The other candy store

We call Cheap Joes art supply next to the classroom the Candy Store but Mast General has an enormous candy store at each of their locations but in Valle Crucis it has its own building. Danger danger is all I can say!! And no parents don’t want grandma or auntie bringing candy Miss Mike!!

Drawn at the tables of the Ham shoppe across the street while we enjoyed one of the Ham Shoppes Yummy sandwiches potato salad and their amazing fudge. Yea I ate the whole thing. Burp!

Lamy Ef Noodler Eelskin Handprint journal watercolor to come.

Margaret heading out on the last leg of her trip home soon. Thank goodness it’s cooled off in Augusta. High of 79 today. Yeahhh. Xoxoxo

Valle Crucis

When we are in Boone we always go to Valle Crucis a lovely secluded spot not far away.

Mast General store is there in an old building dating back to the 1800s chock a block full of inticements for tourons like us to buy. Everything from hiking boots baseball caps and t shirts to old fashioned gadgets like the Apple corers that slices cores and peels the apple with a turn of the handle.

I taught my friend Mike that you can sit in your car and sketch when the weather is cold or hot and still be comfy and get some work done.

Lamy Ef handprint journal. Watercolor soon. Like maybe tomorrow when I get home.

Margaret xoxoxo still in Charlotte where we frosted a Halloween house now eaten.

The Party’s over

Hitting the road in the morning

Drawing in lovely Valle Crucis in the am.

In the meantime a couple of Fealing Lin sketches from my notes for the week.

These will get watercolor.

Lamy EF Noodler Black eelskin Ink Handprint Art journal.

Remember what Picasso said learn the rules like a Pro then you can break them an artist.

Good advice.

Margaret ready to hop in bed soon. Xoxoxox

Progress made

So after what I said yesterday I decided to finish Henry my grandson. What a sweetie.

He still needs some jewelry as Fealing calls it. Some dots here and there.

Had to lift all the blue I put on the highlight not paying attention to what I was doing. Thought I had ruined it totally. As it is the paper is a little rough there but nobody would notice it but me.

Hot press fluid 15×22″ paper.

Brevard gypsy lady dressed for Halloween. No I don’t know if she’s actually a gypsy but maybe disguised as one.

A lot of fun painting her. Her sunglasses her scarf her jillion bracelets and necklaces. I think I there are seven of the later. But what a FUN figure.

She’s close to done. Going to negative paint around her white hair so it will show. And the. Who knows. Three more to finish and only one partial day left. 9-1 pm. Maybe one more will get done?! We shall see.

Margaret not dead tired for once but in bed after a fabulous dinner at Over Yonder Restaurant out in Valle Crucis. So delicious. Xoxoxoxo

A Break Through

Another busy busy day

Not often I am in my jammies in bed st 8:30. Up at the crack of dawn draw and paint all day.

So what was the break through?! Don’t paint people you know then you won’t be hampered or intimidated by the need to make them look like your relative or friend. You can just have fun painting.

So I spent all morning drawing these two ladies.

More to do on Morning Coffee. 15×22″ 140# cold press Fluid

paper.

All that water I threw at her and she’s still flat.

Lots of edges to soften. Hard edges are ridiculous on her face.

The Drawing

A lot left to do on her. All of her jewelry. Her head scarf and a million other fun things. OH her glasses. Not anywhere dark enough. She had on about six necklaces and ten bracelets. So LOTS to do.

And those teeth. Ugh.

Colors used raw sienna alizarin American Journey Andrews Turquoise Mineral Violet Cad red cad yellow burnt sienna and some ultramarine blue. Big 1 1/2 flat for most of the painting.

Margaret tucked into bed before 9am. All I need is sweet Zoe. Xoxoxo

Busy busy

Work is in progress. Henry! Got to fix those eyes. But really like this a lot.

The lovely Kate Marie also far from done.

Margaret ready for BED in Boone NC did I say Tahred and I should be drawing but Tahred is not! Xoxoxo

Live from Boone

Xoxoxo

A few more parking lot chickens oops roosters from Key west Wildlife Rescue. Poor things having to live out their lives in a Parking lot. The big buff guy actually spurred the other ones. Meany.

Joe Miller aka Cheap Joe and Fealing Lin. I think he might be dressed as Van Gogh if he loved to be an old man. Joe is a Van Gogh authority and does a delightful one man show about Theo Van Gogh Vincent’s brother which he has performed all over the US including the National Museum of Art in DC and the Met in NYC.

Margaret having too much fun in Boone. Like coming home. Xoxox

A Few More Chicks

From Boone NC. really they are Key West parking lot chicks from the Wildlife Rescue.

Class tomorrow at Cheap Joes.

140# Fabriano rough press

Trying to decide whether or not to crop the fourth hen/rooster on the right. He she looks odd as in stuffed into the page. And it’s neither a rooster or a hen. Hmmm. Think I like it with just the three better but the blue feet on the left one GOTS to go.

Class w the delightful Fealing Lin tomorrow. She’s across the hall from me.

Margaret glad to be in the cool rainy weather of Boone NC. I think I remember rain. Xoxoxox

From the Nose Bleed Seats

At the Imperial Theater waiting for Ragtime to start – Key West Chicks!!

140# rough press Fabriano. Dries so nice and flat for Fabriano.

Margaret xoxoxo heading to Boone NC in the am for a week with Fealing Lin at Cheap Joes.

Day 2054 Strancone, Italy done!!! Onward!!!

At least for the monenbt. You never know. It’s subject to change right?! Until it’s framed.

At the end of class. Pallet colors same as Vld said to use. Mostly neutral tint cad red light cad yellow and cobalt today.

Thinking tomorrow or Thursday will try the beach scene we did the sepia sketch of. Lost my focal point but I can fix it in the final one. Should have been in the middle.

Like this one. Sigh.

Think I will draw the scene while I listen to tv. Lol. Can’t watch and draw right.

Spent half the day looking for paint. How can I be out of cobalt van dyke brown AND dioxzine purple. This method of painting uses shovel loads of paint. Need to buy the BIG tubes not the 16″5 oz. shoulda added to my Blick order. Sigh.

I ordered these during class Sunday and here they are already.

I did get a set of Escoda perla brushes from amazon because I could NOT get my black velvets to dry brush. They split.

Escoda perla 8,10,12 from top to bottom

If the perlas are good enough for Vlad, Iain Stewart and Joseph Zbukiv they are good enough for me. Suppose to make great calligraphic marks as well as do sweeping dry brush effects. Not a bad deal $30 for and 8 10 and a 12 travel brush Escoda perla Joseph Zbukiv Brand.

Homework from class. I couldn’t stand the tension of watching the battle this week in Game of Thrones. Eyes on paper. Eeekkk. Glad that episode is over.

Line practice

More homework from class. Supposedly if u draw two dots keep your pencil on left for eye on right dot you should get straight lines. Thinking not something to do during game of thrones or after four cups of high caffeine tea. Lol.

Margaret who has to make her clean bed first before she draws the scene so I can practice trees with my new brushes. Bet they will work on rocks too. Xoxoxo