paper and ready to paint. 

Of course my Palette has dried out and filthy. They always dry out!!   It needed revival and cleaning. Another way to procrastinate!!! The spray bottle was not getting the job done. The colors were lumpy and nasty. 

So how did I get it clean and get the paint smooth and ready to use!?

First I sprayed it and tried stirring each color with its own tooth pick. That did not do much for the lumps. I wanted to paint!!! 

I got out my trusty old palette knife. It has a tiny blade on it compared to most so it fit perfectly in the wells of my porcelain palette. 

I used a jillion Kleenex wiping wells out where there was just a dribble of old hard paint. NO LOTION On those Kleenex. 

I started bending my antique palette knife in some of the paint. Oh NO!! I kept going. What palette knife is supposed to last forever!? 

I decided to rearrange the colors. Here and there I had added colors I MUST have to the basic Nuttall Palette like Cerulean, Andrews Blue, Daniel Smith Piemonite and Green Apaptite. 

 The Kleenex and the palette knife left crusts of color in the corners. 

Then I realized I could fill the wells with water and used an old brush to swirl out the bits left in corners. Hallelujah clean wells at last. 

I used a sharpie to rewrite the colors on the edges of the wells and I even have a few leftover slots. 

So it’s new clean and lovely at this point. 

What I learned while cleaning my palette. 

  •  Wear rubber gloves while cleaning your palette unless you want to have colored fingernails.  ðŸ˜±
  • Those dollar store Kleenex with lotion have something wierd in them. They gave me a rash when I used them on my nose. 😱😱 Now gone. 🤗🤗🤗
  • Now I know why some people have stacks of these palettes. It might be easier to just buy a new palette than clean the old one out. 

Margaret who has some painting to do. Xoxox and no more reasons to procrastinate because I even cleaned up the studio and moved to the summer one aka the kitchen table and island. 

Oh wait I need to use the glass cleaner on the winter studio table. It’s looking hazy. Procrastinate procrastinate.  I need some flowers to paint!!  

🌼🌻🥀🌷🌷🌸🌺🌼🌻🥀🌹🌷🌸🌺

Day 1043 – Chuck and Judy 3 or is it Brenda and Judy?!

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I don’t know about you but I can’t take enough classes with Charles and Judy Reid. I highly recommend them. 

Did I say I own all of his books but one and several videos?!!

Brenda and Christine Again! – Charles Reid class 

And evidently I can’t draw Brenda the Blonde- enough either.  

The third time in Charles class. 

Brenda and Rebecca – Peggy Habets class

. I have drawn her at least FIVE times because she stands and watches the teacher paint and she’s handy to draw. Some turnout better than others. 

Oops  way too dark. 

I usually draw her pretty well but sometimes thempainting goes astray like in this one. Too dark. 

But the sketch was great.  

One more Brenda in Ted Nuttalls class May 2016. 

Christine in Ted Nuttalls class May 2016. 

Margaret whose going to paint raisin and Harley if I can quit watching the Keepers   today on Netflix’s. Riveting show. Highly recommend. 

Xoxoxo

Day 1042 – Happy Memorial Day

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Which somehow seems an odd thing to say when you are remembering the deaths of millions of young men in battles.

American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandie. 

The 73rd anniversary of the D Day Invasions is coming up June 6 so Memorial Day seems like a good time to revisit the invasion sites in Normandy and remember the many brave young men who died there so long ago. 

Bytw Rick Stevens visits all the places we want to in Normandie including Rouen the Norse capital and of course d Day sites. 

Arrowmanches les Bains, Normandy, France in the heart of the invasion zone.  

Last night I watched a Pbs show about a group of D Day survivors who returned to Allemanche and the landing beaches on the 75th Anniversary in 2014. They had not wanted to go do fear the French would reject them. 

The D-Day Landing map 

It was so touching to see how much the French of all ages opened their arms to the returning soldiers now extremely old men giving them many hugs and kisses and thanking them for giving them their freedom that they still enjoy 70 years later. In Normandy they still celebrate the arrival of the Allies every June 6 so that it will never be forgotten. 

 The Pegasus Bridge Commander, General Hill, and the US Divisions who were at Normandy. 

The one of the old men said they were not the Beatles but to the French of Normandy they were something better. Men who had fought and died to free the French. Such a touching show. 

 This is the Canadian WW2 Cemetery at Bien Sur Mer. A touching spot it’s a beautiful parklike  place where 70 years later everything is in pristine condition bushes trimmed gravestones scrubbed and flowers planted everywhere. 

The Canadian Museum at Juno Beach. Gleaming in the afternoon sunshine if viewed from the air it looks like a large maple leaf. The exhibits are all up to date state of the art interactive exhibits.  It sits on the bluff above the beaches and La Manche -the Arm- what the French call the English Channel. 

Pegasus Bridge. The spot where the Brits lead by Gen Hill parachuted into Caen, Normandy the DAY BEFORE the  D Day Invasions. And of course many died there. Some never touched the ground. One hung from the church tower acting like he was dead and lived to tell the story. Brave Man!!

This fascinating museum is shaped like one of the gliders they parachuted out of. 

Pock marked with bullet holes, Eglise de Ranville, the site of another allied cemetery, where even on a cold grey November day there were bright flowers marking the graves. This Ranville, Basse-Normandy, France claims to be the first village freed by the Allies in June 6 1944. 

Another Map of the D Day Invasion. 

The full spread from my sketchbook. 


And a journal page of a few other places we visited on our trip to Normandy to the D Day sites.  

Happy Memorial Day! 

Margaret xoxoxo whose going to listen to old WW 2 movies on TCM while she paints.  #usk #urbansketcher #traveljournal #watercolor #aquarelle #ink #strathmore #viking #strathmore500 #arrowmanches #normandy #normandie #normandietourisme #vikingcruises #PegasusBridge #bayeux #Ranville #beny-sur-mer #Rouen #omahabeach #junobeach #dday #alliedinvasion 

Day 1040 – Canyons – Blowing Rock! 

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Mike and I had lunch at the Canyons in Blowing Rock because as she said the view of the mountains was spectacular from dining room.  The food was delicious too and the service was great. 

Spring green was the key color out the window covering the trees and the mountains. 

Painted with Charles Reid palette leftovers. He only uses 12 colors. All Holbein.  The greens are hookers and Oxide of chromium. He also likes cobalt violet. Uses all of those a lot on flowers.  

I guess I need to do a sample of them so you can see the colors. Just normal old colors. No Quins though I added my favs Quin gold and burnt orange which I sub for ochre and burnt sienna at times. 

I kept trying to get a pic of this interesting guy when he was sitting at the bar inside but he was back lit which does not work in a photo. Don’t u love all the trash can background?!  

Funnny story. I went to the trash cans when we got in the car to throw some junk out that I pick up like a pack rat and guess who was there!? The guy. And a waitress who had been watching me draw she told him to pose for me because I was a really good artist. Lights not great but it might work.  I have more of him not smiling. Do t like painting teeth showing. 

Should have told him to take off his hat but that would have ruined his charm. I did get him to turn around but still no light. 

The Mountains from the porch. 

In the restaurant from our table.  What a view. Love this place. 

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1036 – The Farrier

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I took a great photo of Raisins farrier when he was showing Harley and Beau a couple of weeks ago. 

He has luxurious mustaches. 
Here’s the photo I took in the barn when he took a quick break. 

Filing shaving who knew it was such a job. Not to speak of holding up the foot of such a large beast. Harley is 17.2 hands. A big fellow! 

As you can see it’s hard work shoeing horses. They have been known to sit on farriers while their shoes are being changed. 

I was surprised he was all done in about an hour. Busy guy!! 

The sketch. Drawn on 140# cold press fluid paper. 


Marking progress. 

At this point he’s pretty scary looking. The shadows on his cheek look too dark. 


Not fond of the no lost edges look of his head. Every thing was too hard edged. Not what I had envisioned. So I left him here to think about it overnite. 

Besides I had to watch the last show of Call the Midwives. LOVE that series. Now I can watch it all over again. Yes I have it on DVR! 


Here he is with the beard in progress and some background added. Starting to loose some edges. I decided to do him what I do when I don’t like the way a painting is going. Add some sloppy dots. 

Once you don’t like a painting it’s a good opportunity to just mess with it. 


I started reading this great watercolor book that Raisin gave me. Ran across his art at Cityart when I went on the Vista Gallery Walk last month and was thrilled to find he had a book. 


One of the things he suggested was spraying the hard edges with a spray bottle?! WHAT?? Yes SPRAY the edges to loose them. 

So I hit the background with the spray bottle. What a great effect. Juicy runny spotty color. LOVE The effect. 


Did the same thing on the left background. And swished it with a big brush. 

Love the speckles the runs and then the light areas. Try it. Such fun!!


It did leave a few horizontal drips on the left that I didn’t like but a few swipes with Mr Clean and zip they were gone. 

See?! All gone! Got to love fluid paper for its liftability. 

Yesterday I didn’t like the dark ick colored shadows on his cheek. Funny today they don’t bother me. I guess time fixes paintings as well as the heart. Lol!


So he’s done for now. Fixating on his mouth and that hard edge Sean on his shoulder. Oh well nothing’s ever perfect. Going redraw him on an offer sheet of 300# paper today. 

Margaret who has to get drawing now. Xoxox

Day 1035 Its about a dog! 

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I took a great photo of my friend Raisins white English retriever Lucy lounging around on the window seat. 

 This is a small practice painting for bigger painting. Note to self LOOSE THOSE EDGES!  It’s very hard to do a loose painting when it’s so small.  

It all starts with a great photo of a gorgeous dog. 

Click the link for a short video on how to draw your own dog. 

Think I will draw Zoe. It’s been a while and she’s curled up ready to be drawn.  

Colors used Winsor yellow, ds carmine, cobalt violet, mineral violet, oxide of chromium, viridian?, cerulean, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, cad orange, cad red light or scarlet lake. 

Ttyl Margaret who had to get walking again. Been on vacay TOO along now. Xoxox

Day 1034 Best one yet

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This is number ten flower painting. And all my friends think it’s the best one. I agree. I softened all the right edges and lost some. I let it drip and run and mingle the color like watercolor does so well. I got the essence of flowers without the exact flower being painted. 
 I think it’s actually due to the change in paper. I used up the last of my old Fabriano block so I dug out a pack of fluid 140# cold press which is what Charles Reid recommends. 

It seems to have a slidy effect due to the sizing when you add water to the color. This was painted by adding full strength watercolor on a dry #10 da Vinci brush then adding water. It uses a lot of paint but well worth it for the effect. 


Of course the slidy effect could have been due to the fact that I had painted this at almost a vertical angle. 

So I googled it to read reviews of it. North Light said 

“Work wonders in watercolor with Fluid watercolor paper!

Fluid Watercolor Paper is crafted in a European mill (Schut) which produced its first paper stock in 1618. Mill masters craft small batches at slow speeds allowing for finer control of quality. This slow approach produces a sheet of great strength that shares much of the working integrity of more expensive mold-made papers.”

And Roz Stendhal who is diligent in her art material reviews uses it all the time. She said it’s 100% cotton hand made artist grade paper. The blocks are much cheaper than arches and you frequently can find a deal on it. Right now Cheap Joes is offering it with a free sample pack of 20 8×10 sheets with the purchase of three packs. 

However she’s not so fond of the hot press. Has a slight pattern when it dries. 


I will say I found it annoying when the paint slid off these fruit to make dark shadows under them but today I quite like the effect. 


Time to go fruit and flower shopping. I ate the apple and the orange yesterday and the flowers well they are looking raggedy! 

Next up trying the ferrier on this fluid paper. If it’s good enough for Charles Reid and Roz it’s good enough for me. Hmm evidently their paper was in the republished Audubon catalog in 1972. 

Ps Cheap Joes is offering a good deal on Fluid  paper. A 20 sample pack free when you buy three Fluid products. I do love JOe and his company. Great humanitarians spreading the joy of art! 

Colors used Winsor yellow, ds carmine, cobalt violet, mineral violet, oxide of chromium, viridian?, cerulean, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, cad orange, cad red light or scarlet lake. 

Ttyl Margaret getting ready for brunch and a lazy rainy Sunday. As Oprah says no demands on a rainy day! Xoxoxo

 

Day 1033 Those darned teapots! 

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In every class you take there is usually very useful  fact that sticks out that you learn. 

  • I have learned that rubbing alcohol dissolves and removes acrylic paint even when it dries. 
  • I learned about Mr Clean erasers in my first Charles Reid class in Atlanta and have been using them ever since. 
  • In John Salimens class I learned about masking taping your painting when you use a Mr Clean on your painting.  That way you can hone in on an exact spot. 

For some reason when I drew the above painting I decided it would be a great idea to put the teapot behind the leaf. DUHHHH! 

I absolutely loathed it when I was done. As no doubt you know that might mean the painting was ruined. So yesterday I decided to lift it with a Mr Clean and masking tape. It couldn’t hurt it. 

Here is the top of the teapot taped off and the star on top of it.  

And here it’s all erased in one swipe and a blot with a Kleenex. 


I had to do the spout twice.  Once to remove the leaf over it. And once to correct my not so great painting of the inside of the spout. 

This is the tape job before I lifted the color off the spout. 

And here’s the spout after I swiped  with the Mr Clean. Be sure to use clean water and a clean sponge. 


Here’s the spout and the top repainted after lifting with the Mr Clean. 


And here’s the painting now. I also went back in and added some carmine to the lilies in the left. They were too purple. 
And I tried to soften their edges. Those darn Lilies are asuch a pain. Always sticking out. 

Ttyl time to paint. Margaret whose thinking of giving the droopy flowers one more go round. 

Day 1031 How many flowers 

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Can she paint?! Evidently a lot. 

While I love most of the bouquet with the possible exception of the top is too flat aka you can draw a straight line across it I really like this painting EXCEPT that darned teapot. 

. 

Here’s the sketch again. I really liked the sketch which is odd since now I don’t like the teapot in it. Maybe it’s just that I don’t like that teapot? 

Thinking about repainting it again when I get home from my meeting today without the flower pot. 

Have to strike fast those flowers are getting droopy. Especially those daisies. And those lilies. Well they are dying. They are taking over the world. 

Fabriano 140# cold press 

Colors used Winsor yellow, ds carmine, cobalt violet, mineral violet, oxide of chromium, viridian?, cerulean, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, cad orange, cad red light or scarlet lake, sap green.

Ttyl Margaret off to a meeting.  Xoxox

Day 1029 -Another Flower Painting

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If at first you don’t succeed try try again. Love the flowers. The teapot not so much. So I drew another at 11 last nite. 


I turned the bouquet around. Some of the yellow daisies are already drooping so better get busy painting this one. Stay tuned. 

Colors used Winsor yellow, ds carmine, cobalt violet, mineral violet, oxide of chromium, viridian?, cerulean, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, cad orange, cad red light or scarlet lake, sap green. 

Ttyl Margaret whose playing bridge today. Xoxoxo