Day 107! The Red Feather

August 17, 2023Leave a comment

Don’t ask. Obviously i cant count. 🥴😵

Don’t forget tomorrow. Free every Thursday on zoom thru @pencils4tea on ig. Link on her bio. Just show up 1 pm est.

Day 107! The Red Feather. The fifth of the 7 I speed drew Friday and painted four of them including this one.

Quin rose, quin burnt sienna, ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cerulean and andrews turquoise for that five o’clock shadows.

Ultramarine and ivory black for hair and hat. Yellow ochre and cerulean background. Cerulean, andrews turquoise, burnt sienna and ivory black for shirt. Lt cad red feather.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks, Judith @jyportraitchallenge and @marzemog

Margaret ready to go to sleep. Zzzzzz.

Tahred. Busy busy day

April 29, 2023April 29, 2023Leave a comment

And tomorrow is the same. 12 Days done. Woke up and checked my phone to see Judiths post at 1:45am. And there he was. Day 12 #jyportaitchallenge. And still going strong.

Jesse! Thanks @judithyaws and Jesse @rejextion_arts Love the hat, the scarf and the tude. A fun look. So hard to draw. He looks like i got carried away with the beard on the left! And I think he’s slightly crosseyed the way i painted him. Oh well.

Working on getting looser which isn’t easy and loosing edges. Stillman and Birn alpha which usually loves watercolor but think my hands were greasy so it repelled it somewhat. Note to self NO hand lotion when you use watercolor. Mgraham watercolor which always rewets was not happy with the bits of grease. Or was it hand lotion?!😵🧐

The sketch. Was a pain. Took ant half an hour. The angle on his head was difficult to do. Then i painted for abt an hour and a half more.

Something to remember from my dear friend Ruth Pearl on fb and britpeach on Instagram.

Todays #jyportraitchallenge The longer you spend the more details and alterations you need to make but at some point you have to call it a day. Thank you Jesse @rejextion_arts – and yes, his neck really is that long!

What??! Two. Probably would have picked this one darn it.

Mary Whyte palette colors Stillman and Birn Alpha.

Margaret xoxoxo

When you draw in the dark

April 22, 2023Leave a comment

Day 3 #jyportraitchallenge @juttama_rie She might get a little to yellow even for a cancer survivor. But isnt she joyful?! Also a gusty woman going public with her baldness. LOVE Her!! Makes interesting art too. Her page is mostly in German so good luck with that. She has a few en francais which i could read most of.

And oh my goodness does not Emily metalskin do a great vamp. Reminds me of my grandmother who was young in the 1920s. Have long admired Emilys modeling sessions on judith yaws page. Judith who lives in the Asheville are holds lifemodeling sessions via zoom for $15. She does them via zoom I think. Never quite got around to them. Maybe i will soon because her models are outstanding.

Stillman and birn alpha journal Prismacolor art sticks w some Faber Castel watercolor pencils.

Margaret xoxoxox

30 day portrait challenge

April 21, 20232 Comments

Judith Yaws @judithyaws is doing a 30 day portrait challenge on ig @jyportraitchallenge Shes posting awesome photo references for the challenge. Thought i would join my friend Ruth @britpeach in this challenge.

Day 1 done. 10-15 min drawing. 8×10” stillman and birn alpha w prismacolor artsticks #jyportraitchallenge #portraitchallenge #prismacolorartsticks #stillmanandbirnalpha Thanks @prettywackbeats

Day 2 Done. Did i say i started out three behind?! Hope to be caught up by Saturday. Took too long on this one but she is interesting so fun to do. Hard to maneuver the artsticks which are conte crayon shaped prismacolor pencils no wooden case. No sharp edges on them. Hmmm gotta be a way around that. Thanks!@artzkt83

Cant wait to do this one tomorrow. Love her look.

Using these prismacolor artstixs. Hard to tell where the flat edge is so that causes problems. Wondering of breaking them into pieces would help?! Might just get out my colored pencils and use them when i need a straight exact line like for the eyes or the edge of the face. Now where did i put my colored pencils. Hmmm.

These are done by drawing the large shapes first then the details. I am bad abt starting with the outline and details then filling it in like a color book so trying to change. If Mary Whyte can draw the big shapes first so can i?!

Peaches visiting at our house with our sister in law. Sweet puppy but big feet. You know what that means?!

Margaret xoxoxo

Take two on court reporter

February 25, 2023Leave a comment

Alex Murdaugh take 2. Now I am tired. Watercolor pencil superaquabee sketchbook

The pencils. The loose colors are the ones i used alot. I mostly use Faber Castell and or Inktense. Better get them sharpened for Monday.

Maggie henceforth known as Mags ready for bed. hmm never heard that as a knickname for Margaret. Xoxoxo

Oops dropped that ball

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023Leave a comment

Forgot to post because my friend Mike and I wore ourselves out Wednesday virtually painting with each other. We did two of the sessions then collapsed for the rest of the week. Lol. We bees delicate.

The Thompson River – gouache, fluid 140# cold press paper

Mike Hernandez did a great job. So succinct. His day job is as Art Director for Dreamworks. How cool a job is that? His style is reminiscent of what I call the golden age of cartoons back in the forties when Disney and others had fabulous artwork in their animations.

Next up. One of these. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Irena Roman said to try it out in my sketchbook first. So I did. Leaning toward the first one maybe reversed like the bottom one? What do you think. It will be big. At least a half sheet.

Doing it a la swan style. Hmm I forgot it was this way. Well maybe the first one then.

Margaret still tired xoxoxo

Morning scribbles

January 20, 2023Leave a comment

To say my sketchbook habit has fallen off would be an understatement. Been working on this stillman and birn alpha sketchbook for a year. Oops. Mostly these are birds and 2 cats on the back porch done with a uniball that I smear w a damp finger.

Daisy the cat was done with grey tombow. She loves to sit in the window and stare in at us in the den. Sooty the black male being solitary like he’s prone to be and yes he’s fixed. All our outdoor cats are.

Out back last night. It went from a nothing to this in about a minute last nite. Then it fizzled out just as quickly. Sunsets are so fleeting.

And yes the kitties still think they are starving ever morning.

Margaret show has to get busy drawing for Watercolor Live today. xoxoxox

Inktober – 24 Down

October 24, 2021October 24, 2021Leave a comment

Seven to go. Used three pens. Lamy Ef or a micro uniball and sometimes a white pentel gel pen.

Here’s the star. She’s run me off the sofa except for the corner of one cushion. She needs the rest today.

If at first you don’t success try try again.

So I succumbed to too much white pentel gel pen. Might have been a good one otherwise.

The best one so far I think. Drawn w a micro uniball.

Kicking back. She rarely lies on her back.

Out my windows this am!! Love the light hitting the mist.

Margaret excited I have made it this far in inktober. Xoxoxo

Strawberry Time

May 16, 2021May 16, 2021Leave a comment

So good. It’s terrible to have a fresh strawberry stand less than two miles from my house. And lots of other good fresh veggies like corn -delicious- and fresh local spinach and lettuce to name a few.
Most beautiful fresh onions I have ever seen complete with tops. Pulled that morning.

I left the house with $20 in cash in my pocket. by the time I went to pay for my items it was gone. No check and they do not take credit cards which I had plenty of.

A very kind man paid for mine when I told the lady I would run back to the house and find it or a check. Wow!! Thanks mystery man. His story is the pencil writing in the background. Had to commemorate the event.

Anyway Stillman and Birn Epsilon or hmm is it a Beta? heavy paper compared to the Alpha that I usually use. Uniball micro pen. American Journey watercolors.

Margaret xoxoxoxo