Day 585 – Juno Beach

February 7, 2016Leave a comment

The Canadians built this beautiful museum to remember the D Day Invasion and the valiant men who fought there on June 6 1944. From above its shaped like a maple leaf.

The museum sits on the shore at Les Courselles in Normandie above La Manche, the Sleeve, as the French call the English Channel. Below are the beaches where the brave British, Canadian and Australian forces staged their D Day invasion.

Eventfully more than 4500 of them died during the invasion of Normandie.

Colors used. First a wash of Winsor yellow on the buildings. Next a wash of Cerulean and Quin burnt orange and Quin sienna. Shadows cobalt and dioxzine purple and more sienna and Quin burnt orange. Windows and sky cerulean. Grass yellow green and olive green with Quin burnt orange.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 583 – Eglise Sainte-Sauveurs

February 5, 2016Leave a comment

In Les Andelys. 10″ x 16″

This was drawn leaning on an old building across the narrow street. Very hard to get a good view. Hard to draw in a floppy sketch book with nowhere to put the book but hey how often do you get a chance to draw a church built in 1198-1202 a very short period for such a huge building.

Because of the short building period it’s very cohesive in its early gothic design unlike most of the churches and cathedrals which took two or three HUNDRED years to build.

This lovely gothic Eglise aka church sits in the heart of the small river town Les Andelys, Richard the Lionhearted’s stronghold on the Seine. A small park or market square sits beside it where the citizens could promenade under the trees and enjoy the weather.

Originally I painted it a little too grey so I perked it up with a very diluted wash of Winsor yellow and hits of Quin gold.

Most of the churches and cathedrals are really not grey but the color of limestone which is yellower. The grime of centuries has turned them grey.

A bit of history. Richard the Lionhearted would not allow the town of Les Andelys to be built til his Chateau Gaillard was built. What the king wants the king gets right?! Another interesting bit of history. Most French churches are topped with a crowing rooster.

More about the church at http://lesandelys.com/church/

Colors used. Winsor yellow background. Stone cerulean French ochre and burnt sienna. Inathrodone blue and burnt umber shadows.  Strathmore 500 mixed media journal, Konrad Noodler, carbon platinum black ink.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 582 – The Party is over

February 4, 2016February 4, 20162 Comments

The Party is Over – Acrylic 30×40 painted with a huge brush. 3″.

I thought it was a four inch brush but I picked up the wrong one. SCARY stuff. I have never painted a painting with that size brush aka HUGE!!!

There’s about five hours in the painting at this point largely because I started over on a bigger canvas.

Here the first go round is drawn with a 1/2 sable brush. It’s about 2′ x 3′ on hardboard. I did not want to pay for a frame SO I repainted it on canvas.

Interestingly enough it was much easier to draw the second time. I guess I had already worked out the problems on the first try?!

Here she is blocked in. Well kinda sorta. I kept having to paint out lines to correct the drawing or it would have been too confusing by can still see some of them shining thru the white.
Here’s a close up of the girl.

Here’s version two as of yesterday. I added in some of the blue lines and tried to get her face where it belonged. Not easy with a huge brush and a terrible photo. I finally thru on the big brush for a smaller one. That half inch sable.

Looking at it today I think perhaps the face is too defined. A well that’s why it’s a WIP. Should have brought it home to stare at for the weekend while knitting and tv watching however I didn’t. Oops!!

Bytw if. U ever want to paint a large painting fast get out a house painting brush. Yes it can be done. Hmm I need a bigger palette though. What should I use?!

Maybe a sheet of plexi?! We shall see because that huge brush is almost as big as my palette!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 581 – Erica

February 3, 20162 Comments

Erica Acrylic 20x 30?

This is one of the best paintings I have done at life drawing on Saturday. I actually listened to what Al Beyers been telling me and spent a lot of time doing the blocking in of the figure. Trying to get the proportions right.

Still need to adjust her right breast but otherwise I think she’s done.

Beginning to block on with nickel Azo gold.

Some negative painting to correct my lines.

Beginning to paint.

Tip- Most of this was done with larger hog bristle brushes. Smallest one was half an inch which makes it impossible to get fussy with the painting.

The word chin on right is to remind me to correct her chin after break. What’s up with it?! OOPS!!!

Only thing left to do is that too long shadow under her right breast.

Here she is with the shadow fixed.

Colors used – nickel Azo gold, pyrrole red, white, cobalt, burnt umber.

Remember use large brushes!!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 580-One Last Chateau Gaillard

February 2, 2016January 31, 2016Leave a comment

I sat on the corner in Les Andelys watching my cruising companions hiking up the hill from which “many don’t return” according to my new friend Gus’ husband Bob. Gus and Bob have done the Paris to Normandy cruise several times annually.

This painting was done wet on wet and is one of my favorite paintings to date. I felt like I was finally getting Charles Reid!!

Since hill hikes make my asthma go crazy I elected to draw while they hiked. Les Andelys is just a charming tiny village. A cute row of shops. A church dating to 1200! Half timber buildings.

What’s not to love?! And Richard the Lionhearted walked these streets. Fascinating to me with our young American history.

Once again same colors.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 575 – Monets Cathedral

January 28, 2016January 28, 20165 Comments

Due to the Christmas Market construction it was impossible to get close by to sketch so I stood in the middle of the street – swarmed by shoppers on the Rue de Gros Horolage which runs into the Rouen Cathedral.

Since Monet painted it 28 times I could not resist its lure and sketched. Sadly it was also closed so no tours that day. Rouen I shall return.

It’s gone thru lots of changes. This is the original light version of it.

I darkened the cerulean sky to make the cathedral pop aka contrast. Originally this was painted w a coat of Winsor yellow and vermilion for shadows with touches of cerulean and burnt sienna. I was trying to keep it light and airy.

Last nite that didn’t suit so I darkened the sky with Marine blue and added darks of Inathrodone Blue and burnt umber plus more burnt sienna to the cathedral.

A second sky wash did not make the Strathmore mixed media journal happy. It was very crummy and blobby. I almost wish I had left it alone.

Which do you prefer?! Tell me what you think oh readers. I can take it. 😘

Thanks for Reading!!

Margaret on 26 heading to Asheville. Xxx

Day 574 Place de la Concorde

January 27, 2016Leave a comment

The perfect ending to a gorgeous fall day exploring Paris, the Louvre and the Orangerie. Sitting with my feet propped on a bench overlooking the place de la Concorde Parisians swirling around us walking dogs and enjoying the late afternoon sun I had to draw the scene in front of me.

The tall ornate fantastical gold leafed street lights all by themselves were amazing. Nothing like that in Georgia or South Carolina. Add in fountains and statues and obelisks, the hustle and bustle of city life. Time to draw!

Madame guillotine who used to reign over the Concorde has been replaced with beautiful fountains statues the obelisk and the fantastic lamppost on the left. The Concorde is so vast that the cars and bus near the fountain were tiny. It’s truly an enormous vast open space near the Louvre.

The obelisk is one that Napoleon brought back from Eygpt on his conquests.

Can you find the Jack Russell in the sketch? Who knew they were all ver Paris. Such an English dog for a Parisian to own. I even met one in Rouen walking his mistress one early morning.

Colors used winsor yellow and Quin gold, Andrews turquoise from cheap joes, Holbein marine blue and the usual suspects. Quin red orange, burnt umber and sienna. Inathrodone, Quin magenta Quin coral Inathrodone Quin magenta.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to paint. Xxx

Day 574 Place de la Concorde

January 27, 20162 Comments

The obelisk is one that Napoleon brought back from Eygpt on his conquests.

Can you find the Jack Russell in the sketch? Who knew they were all ver Paris. Such an English dog for a Parisian to own. I even met one in Rouen walking his mistress one early morning.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to paint. Xxx

Day 570 – A quickie

January 24, 2016Leave a comment

Thought that would get your attention. I shop too much at Costco and these are just Some of the things that I bought on two trips- one to pick up croissants and one to pick up those luscious new crop strawberries.

I also bought a dog bed and four pounds of butter. 😋

Two friends and I were doing lunch when we started talking about we had on jeans we had bought at Costco the Amanda by Gloria Vanderbilt.

And of course we had a good laugh about what else we were wearing that’s as bought at Costco like my boots.

Next time we need to do lunch at Costco aka sample heaven in the afternoon. Hard to resist those impulse purchases.

Yesthe Florida strawberries are in!!

I may go back and paint the background yellow. I meant too but got carried away on a map for my sons weddings save the date in September.

Colors. The letters started out as cobalt but were too pale so I added Inathrodone to them. Cad red on strawberries. All the green is hookers w cobalt. Same on the hydrangea and strawberry tops. Blacks are Inathrodone and burnt umber or burnt sienna.

Currently dyeing a mouse brown scarf red.

Right now it’s a nice rust but going to dunk it in food coloring since I already used all the koolaid. It’s soaking in vinegar and water for the next go round. If that doesn’t work back to Krogers for more tropical punch.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 569 – Rolling down the River -Moisson

January 23, 2016Leave a comment

I was really into the sketch out the window by the time we got to Moisson. Or should I say floated by Moisson.

If you go there you won’t see this exact landscape started with the church and kept adding interesting houses as we passed them. The foreground trees were added last.

A fun challenge to see how quickly you could draw the passing buildings.

Odd now that I think about it we didn’t see people in the landscape. Or maybe I was so fascinated with the unique character of the buildings I didn’t notice the people?

The trees lining the riverbank were often a frothy light green and always loaded with mistletoe. As one of our guides said ” We French like to kiss a lot so we leave the mistletoe in the trees.”

Colors used Apatite green and hookers. The apatite green granulates into lovely purples and Browns. Quin gold and red orange in the rusty trees. Winsor yellow to lighten the greens. Greys are burnt sienna and cerulean or Inathrodone. Blacks Inathrodone and burnt umber. Sky water blues cerulean.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret watching the grey muddy Savannah River rush by during another deluge. Xxx