Sometimes a sketch book is just scribbles

March 28, 2023Leave a comment

Love escape to the country and its variety of houses. Probably my fav show other than big bang. I get the urge to draw the beautiful countryside and the wonky odd ball charming houses and shops. i finally did. And probably will again since this one didnt turn out the way i wanted it too. And oopsey. How do they get the pronunciation Lem-stir out of the name Leominster? Go figure. I love the fields and Yorkshire the land of my ggggggrandmother Hartley takes my breath away. She lived just diwn the road from All Creatures Great and Small Skelldale House.

Drawing the seagulls at the dam. They were plucking herring from the water. Rather like drawing gesture sketches but they never hold a pose for a second.

The first pages. I think they got better.

Sweet Daisy who is always a willing model snoozing on the back deck and especially appropriate for ink sketches since shes fifty shades of grey.

Stillman and birn alpha uniball micro pen pentel brush pen

Margaret who has taken way too much antihistamine today. 💤💤💤💤xoxoxoxo

Mary Whyte and Mom’s 96th Birthday

January 29, 2022January 30, 20222 Comments

Well the time has come to take a class from the famous Mary Whyte. Off to St Simons next week via Dick Blick class in Savannah to spend my gift certificates. You know I “need “ something. Right?

Best part will be hanging out with my friend Karen Schaaf who I haven’t seen since before covid. Karen recently got her NWS signature and will be in the next issue of Splash 22. We can say we knew her when. Met her at Cheap Joes taking a class from the late great Charles Reid. I think I have almost every book he wrote.

I painted this of my mom who turned 96 last Monday a couple of years ago. I call it
“I Told Her to Smile” because I did and she didn’t. Painted on Fabriano 300# hot press. 11×15”

Thinking about repainting it since it looks off to me now. Nose too long and the mouth twitched to the side. And what’s with the light streak across her chin. Bytw mom did NOT like this painting. Never pout mom, never pout.

This is the photo the painting is based on taken on her 90th birthday. A friend said she was concentrating. Maybe so.

Maniacally sewed this baby quilt for my nephew and his wife’s new baby Mary Rose. She is named Miryam after her mothers aunt who died in the Holocaust. And another who survived it.

The back. Kind of wish I had put the yellow print on the front. Oh well. It’s off in the mail hopefully to greet the baby when she comes home this week.

It has the baby’s name in one corner heart her parents in another, her dob in the third and place of birth in the last one.

Really got to finish this. An old 60s VW abandoned in a car port in Athens Ga across the street from my brothers house. And then take it down town to Art on Broad with my other vehicle paintings for Kristin to sell. Maybe a few prints?! Could be an excuse to buy a new printer!!?

Baking bread. One loaf going to a friend for her birthday instead of a cake. We went to see Kingsmen and I treated her to popcorn and a drink since we aren’t eating out right now. We loved it even though the critics didn’t. Kept us in the edge of our seated the whole time.

Bytw NOBODY is at the movies so quite safe. We had the theater to ourselves. Well the top half. A couple that came in after us sat way down in front. Socially distancing! Yeah!!

Slicing my load up to freeze it. Reheats so well as toast or nuke ten min in the microwave. Taste fresh from the oven!! Also tasty as a sandwich.

My favorite red socks. Wore a hole in my other pair. It’s a free pattern from hedgehogfibers.com. It’s called Sprouting. I have probably made a dozen pairs of this sock. This is my second red pair. Wore the heels out of the first which were Malabrigo no poly. These are Madeline Tosh sock. Wears like cast iron. I also have to them in gold, two grey pairs, and turquoise.

A blue heron we saw on our walk. Fishing in the rice paddy where I live. This used to be a river plantation 200 years or so ago. Silly bird thought he was invisible and didn’t budge as I walked toward him. Finally I flapped my arms at him and he took off.

Bytw it’s quite dangerous to get near one of these birds or an egret. They can stab you with their beaks according to the SC Wildlife Department.

My current snuggle quilt. Where are my knitting needles. One more pair of socks almost done.

Margaret under her quilt on the sofa who really needs to pack for her Mary Whyte class next week but heck I can do that tomorrow right?! Xoxoxo

Robert Dutton, Yorkshire Artist

January 25, 2022January 25, 20224 Comments

I took an online zoom pastel class with delightful North Yorkshire artist Robert Dutton a while back on ShopKeeparty.com and been meaning to post this for a while but as you know when I think of how annoying Word Press is and I just don’t do it.

Anyway Robert is my new fav teacher. So enthusiastic so sharing….he’s one of those teachers that wants to pour everything he knows into your little brain.

He’s extremely supportive. Will chat with you on Facebook and on Instagram and answer all your questions. I just need to hop a plane and go take a class with him in the wilds of Yorkshire, don’t I?!

In the meantime I will make do with Shopkeeparty and a new site he’s teaching from. You can sign up for that class here. It’s £15 and will be worth every penny!!

Starting with a piece of vine charcoal.
Fabriano rough 20×30”

This is a large drawing on a full sheet of watercolor paper. Fabriano rough. 22×30″. Starting off with vine charcoal sketch and a few pastels.

Adding more details and colors. More pastels . I have an assortment of Senneiier(if they were good enough for Degas Manet and Picasso they are good enough for me-sold on the left bank in Paris or on Amazon), Unison both soft pastels and some Rembrandt pastels which are much harder.

We also used water on some of the charcoal to get the grey on the top right and sanded some charcoal to paint with on the bottom middle…great fun but what a mess!!!

Anyway..its done. Might be my fav…as soon as omicron calms down I am taking it downtown to frame…so I can hang it on a wall and not worry about the dog or the cat smearing it….

I also highly recommend Roberts book which is selling like hot cakes on amazon. Drawing Dramatic Landscapes for $21 and worth every penny…jam packed with how tos and what to dos. Heres a link to Robert talking about his new book on YouTube.

There are ten more videos you can purchase on ShopKeepArty with Robert along with my other fav cutie Ian Fennelly. You feel like you have run a race when you are done drawing with them both but you have learned a lot from both of them especially Robert….take a class you won’t be sorry!!!

There are at least three of Robert’s videos available on Shopkeeparty’s YouTube. Here’s one of them – the one that hooked me.

Kitty Ecstasy I
It’s what you do in a cold winter day.

Kitty ecstasy….Weenie Cat found her love Zoes bed and was in seventh heaven wallowing in it today in the sunshine. Too funny.

I think she wants to be a house cat. What do you think!!?

Margaret who just told Word Press tech support that on. a scale of 1-10 I give their new user interface a big fat ZERO. I would NEVER recommend WordPress to anyone…maybe I need to go back to blogger. time for bed!! XOXOXO

WIP

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021Leave a comment

Tractor time. Found this one smack in the middle of Oakhurst in Decatur.

Slowly rusting away in a back yard near my youngest sons old house just off Oakview. As one of my friends said it already had a chicken. I think it might need one on top of the tractor too.

The sketch on 10X15″ sheet of 140# of hotpress Fabriano. Drawn with a .03 Derwent permanent marker.

Watercolor added. Cad red light ultramarine Prussian blue quin gold burnt sienna.

Done for the moment but I do think it needs something. I added some greytone Tombow markers.

Addendum: found out this is a McCormick Farmall Tractor probably from the 40s or 50s. Thanks have found a pic on line of the same one but doesn’t tell the model number.

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxox

Monday can be Funday too

March 30, 2021Leave a comment

Looking at this boat makes me smile. Love the silly birds on top. Clyde and co!

The photo. I was trolling YouTube this am and discovered an Ian Fennelly paint along and I thought way more fun than listening to NPR and doing the Aigusta National golf club.

And I was right. Always fun to listen to Ian natter on. This is an old sailboat on the river Dee in Cornwall. Something about the river isn’t there anymore just the marshes?!

Stage 1. The pen layout.

Stage 2. Drawing the boat and environs with a Tombow fine tip end. A number 65 I think.

Stage 3. Coloring the boat w tombows and fine liners.

Stage 4&5. Color added then some more marker detail. Also the silly gulls. Limited palette Ultramarine, Burnt sienna, Orange, green gold, white gouache.

Margaret who almost forgot to post. Xoxoxox

Sacre Couer

March 29, 20212 Comments

Sketching Paris – Sacre Couer which sits on the highest point in the city and can be seen from all over the city. There are a few tweaks coming sooner or later.

The photo.

Step 1. Lay out pens on your paper at the angles you will draw the buildings.

Step 2. Drawn with a very light Tombow on 140# hot press Fabriano 15×20″. Delicious paper. Sometimes I think it would be easier to start these off with a pencil. Then you can erase the inevitable oopseys.

Step 3. Ink it with a .03 permanent fine liner adding a few more details.

Step 4. Watercolor layer. Only four colors used. Ultramarine, cad red dark, burnt sienna or quin sienna and cobalt teal light.

Step 5. Adding more Tombow and darker tombows including black.

Step 6. Adding more details! Using the permanent fine liners. .03 .02 .01 And a bit more Tombows.

Step 7. And last add a bit more watercolor. And a few more splatters. I do love splattering.

That’s a wrap. The last Sunday Funday with Ian Fennelly. Ian’s been a very busy boy during the pandemic offering a ton of classes in Studio56Boutique.com.

Margaret tucked up in bed. Xoxoxo

La Tour Eiffel

March 22, 2021Leave a comment

Done for the moment. Sunday Funday with Ian Fennelly. Who could resist drawing the Eiffel Tower with Ian??! Really enjoyed it despite I wore my hand out inking it. Should have taken a lunch break. One of my fav places in Paris esp when lit up at night.

I sat under it on one Saturday nite drawing it. Heaven for someone who loves to sketch.

Of course I can’t find the picture of the sketch right now. A double page spread too.

The photo

The sketch. Tombow time.

Firming it up with permanent ink markers. Like the lettering but little matchbox cars. Oops. Oh well. Can’t have it all, right?!

First layer of watercolor. Four colors. Winsor Newton Brown Madder, WN Cerulean, WN Prussian Blue, and M Graham Azo Orange. Oh a dab of ivory black used as a grey.

Close up. Yummy colors. The weird brown red is the the brown madder.

Adding more tombows. Coloring with the marker end. A range of greys and black. Second sweep with watercolor. Cross hatching underway with permanent fine liners .05, .03 and .01.