Day 125 – works in progress?!!

July 7, 2020Leave a comment

Well maybe. Table Clutter. I thought this was done til I looked at the glass. Def needs something but on the whole I like the rest of it a lot. Before U worry I have IT, I don’t. Just allergic to myself in a good day. Kerchoo.

Namiki Fude pen watercolor pencils

I think Z looks oh so much better colored don’t you?! Watercolor pencils. That cad orange really has some zing to it.

Margaret sad because I just heard one of my fav watercolor teachers has Covid. Be careful wear a mask stay out of large crowds. Wash your hands. Stay off of beaches!!

Xoxoxox

Day 124 Zoe

July 6, 2020Leave a comment

she’s not made an appearance I my current sketchbook and it’s almost full so thought it was fine.

Lamy Ef. Might need to add some background on the left. What do u think.

No Vlad paint along today. I was all set. He’s sick. Hope he’s well by Tuesday. He lives in Florida – not a good place to be right now.

Creepy guy I drew a month or so ago. One of Danny Gregory’s mugshot sketches. Eeek.

Margaret ready for Grantchester. Xoxoxox

House boat living

October 18, 20192 Comments

Our big joke is that we can afford to live on a house boat in Key West. Would the three of us fit?! Nah but we can dream.

Free docking because they are just anchored out in the Cow Channel between Key West and Stock Island.

And we would sell

My paintings out of a tiny trailer there to pay for it. Well supplement our salaries. Lol. Of course these are so small we would each need our own. And where oh where would Zoe go potty?!!

Also after weathering the possibilities of having the wrath of Dorian on our heads we decided we might like higher drier land than Key West where the highest point is 18 feet!!! 🤪🤪🤪

Stillman and Birn Zeta Lamy Ef and pentel Brush pen lettering

Margaret who no doubt has made a large mess today learning to mix egg tempura from scratch. Will get back to you if this was a good idea or not. In Raleigh for a few more days. Xoxoxox

Day 2106 In Memoriam

July 3, 2019July 3, 20197 Comments

Of our dear friend and fabulous artist Rachel Miller who left this earth Sunday far too early. A sketch of her as our model at Dr Sketchys. Her she is as Marian the librarian. One of the founding members and first director of the Augusta Burlesque group Dirty South.

Rachel was a talented linguist with NSA fluently speaking multiple languages including French Libyan Somali and three others. Do you know to be an NSA linguist you have to be able to be fluent in a new language within six weeks! She was brilliant. She was retired Air Force, a gourmet cook and caterer, terrific watercolor artist, a twin, and above all beloved mother and wife. Those are just a few of her many talents.

She was a bright star in our lives and will be greatly missed by her legions of friends too.

My fast take on Rachel as Marian the Librarian. Probably a five minute sketch.

And here we are jamming it up at one of the Doctor Sketchys. The lovely Ilaina short me and outrageously fun Rachel.

Her memorial is tomorrow at 6.

from her husband Frank.

A memorial stop-on-by, share-your-Rachel-moment service for my wife Rachel M Miller will be held Wednesday, 3 July, starting at 6PM. Because some friends are still flying in, it will probably go beyond 8PM. It will be held at River Place Condominiums in the clubhouse. This is where her sister Jessica Yu lives and where we’ve had some memorable parties. There is no dress code so come as you are. Some are bringing food, some their own liquor to toast her, others want to share some of her paintings, but I’m sure all have a story.

There are two guest-access parking levels at River Place Condos. There’s also some parking lots nearby open to the public after hours.

Her candle burned at both ends it will not last the night but ah my friends she cast a lovely light. – My rewrite of The Edna St Vincent Millay poem.

Margaret Xoxoxoxo

Day 1114 one more Starbucks.

August 17, 20172 Comments

These two guys were just chatting away in Chinese or Korean. Could have been Japanese for all I know. Their conversation was very animated. The guy on the right actually noticed I was drawing. He was really sweet and asked me if I had finished before he left.

Strathmore 400 sketchbook Lamy Safari Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus Daniel smiths piemonite.

Margaret who had a busy day xoxoxo

Day 1110 Henry

August 13, 2017Leave a comment

Snacking on goldfish when we went to Oakhurst park. This was a very quick sketch. Have you ever treed drawing a five year old who never stops?! But Henry loved the idea of me drawing him. He tried to hold still. That lasted about a second.
Stillman and Birn Alpha w Lamy Safari and Ted Nuttalls transparent palette

Tty Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1074 Dog Days?!

July 2, 2017July 2, 2017Leave a comment

My kids pit bull Briard mix Lucy Dog. Just the sweetest dog but a pain to paint. She’s a tawny brindle. So how do you paint that.

I think I tried every color I have I. The. Brown range burnt umber, Quin Sienna and Quin gold and piemonite. None worked well. Too dark to red too gold. All worked for small areas. I finally used quin Sienna w a bit of burnt umber. Ultramarine for the darks with the burnt umber.

Cerulean for greys mixed with Quin Sienna and Andrews turquoise with some Quin Sienna for the throw.

Mr Clean erasers were my friend to lift highlights lost.

The sketch done with a 6B pencil.

Ttyl. Thanks for stopping by. Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1035 Its about a dog!

May 22, 2017May 22, 2017Leave a comment

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 1102 In the Bag

April 19, 2017April 18, 2017Leave a comment

This is what yesterday’s page should have looked like.

Part one of The assignment was A creepy forest above the horizon. A graveyard and Frankensteins bride.
First up was to take only five minutes to cut out ten animals and people to assemble into Frankensteins bride. The hands are Jacques Pepin. The gravestones and wings are more of the altered citrasolv National Geographic.

Then the forest then a letter then a graveyard and then reconcile it.

Lilly as I call her was a lot of fun. Her head used to be a really cute little toddler I cut from an ad. Not anymore.

I dressed her for her wedding day with Frankie. She’s excited of course. I added some gold gewgaws to her. She still might need a purple plastic purse.

The tombstones are not quite as journalie as they should have been. Milestones in my life. Instead I wrote ancestors names. Seemed a little creepy to do my life’s milestones.

Bottom layer is a letter to a dead person. I chose Abraham Lincoln. We could use his wisdom right now.

Thinking of adding some large letters. Frankie and Lilly were sweethearts!!

Masking tape, black acrylic paint, white gel pen, Prismacolor art sticks, caran dache neocolor ii and Lamy EF.

Ttyl Margaret xoxox off to start her haunted doll house. Lilly needs a home.

This is the list I have brainstormed for my house so far.

Door flaps

Birds behind it.

Victoria or Queen Anne spiral staircase

Tower Jacobean?!

Bridal room for Lilly

Doll house. Whole cover comes off.

Widows walk w telescope

Flag skeleton

Open in middle of page

Gothic throne chair w wigs and a hood

Attic room w bed.

Arched gate

Window wall

Hotel de ville.

Day 428 Busy as a bee

September 11, 2015September 11, 20152 Comments

Day 1 at the dog park. I hated this one but now I think I like it because of all the people and all the dogs.

The seat on the right was completely misdrawn. And I tried to correct it. I had run out of room for the people OPPS.

This group is my favorite part. Lots of dogs, lots of people. I sit in my car in the parking lot and try to catch the people and dogs before they move. I used a Noodler Creaper pen and de artrementis document brown ink.

The bench was painted with Daniel smith green apatite which granulates and Inathradone with a touch of burnt umber. All painted wet on wet. The bushes were painted like the background in Monday’s post though I didn’t take as long.

I did this one today. There was only one dog in the whole park!? And three people. Wonder where the other dogs were.

These were drawn yesterday or the day before. The tall guy stood there right until I started to draw him and then he walked off. Same thing happened with the lady. Before that they had a BIG conversation.