Three times is the charm they say! Wordpress keeps eating my post today. These were all drawn on site at the Key West Wildlife center. I counted at least 8-10 pages of ibis sketches.
Stay tuned tomorrow for painting details. Want to be sure WordPress behaves before I write one more long post.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
Duval Street – $150 app 8×40″ Heavy Stonehenge paper
I actually drew this one after I drew the chickens. I was so hot I sat in the Starbucks on Duval drawing passersby.
I tried to give them a tropical feel. Crowds on Duval do not look like an Atlanta crowd or the denizens of my favorite cafe Inner Bean or customers running into Earthfare.
Tank tops tshirts short shorts sunglasses and flip flops are the order of the day. Chickens use the crosswalks and palms line the road.
I tried to use bright tropical colors to give a tropical feel to this long strip.
It was not the best vantage point to see people to sketch quickly. They went by TOO quickly. Mere seconds.
TIP: This was drawn with a Pentel brush pen. I actually have two brush pens because drawing these strips use up the ink. Hate to run out while drawing a strip.
I generally start with the shoulders and next the head.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret ️xxx
Some of my favorite things about key west is the wildlife.
The double page in my Moleskine watercolor book. I decided they were the last double spread because they are so iconic in Key West. Literally they are everywhere behind and under almost any bush, in the parking lots, under the tables in your favorite restaurant. You can not help but fall I love with them.
A few chicken stories!
Chickens actually use the crosswalks to cross the busy streets. I saw them do it with my own two eyes. Truly they do. And I love following them around to draw them.
Roosters. Indispensable to their families. If you feed the chickens the roosters let the hens and chicks eat first while they are on the look out for enemies. Keeps the species going. I never thought a rooster could be so thoughtful and protective of his brood though I have seen a male Cardinal take care of his babies. 
Ibis at the Wildlife Center. What a hoot. They follow you around i hopes of a snack. And seem to pose like this one.
One of my favorite Watercolors I did at Key west. The wildlife center ibis.
A few of the eight or so ibis sketches I did at the wildlife center last Saturday. Or was it Friday?! In Key West the days run into each other.
I spent a lot of time taking pics of iguanas. They are so fascinating. Living dinosaurs.
My favorite finished iguana sketch. 
This guy a big grey one was begging with the ibis til he got scared and leapt into a tree. They are SO fast. And he was big. More than four feet long. He blended right into the palm tree.
We fondly nicknamed this one Mango. A big fellow at the condos. I stalked him talking to him nicely. He would begrudgingly pose. Later we saw him repeatedly whip a kid who was throwing stuff at him. OUCH!! I don’t blame Mango one bit. Someone should have been watching the kid. Evidently iguanas also have razor sharp teeth. They hang out in the trees in Key West and would rather run climb or swim away than get in a fight.
A large green one. I think this is my favorite color but they are all so gorgeous like a watercolor and blend right into their surroundings.
Sunrise in the Keys. Going to miss these too. Enough for today. Can’t wait to get home and get my paintbrush busy!
Thanks for reading!
Margaret xxx
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
I am embarrassed to tell you how many I have.
This was done with my latest acquisition a ReD Noodler Konrad loaded with Diamanté Wild Strawberry. Don’t knowwhich I like better. The red ink or the red pen.
I wrote it in my Super Deluxe Bee sketchbook. No fuzzy letters. The paper loves ink.
My new Konrad loaded with wild strawberry and my beloved Noodler Creaper Ahab loaded with carbon platinum black ink. I have four more Noodler pens. LOVE their flex nibs. Super for both sketching and lettering because they have an interesting line similar to a dip pen. I only occasionally make messes with the ink. I always do with dip pens. Try the Ahab. A bargain at $20 and holds a huge amount of ink.
My other Noodler pens all loaded with different color inks. A girl needs choices, right?! The top pen, a Noodler Konrad is loaded with Noodlers Lexington Grey, the brush pen is new. Not sure what color but probably will get Lexington Grey since I have Carbon Black in my Kuretake pen. The slim red Noodler is loaded with deartrementis document brown. The bright yellow one is loaded with deartrementis Petrol a turquoise greeny bluet color. The two small pens were dirt cheap at Goulet. $10 or so each. The Konrads are the priciest at $40. I have a couple of Lamys that I never use. Hmm I while gift them on at least the safari. May be great for writing but didn’t like it at all for drawing.
Thanks for reading
Margaret xxx
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 