Don Andrews AWS

March 16, 2021March 16, 2021Leave a comment

I took an online zoom class with Don Andrews The Figure in the Lnadscape. I have watched all his available YouTube’s and he was on my bucket list. It cost $35 so I was in. One thing I love about the epidemic is the fact you can stay home and take a class for $35. Normally a class with Don would run $600 for a week.

At the end of class. My figure where is it?! We used a limited palette. Six colors. And i put out his whole list of colors whine whine. I think we only used gamboge, opera pink, cerulean, raw sienna, alizarin, turquoise.

The drawing. Did I say I did not get the 911 to draw it so mine is not right. Too many similar sized rocks.

First wash on a quarter sheet. No that’s not yellow but gamboge which is like a school bus yellow. Yes there’s a drawing under there. A lot of fast and furious painting with a big 1 1/2″ brush. If I had used the half sheet like I was suppose to I would have used a 2″ or even a wider hake brush. Have one of those 3-4″ wide.

As Vlad Yesileyev I think said recently use the biggest brush you can to do the job. And I have always used a big brush. Probably should have used my size 14 sable which I am familiar with not a flat. A better chance of success.

Layering in the midtones. Trying not to wipe out the whites or the midtones. Quite a challenge when you are using a large flat wash brush.

Then the darks which are the same colors just thicker. A cream consistency. I think we did add in a blue. Ultramarine or cobalt. Oops getting hard edges. Not allowed. Sigh.

Painting the water and the figure. He disappeared. Oops. The water reflection is just burnt sienna and ultramarine.

And finished. My rocks could have more greys. Oh well. At least the hard edges are where they are suppose to be. And the rocks are weird shapes. Like the round boulders and the wedge shaped blue rock but that’s because I drew them in about three minutes.

He’s sending us the video so I can paint it again. We get access to it for a month. So now to make myself do it!!

Margaret xoxoxox who actually read a book today instead of painting. The Restoration of Celia Fairchild by Marie Bostwick. One of the characters is based on a friend of mine and the book is dedicated to him so of course I had to read it. A beach read book but fun.

Too tired too

March 12, 2021May 19, 20216 Comments

To finish today.

A day spent in Prague. Still lots to do. List too long to write but… it needs a lot. Oddly I actually like it for once. Usually I don’t like them til the next day.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Vlads photo

The drawing on a half sheet of Hahnemuhle 140# cezanne.

First wash

Plus the sky. Took about an hour and a half to get to this point.

Really hated it at this stage. Yuck.

Added some details but there are sooo many to do. I will work on it some more manana.

Silly geese started honky at us. No clue why. Must be close to a dozen.

Margaret xoxoxo just tahred.

Sailboat anyone?!

March 11, 2021May 19, 20214 Comments

Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. So I thought I was done but I already find one thing to do. Shadow on the bow of one of the boats.

All I can say about today’s painting do NOT use cerulean thinking you are using cobalt. Combined with yellow ochre it makes MUD. Non transparent MUD.

Vlads photo

Vlads sketch.

The sketch on a half sheet of Hahnemuhle 140#

First wash

Working on midtones.

and now.

Margaret done in. Also cleaned up the pantry and the fridge and finished two other paintings. Too busy today!! Xoxoxox

Another foggy day

March 10, 20212 Comments

Arches 280# cold press paper Cheap Joe’s American Journey paint colors indigo, ultramarine, burnt sienna, dioxzine, quin gold and lots of water.

A fun painting to do. I could change several things and betting I will do another one with green fir trees next time.

What would I work on?! Less striped sky. Better firs. But all in all I like it. Masking the birch trees to preserve the whites before I started painting.

I would wear rubber gloves. Eeek. Time for scrubby dubby.

Also might try using some of these paints on another one. “. L-R Daniel Smith Payne’s Grey, Cheap Joe’s Payne’s Grey and Cheap Joes Moonglow

Love the blues in the Daniel Smith and all the purples and blues in the moonglow. Last one is so yum.

Zoe posing like the pretty princess she is. She does love a scarf or two.

Margaret xoxox

Sailing down the Dee

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021Leave a comment

An old derelict boat on the side of the river. Today in my inbox there was an email from Etcher.com to pay $5.50 for access to drawing a boat with Ian Fennelly. I was willing to throw five dollars away in case it was bad. Well it was and it wasn’t. NO PHOTO to draw from. What the heck. So I went to Ian’s IG feed and did a screen shot.

The video also did weird things. I watched it in a window a little bigger than a postcard. If it restarted once it restarted four times. Never going back to where you were. Groan.

Here’s his. Love the silly birds. Seagulls of a sort.

First thing u do is lay out the shape using markers to fix it in your mind.

Then you draw it with a midtones grey tombow. I think this is a 25.

I finally made a key to the shades of my nine shades grey tombows. Got tired of opening each of them up.

So I got bored and went ahead of the video. The video was very cumbersome. If you had to restart it always went back to the beginning. WHAT?!!

My footprints got out of control. As a friend quipped they looked like elephant tracks. Eeekk.

What to do what to do. So much work and a massive screwup.

White pentel gel pen to the rescue. I may add some white watercolor paint to it also.

Here are all the pens. The tombows and pentel permanent liners. Mostly used the .3 on this piece.

Margaret watching Haregan and Oprah. Not sure I will stick with it. Hmmm. Xoxoxo

One more

January 29, 2021January 29, 20213 Comments

High Street, Henley, UK

Hot press fluid 140# watercolor paper

I did this on a shopkeeparty.com paint along g w Ian Fennelly that I posted in my YouTube list of his classes yesterday. Lots of fun. Love hitting the Pause button.

I started painting this a little after 9 last nite. But it was fun.

The drawing and the shading. This is mostly tombow pen with some Pitt pen for details. The Pitt pens are permanent.

Watercolor layer done. I only used a few colors. Quin sienna, ultramarine, alizarin, burnt umber a dab of cerulean, and yellow ochre. Next time I will use more transparent color.

the finish. I really enjoyed doing the details in ink with Pitt pens like the column cap, the bricks, the sidewalk, tv antennas and a plethora of other details. Shading with cross hatching so much fun. It’s somehow soothing. I used a .03 Pitt pen for that. The Pitt pens have India ink in them.

Now I need to do some of Augusta or Atlanta. Really enjoy doing these. Been a pen nut since first grade and probably a painting nut even longer.

Margaret watching an ink seminar on crowdcast. My there are some positives about covid like zoom and crowdcast activities.

Xoxoxo

On a roll

January 25, 20212 Comments

Some of my favorite British birds from Paul Dinnings Videos and Sounds for Cats: Garden Birds. They really are the best bird videos I have seen on YouTube. Some people use them for a good nights sleep.

Another new Favorite is Prowalking tours. I went to Rome and Montmartre today. Think I will try Venice next. Just the beginning of it is gobsmacking.

Stillman and birn alpha pentel brush pen uniball micron Caran d’ache neocolor ii watercolor pencils and a teabag to wet the Caran d’ache.

Margaret whose going to try Wendy’s for dinner. Xoxoxox

I discovered

January 22, 2021January 22, 2021Leave a comment

YouTube is loaded with bird and squirrel videos. Since the cats moved in my birds have evaporated and the squirrels moved elsewhere.

Paul Denning’s videos are great. Gorgeous birds but European – in Cornwall. He taped them for his family cat who watches them. 😳😳😳

I realized today I missed the silly ravenous squirrels hanging from the bird feeders often launching themselves into space to leap onto them.

Pentel brush pen uniball micro caran d’ache neocolor ii

Margaret whose getting behind on her knitting. Xoxoxo

Parges, France

December 8, 2020December 8, 20204 Comments

Near Paris. 12×16 arches 280cold press. Did a wild hour long paint all with Vlad Yesileyev at shopkeeparty,com. Also on shopkeeparty’s YouTube if you want to give it a try.

The photo

The sketch

First wash

About an hour of painting. Adding darks. I actually painted the people with my brush aka I didn’t draw them first. I think they are some of my better people.

Debating with my self when is it done.

I never know when to stop but time to add some calligraphy marks with the saber brush I think. Feeling totally uninspired.

And as she is now. She may get more torture tomorrow. We shall see.

Have to capture all five kittens and take them 30 miles to Edgefield to get them neutered or spayed. What happens if one runs. I guess I can always schedule another trek to Edgefield.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 231 So many Spots!!

November 10, 2020May 19, 20215 Comments

On the Farm down Florida way. Arches 280 cp. Nice paper. Scratches so well. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

The photo

Vlad’s value sketch.

My sketch. Did get tired of drawing a jillion little cows and all those legs. 😜 My dad used to joke to us on trips to count the cows by counting their legs and dividing by 4. That was the best part of drawing a jillion cows. Remembering the joke.

First wash. Cobalt cad yellow alizarin dioxzine cad orange yellow ochre

My cows are too light I think. We shall see.

Painting the background trees. Still using the same colors and burnt sienna and umber.

So I painted my cows a little darker grey. Cobalt yellow ochre and alizarin dioxzine mix. That mix will give you all kinds of grey.

Greens mixed with cad yellow cobalt and indigo. Oh and cobalt teal on water tubs.

Think this one is different but I can’t tell. Shadows under white spots? NOPE. Since these are Holstein cows painted lots and lots of grey and blackish spots made with that same grey mix. I think I added ultramarine and a dab of alizarin to mine.