Drawing is free yesterday!

July 18, 20232 Comments

Indira

@drawingisfree_org yesterday. 1hr of free wild drawing and music fun live on Zoom from Paris. Thanks Chloe and models!

Hope to see you all @pencils4tea at 1 pm EST Thursday Link on her IG feed. Another hour of quickly drawing people.

Watercolor slapped over Charcoal sketches. No time to redo. Just time to flip the page and keep up. Always produced lovely loose work.

Double trouble. Adrian and his son 5 minutes

Chloe our fearless leader. These were all painted w the 3/8”saber brush and a 1”flat Too much of my fresh squeezed quin burnt orange. Oopps. Oddly like it anyway.

Doesn’t do her justice. But like it anyway. too much quin rose. Oh well.

Another nope. Only had a minute fifty to draw her. Eeek

Mary. Hmm what else can i say? 3 minutes 58 swconds

Dave not bad considering all his changing his pose. i drew it once and didn’t change everytime he did. That’s always a formula for failure.

Margaret hanging out with the grandkids. xoxoxo

Day 57. Well it was sooo Busy

June 13, 20233 Comments

First I did Drawingisfree_org on IG. 13 Drawings in an hour. Two had TWO people in them😵😵😵. i got so lost in drawing i didn’t realize when time was up. As the last time they got better and better.

#1 Chloe our fearless leader not my fav alot to draw in 2 1/2 min.

#2 mother daughter duo but seriously TWO people in Five Minutes???!

#3 she had one eye closed. Alrighty then. And in and out of shade.

#4 much better. An older lady who moved alot but…still like her.

#6 interesting woman w a huge head band.

#8 another good one. words are from the music being played.

#9 a dont mess with me lady! alot to draw in a couple of minutes.

Actually think this one was 8 but a crazy pose. My peast fav eyes and mouth wide open.

#12 A South African bundled up because its winter there. And i thought he was an elf. Lol

#13 An Irish lass w pink hair. Really wanted to color it but thought i would mess her up since this is done w water soluble graphite.

Lots of water soluble graphite and lead.

Day 57. Was not wild abt her but hated not to show up. Did not like her fake nails aka daggers of her glued on looking eyebrows. The red hair was fun.

And she was done. Might Not be the actual one i posted because i for once deleted them ALL.

Last but not least a commission I am working on. A Sweet little girl so cute.

Yesterdays. Day 56 #jyportraitchallenge. Bacchus or Dionysus – God of Wine! Interpreted by @modbodadrian

All i can say about todays paint is never make the head smaller than four inches according to the wisdom of Charles Reid. Oh he also said don’t paint what you can’t see!! Could not see the right eye or the where the nose was no matter how hard I tried!

M Graham watercolor and a few Daniel Smith. 11×14” Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook

Painted w a Mary Whyte fav paint M Graham and her fav brush a cats paw, @davinci_northamerica #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes and paint at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”.

Margaret ready for bed. I guess u know why now. Xoxoxox

Tomorrow! Be there!! Day 56!

June 11, 2023Leave a comment

LIVE from Paris! Drawing is Free at Noon EST on Zoom!! NO Nudity. Just drawing heads. GREAT practice

**Day 54-** My fav painting so far.

Keeping it fresh i hope and not overworked. I used Mary Whytes fav flesh combo M Graham raw sienna and quin pink for the flesh tones. Works well for all skin tones just varying the amounts of raw sienna and water to lighten or darken the mix. Its the only combo she uses for skin tones. Sweet face w her fun two tone hair. Fun painting her curly hair again today. While i remembered to do the hair wet on wet it ran too much. Thicker paint next time.

Lots of great lost edges in this painting

**Day 55** #jyportraitchallenge. Definitely a TOUGH paint. All that shadow and the pic is black and white so what to do with the background?! Lots of dark blue since its the compliment of peach/orange and makes her skin sing. The blue also let me loose her left side in the shadows.

My fav part is where her left hip meets the background.

**Day 54** #jyportraitchallenge. Another crazy busy day so i just did our lovely model in profile. Hmm got the ear too far foreward otherwise fun painting her hair and the lovely lights on her chest.
I used a big cheap chinese brush and a Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose for her quin gold and quin burnt sienna tendrils. The Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose is a very long very skinny saver brush that is almost impossible to control. You have to trust it it will make perfect curls.

**Day 52** #jyportraitchallenge. Love her eyes. Fun painting her curly hair. Forgot to soften the hairs edges by painting into the background wet on wet. Hopefully next time. Works so well w fluffy curly hair. Drawing went well. Done quickly.

**Day 51** #jyportraitchallenge.
Miranda. So many details to paint. Need i say more!? Drawing went well. Done quickly. Painting wasnt bad either just too many things to paint. Note to self. Do not tape the corners. Duh!

**DAY 50!!!** of the #jyportraitchallenge. Did not ever think that i would get this far. David @gotsix2 flew off my pencil and brush. Glad he’s done. Beard could use some more grizzle in it but hey done is good.

M Graham and a few Daniel Smith quins – gold burnt sienna and scarlet.

11×14” Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook OR Meeden cp 140. Or Fluid cp 140.

Painted w a Mary Whyte fav paint M Graham and her fav brush a cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes and paint at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”

Maggie who wanted to be sure to post today. Xoxoxox

Day 48!! #jyportraitchallenge

June 3, 2023Leave a comment

Lori @rubysshoes1

Popped out of bed at 7 am when I saw this sweet face. But 1st I got KOW-FEE as Al would say.

Otherwise no time for art today. Hmm she could go pinker.

Color is somewhere between the multiple pics. Annoying iphone camera messes w ths color.

Sorry forgot to take pics!!

TIP: Bytw i found out u can erase watercolor pencil and smear it to get rid of the pencil lines. Who knew?

Watercolor pencil in my stillman and birn alpha Thanks! Judith and Lori @rubysshoes1

Giaio(Joy)!! Portrait Challenge Day 45!

June 2, 20232 Comments

Giaio an Italian Artist @florentinogiaio on arches 140# cp 9×12”

Her name Giaio means Joy. Finally a watercolor I like. I managed to jeep it really loose.

Used a moltow masking pen to leave the white hair wisps. Painted w a silver brush cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat.

Shadows added w ultramarine aka the big scary (an ultramarine wash in the shadows) and the flesh tone injected into the ultramarine. I

Just about done. Have to remove the masking fluid. love the Moltow masking pen but next time will buy a pebeo one. The Moltow masking is tougher to remove but it was so nice being able to make the lines fast w no messing w a dead paint brush full of masking.

Mary Whyte palette colors.

Thanks! Judith and @fiorentinogiaio

Pansies still flourishing which is unusual for this time of the year. Usually long dead and gone but its been 66 here.

More pansies and nasturtiums which are coming on like gangbusters.

Margaret putting her feet up. Xoxoxoxox

@drawingisfree_org

May 30, 2023May 30, 20234 Comments

Thanks Chloe @drawingisfree_org We were live from Paris sketching!! The Zoom link is at the top of this page. What a great FREE opportunity!!

A marvelous face on this old man sitting almost in the dark en Paris. My Fav sketch! All of these were done in my superaquabee 10×14” sketchbook with two Derwent sketching pencils a lightwash and a 4B I got at Blick Atlanta. Lovely dark soft pencils with a thick lead. Love them.

These are all two and a half -3:14 minute poses. The length of the great music she played. Different song for each pose mostly Francais, mais oui!

In case u r wondering where I have been now on day 43 of the #jyportraitchallenge on IG. Check them out at @maggieinsc.

This is a totally FREE drawing session. His first time attending and she asked him to pose😵😵😵. His glasses really were crooked.

Every Monday @drawingisfree_org has two sessions at 4 am EST and noon EST. Short 2-3 minute poses w different attendees being called on for a quick pose. So fun. Great music for each pose.

Her 80th coming up but shes still drawing! Hopes to spend it in Paris sketching. I

Lots of hands to practice on. A challenge when the pose is two and a half minutes. Great spikey hair and yellow glasses which i didn’t get to.

Despite a Zoom collapse which was a total reboot and a power outage right before the end best fun i have had sketching since BC Before covid.

Used two Derwent sketch pencils a 4B and a lightwash which had been languishing in my pencil box. Yes I have a PINK pencil box. Lol. Actually i have several to store my watercolors in my color.

Not my best but only two and a half minutes. 🙃Grwar curly red hair.

Chloe our fearless leader. Started is off posing to some great French music. When in France do as the Francai do, n’est-ce pas??

A Bientot! Margaret xoxoxo whose gotta go paint. #jyportraitchallenge

Another day another portrait or two

May 4, 20232 Comments

Lots of back lighting in this photo. And those blue shadows and golden skin. A scary mix for turning her green. Eeek

The sketch. Stillman and Birn Alpha
Drove me crazy trying get the eyes straight. Finally got out the ruler which i never do and drew a perpendicular line for them. kept drawing the right eye too high. 😵 And then i forgot to take any pics. Oops. Sorry.

Her skin is basically quin gold and pink. A very light mix. Then i added cobalt teal for the shadows. Her hair was splattered. More quin gold for a base. Added burnt umber and ultramarine splatter. Drew some curls with my Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose saber brush. Always fun.

Out back today. The water was like glass.

Busy day so now putting my feet up. Margaret xoxoxoxo

Finally Done

March 16, 2023Leave a comment

The fingers were way too short especially her thumb. Really rather amazing you can lift a figure out when u use arches. Not sure how this technique would work on any other paper but arches.

I did run across an interesting website that has a great list on which watercolors can be substituted for other watercolors like quin pink -alizarin or rose madder. I saved a copy. You probably should to.

Gorgeous day today . Spent a while outside looking for the bald eagles which according to the guys were hunting out back. Camera in hand. NO bald eagles.

Margaret xoxoxox

Getting done?

March 15, 2023Leave a comment

The Messy Table i have been letting pile up in the den. Lamy EF, watercolor and inktense pencils and tombow markers and Strathmore mixed media sketchbook which used to be my go to sketchbook til i found Stillman and Birn. The paper is much heavier than the S and B alpha i normally use. 140 # cp

I painted the wc pencil with my winsor newton momarch psuedo mongoose 1/2” flat love the way it painted.

But it still needed something.

Thr tombow greys did the trick i think. And then i cleared the table off.

Margaret xoxox

Marathon continues- Finishing edges

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023Leave a comment

Yeah its a thing. Spent most of the afternoon painting the gallery wrapped edge of the mountain painting w a 1/2 Winsor Newton imitation mongoose flat.

Thats a 12 FOOT strip about two inches wide trying not to get black paint on the front of the painting. Formerly stark white it’s now black. I tried ultramarine blue but didn’t like it.