Day 383 – on the road again!!

July 27, 2015Leave a comment

The long road home. Two days of driving from Key West to Atlanta.

Amazing sunsets

Thought I would share some of the highlights of our trip.

The ghost
hunt
tour with Michael
Creepy but fascinating. You do hunt for ghosts. 😳

the Lloyds tropical bike tour and

Analise and her

food tour YUMMMMM
The Papas

And sitting at Mallory square during the eight mile hike. THINK SWEAT!!

Eating at a few of our fans. Caroline’s on Duval super wait staff salad was the best we ate. Bamboozled salad.

Blue Heaven Thomas and Petronia Chickens and wonderful breakfast of eggs Benedict with pink shrimp. And a band in a funky spot including a chicken cemetery.

Louies Backyard. The best food on the island. Expensive but deliciousness. Lunch is a cheaper option.

Hogfosh Grill on Stock Island. Hogfosh Tacos of course.

Buzzards Roost in Key Largo. Recommend their Mahi Mahi wrap. Gorgeous view of Garden Cove.

Another sunset.

Stay tuned for more Key West. I only have 1500 photos!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Margaret xxx

Day 382 Key West Food Tour – A Commission

July 26, 2015Leave a comment

I drew this in my sketch book after we went on the Key West Food Tour. The tour director Analise had to have one for herself so I spent a couple of days tweaking the small one and painting it.

She was tickled pink with it. I am sure it will be framed shortly and gracing her office walls soon!
Let me know if you need me to do one for your business! Or your town!!

What you do with all those maps and ephemera you pick up on your trip. Draw on them!!

Yesterday was our last full day in Key West. We are packing to leave now. It was also the culmination of the Hemingway Days – the Pamplona bull race key west style and the winner of the Heningway Look alike contest is announced.

The guy on the left , Pat, won the contest lady eat. All the guys with the red ribbon and medal are previous winners. There were 175 entrants this year. Mostly old guys with big white beards. As my friend Siobhan quipped Key West is where Santa goes in the summer!! Lol   A rowdy crowd follows the papas around the block.

We also went to the Audubon House. His paintings there are gorgeous as are the gardens.

Out the Audubon house window to the Customs house. We included a tour of it on our SEVEN Mile GUT it out tour. Next year we are doing the hemingway five K. lol. Going into training NOW!!

Incredible philodendrons and pothos we grow as house plants tower fifty feet high in the yard.

My favorite plant in the garden.

A lobster plant. I think.

The ginger plant beautiful and smell heavenly.

Orchids hang off the trees.

and banana plants abound.

Stay tuned for more Key West tomorrow.
Thanks for reading
Margaret xxx

Day 382 – Higgs Beach

July 25, 2015July 26, 20152 Comments

Higgs Beach original watercolor

$150 plus shipping

app 8x 40 inches long. Stonehenge paper

I like to sketch people as they walk by and draw fast impressions ok long accordion folded paper. I found the perfect place to do it yesterday-Higgs Beach. You can sit in your car in the cool as people stroll by or stand around at the beach.

I generally start with the shoulders and head. I try to vary the people. As in not all guys. There were alot of men on this beach so when an occasional child strolled by I drew them or short people. Or add bikers and dogs. Chickens too wild work. But it was too hot for chickens or dogs.

A lot of the people are painted with straight burnt sienna or Quin gold. Others are heavy on the red with yellow ochre for a sun burnt look.

Finally decent palms. Started with a yellow green and dabs of red. The leaves were painted mostly yellow green with streaks of red. Then dabs of green apatite. After they dried I added Inathradone blue in slashes.

Generally I keep the background to a minimum but I thought I would try to give it a beachy Key West feel by adding the palms the blue blue water and the volleyball net.

The water is cheap Joes Andrews blue aka turquoise and marine blue.

Pen is my Noodler Creaper loaded with Carbon Black. Generally I like to use a brush pen on these but when I was drawing chickens earlier the Pentel brush pen and I weren’t getting along so I switched to my Noodler.

The paper is Stonehenge ripped into long strips with my bone folder and then accordion folded.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 381 – sketching like a madwoman

July 24, 2015Leave a comment

today. Only one more day before we head home. It may be hot here but it’s even hotter at home. And not nearly as beautiful. However we are going into training for our Paris trip in three months. Even more walking and NO carbs. I hope. Lol.

Hotel Pegasus on Duval and Southard.

A photo of Pegasus.

The sketch. Oopps. My perspective got a little off.

Dog Beach. Evidently I took this thru instagram so I stole it back with a screen shot.

Here’s my sketch. The people came along right when I was packin up to go so I just plopped them into the sketch.

Here’s a pic of Dog Beach. Isn’t it gorgeous? Lucky dogs!! Right next to our one fav restaurant Louies Backyard.

Louies Backyard.

If you want to draw the photos enjoy!!

Thanks for reading. Hope to germane if these painted soon. I only have about 20 pages of unpainted sketches. 😳

Margaret ️xxx

Day 381 – sketching like a madwoman

July 24, 2015Leave a comment

Hotel Pegasus on Duval and Southard.

A photo of Pegasus.

The sketch. Oopps. My perspective got a little off.

Dog Beach. Evidently I took this thru instagram so I stole it back with a screen shot.

Here’s my sketch. The people came along right when I was packin up to go so I just plopped them into the sketch.

Here’s a pic of Dog Beach. Isn’t t gorgeous. Lucky dogs!!

Thanks for reading. Hope to germane if these painted soon. I only have about 20’pages of unpainted sketches. 😳

Margaret ️xxx

Day 380 – Busy Day

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015Leave a comment

working on a commission. Got up so early to get a start I actually was worn out and took a nap in the bed. I always nap on the sofa IF I take a nap.

I was out at 6:45 taking photos of the dawn.

Then I actually cooked breakfast.

After that we were off to the Hemingway look alike contest at 9 at the Cypress House.

Very odd being surrounded by a bunch of white bearded guys.

They usually have about 75 entries.

You can look like a young Hemingway but most of the guys were older look alikes with white beards.

Lots of pics for painting bearded guys in hats now. Been wanting some since Fealin Lins class.

Last years winner. A funny guy. Not sure of his name. He got a medal which is the red ribbon hanging backwards around his neck.
Then I came home to get to working on the commission. Could not find my full sketchbook of Key West anywhere. I needed it to make a bigger painting of one of the sketches. Thank goodness I had good photos and got busy.

Took a break and went to eat at the Hogfosh grill. We were gonng to a shrimp place on stock island but atrip advisor review from two days ago said dogs were all over and eating at the table. We decided to got to HogFish were we knew what to expect.

Before we left we searched the trunk in the daylight and there was my sketchbook. Thanks goodness.

Here’s what I am working on.

Lots of details left to do. Hope Analise likes it. Thanks for reading.

Back to painting.

Ps if you want to paint the Hemingway look alikes feel free. They love posing!!

Margaret ️xxx

Day 379 – Ice Cream!!

July 22, 20155 Comments

Ita summer time and it is warm outside!! Time to eat ice cream. With the help of yelp we discovered this tasty ice cream shop called Two Spoons.

They have all kinds of designer ice cream like toasted coconut and cinnamon bun vanilla ice cream. The strawberry has huge chunks in it. The waffle cone was incredible. So thin and crispy and light. Delectable.

Right on the main drag Roosevelt next to Five Guys. Also has a parking lot full of chickens that will pose for photos.

We also voted him most gorgeous Key West chicken. I took these today when I stopped by to feed him as I promised for earlier photos of him. He obliged. Have fun drawing him if you want!!

Most of the Key West roosters are russet and black. This is the only buff one we have seen. I did see one today with a few black and white feathers. I sketched a lot of chickens today.

All the chickens on Key West are federally protected. So they breed and multiply everywhere. These are in the USPS grounds living under a few big trees loaded with seed pods. After I drew them I put some fresh pods down on the ground for them to eat.
Back to the sketch. It’s about 48″ long done on Stonehenge paper. Lovely heavy stuff. With my Pentel brush pen that started to run out of ink. I know I need to add a few more chicks. The real question dear reader is should I paint them or leave them black and white?! What do you think?!

After sitting on a law offices steps to sketch these cuties and an almost three mile walk I went to a nearby starbucks on Duval for water and to chill out drawing people that walked by. Hard to get a site line on passer us. A lot of the people are combos.

Paint or not?!

So many pictures. About 9 am I did start the day urban sketching this awesome Art Deco aka South Beach style hotel the Pegasus on Duval and Southard. I meant to have it painted to share today but wandered the city and was worn out from all the walking in the heat.

Here’s a photo of The Pegasus if you want to have a go at it. Don’t you love the colors?!

Would love to see what u do with some of the photos.

Thanks for reading. Sofa time!!

Margaret xxx

Day 378 – a little Heaven – Blue Heaven

July 21, 20153 Comments

Blue Heaven is a wonderful funky restaurant on the corner of Petrona and Thomas.

Blue Heaven – the colors are so Key West – Sooner or later this will be a painting but If you want to paint it feel free.

It’s been various things over the years including the place Hemingway had cock fights and a bordello. Now it’s an open air restaurant where u done with chickens under feet. The food is wonderful which is why I drew their eggs Benedict with pink Key West shrimp.

A band jammed under an umbrella.
Eggs Benedict with pink Key West shrimp.

There’s even a chicken graveyard as well as an artist selling some great chicken paintings.

The wait for a table can be long unless you are there by 9am but they have plenty of chairs to wait in. Sometimes there’s a band. Sometimes there isn’t.
The view from our table. LOTS of shade.

A funny sign on our table.
Andy’s Cabana across the street on Petrona. The home of the most delicious fish taco I have ever eaten. Also owned by the people at Blur Heaven.

One of the iguanas at our condo. I call him Mango. He poses for me most days. I talk to him and tell him to hold still I just want to take his picture. He poses for me. He’s not always benevolent. A 7-8 yr old boy was chasing him and throwing twigs at him. Mango whipped him with his tail. He’s got a very long tail. He’s at least 4 feet long. OUCH!

A key West Iguana tale. They are cold blooded animals. Occasionally it does get pretty cold in Key West. Iguana live in the trees. During one cold snap they started falling out of the trees. One of the locals decided to clean up the island and started throwing them in the back seat of his car. The car was warm. The iguanas woke up and tried to desperately claw their way out of his car. They also pooped in his car. The man was so shocked with his car load of wild wide awake iguanas that he wrecked his car. Poor guy got a ticket for wreck less driving!!

Moral of theses stories don’t mess with iguanas. Lol.

But if you want to paint Andys or Mango feel free.

One more chicken. This is a handsome one from Blue Heaven which is why I posted him. Happy chicken drawing!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 377 – and chickens

July 21, 2015July 21, 20154 Comments

I love drawing chickens. I NEVER used to understand WHY anyone would like painting drawing buying chicken paintings. Now I know. They are just fun to draw as are all birds. These are drawn with my Noodler creaper Ahab in my almost finished moleskine. Thank goodness.

I still really don’t like that paper!! The paint just seems to stick to the paper. You can not wash out the color. It just sticks. NO FUN!!

From now on I am sticking to Strathmore 500 mixed media paper or Stillman and Birn Zeta sketchbooks. NO MORE moleskine watercolor books ever again. At least I only have one more page in that moleskine!! HURRAH!!
Here’s a picture for you to draw that I took at the Wildlife Center yesterday!!

I still have to go back and draw the egret pelicans hawk and various sea birds at the Wildlife Center.
I rounded the corner there and on the sidewalk was a HUGE white egret.

I guess we were both scared.

He flew off.

If you want to draw either the egret or the chickens feel free!!
Thanks for reading!

Margaret ️xxx

Day 375 – Food Tour part 2

July 18, 20152 Comments

The whole enchilada. Wanted to post before I pass out from a fun four mile bike ride with Lloyds Bike tour. Color me worn out. Lettering done with my pentelbrush pen and my noodler creaper Ahab.

Annlises logo. Can’t go wrong with her tour. Viking would be proud to say she did their tour!! Terrific local food and local color!! And Annelise worked hard to keep us hydrated. We each got our own fresh coconut to drink. Amazing!!

All the food was delicious but I fell I love with the fish taco at Andys cabana. I have eaten a lot of fish tacos lately and this one was perfection. I also drank coffee something I NEVER EVER do. Cuban coffee from El Siboneys could be my new energy drink.

We also learned about the history, architecture, the real estate market, and the flora and fauna. She does a super tour. A native of Key West she shares her huge amount of knowledge with her clients and if she doesn’t know she doesn’t mind telling you. Chances are good she does know!!

We also got a list of other restaurants tha specialize in local fresh caught seafood and fresh local veggies. So far we have eaten at two. Louies Backyard and Camilles. Fabulous food. Just fabulous. Great atmosphere. Can’t recommend either of them enough or the Food tour.

Annlise. She’s actually prettier than this wc.
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