Face masks and other things!! Aka BUSY!!

March 30, 2020March 31, 2020Leave a comment

From last weeks urban car sketching.

Spent yesterday starting to make masks because if they work for medical people they will protect the ones I love from the virus too.

Don’t believe for a minute you don’t need one when You go out.

Here’s the article!!

I am ripping up filtrete filters with merv 1900 -2200 rating which is really good for masks but u can also use hepa vacuum filters. Just try not to puncture them.

Other fabrics you can use for filters.

You can use duct tape and staples scotch tape masking tape to make the folded accordion style masks. And add ribbons or scraps of fabric for ties. Get creative. Masks patterns are all over the internet.

And no elastic!? Cut strips across your T-shirt’s width about an inch wide. Pull on each end of them. You get spaghetti t-shirt strips perfect for ties.

I made this large pile of ties in minutes. Hmm leftovers. I could tie tomato plants up with them. If I had tomato plants. 🤣😂

So get busy. Some glitter might be a good finish!!Two face masks for my son with bad asthma. Taken two days of ripping and cutting. One day of washing drying fabric. Omg! And I have 53 to make. 😖😖😖

Stay well!! Love you guys!

Margaret who will post art later today after I get the bread out of the oven.

Online art fun

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020Leave a comment

First up was Draw your feet with sketchbook skool this morning. They are streaming draw along videos every day at 9 and 12 on their YouTube channel.
Pentel brushpen Stillman and Birn Zeta

Use three colored pencils today with Danny Gregory who does the 12 noon show. He also has a list of drawings prompts which originated on his Everyday Matters Yahoo list.

Drawn with three colored pencils

Pentel brushpen Stillman and Birn Zeta

Last but not least I drew my dog Zoe after watching Streamline Art Videos on Facebook. Yesterday they had Johanne Mangi. Her dog paintings are marvelous. Wouldn’t mind taking a class from her but they are trying to sell their videos which are pricey. $127 for Johannes. I am sure it’s wonderful BUT I have one of their videos – did I say packed with info but put me to sleep. Seriously I took a good nap watching mine.

Moving on discovered a New Zealander today – a wonderful portrait painter Andrew Tischler. If you don’t watch anything else watch his video about painting his grandfather Harry. Marvelous painting. Just a little advertising.

Tim Wilmot does great YouTube videos. There are at least fifty about an hour long. Little or no advertising just glowing little jewels. On this one he even shows how to do a bit of photo editing with your computer. And a delightful british accent. He’s in England- probably the only reason I haven’t taken a class from him.

Anyway big day tomorrow scrubbing the pollen off the back porch but feel sure I will dip into the quick sketchbook skool draw alongs. Always fun. And Danny can be soothing in the face of this calamity.

Hugs. Stay strong. Xoxoxox we have got this. Margaret.

Out my back window today. Gorgeous spring morning.

Out the Back Window

March 24, 2020Leave a comment

The view out our backporch. Love that tree. Probably my fav tree. My amaryllis are really white but I thought red so much more attractive.

The backporch crew is gobbling the sunflower seeds wildly. Can u find them in the painting.

Handprint journal – micro uniball pen.

Last nights baking. Oatmeal bread from kingarthur.com. Love my kitchen aide.

A gift for you all. In case u need a mask scientifically tested fabrics to use for one. Please read. It could save your life.

Margaret knitting and listening to GPTV shows. No kiddy shows this week. Hurrah. So far I have learned about the history of discovering the planets, the invention of flying-fascinating, and now Louisa May Alcott bio. Next up Little Women.

Hugs and stay safe!! Xoxoxox

A Hero for Our Times

March 23, 2020March 23, 20202 Comments

I drew this while I watched his speech. I find the man so soothing. He explains so well and reassured the public. You really should watch him if you are in a panic.

Filling in the journal page.

Tweaking

He really is quite yellow or olive as to be expected of a man of Mediterranean descent.

Inktense and derwent wc pencils. Stillman and birn Alpha

The beginning.

Augusta now mostly on lock down no bars no restaurants no salons. Just essential services.

Margaret baking cookies next up bread. Xoxoxo #staysafe #cuomoforpresident

Jessica’s Pink Tower

March 20, 20202 Comments

My friend Jessica lives on the Savannah River downtown in the Pink Tower. The views are astonishing from high up in the building.

Zoe and I went urban sketching today when I had to go downtown to pick up the Gypsy. It was a gorgeous day. But crazy people were out in Broad Street eating and parading up the street – not keeping their distance. Scary!! Stillman and birn Zeta sepia F Pitt pen. Fealing Lin palette Colors

Margaret ready to relax. So far I drew quite a bit. Ran two errands with zero human contact. Made two batches of snicker doodles. Cooked more veggies for the leftover adorned beef. Oh and made a fb group page. No wonder I am tired scrub scrub scrub. I even bleached my Bernina after I picked it up from the shop. 😳😂

Xoxoxox

Today I painted.

March 13, 2020March 13, 20201 Comment

Not the usual a journal page a la Juliana Coles style. I have taken two or three classes from her. Ps her classes are fascinating and cathartic.

It’s not done but thought I would share it with you. I woke up thinking about this. When you do that you have to make it.

Going to write the number of cases world wide and the deaths on it sooner or later.

The start. I journaled across a piece of Canson watercolor board with a soft pencil and smeared it.

Circled random words with a grease pencil. And added yellow paint. Wish I had a nasty green yellow but nope.

Notes on possible words to use.

Adding words with a grease pencil. Dots were done with the end of a paint brush dipped in paint.

Improving

Notes from the news. Reminds me of watching Hurricane Dorian last August.

Using my Pentel brush pen to add lettering like on his chin. A white gel pen on the scarf and eyes.

Now. Trying to take away some cuteness. Paint on eyes was dabbed on with a finger then swirled around with the end of the paint brush. White paint lettering on scarf so it shows more.

Painted with that cheap acrylic paint. The kind in the small bottles. It has a tooth you can write on unlike the expensive stuff.

Next up cases and death toll world wide.

Try it. Very cathartic.

In the meantime. Knitting. Yarn at my feet on the stool.

Sock progressing slowly but looks like I will have plenty of time to finish this pair.

Margaret whose going to be sticking closer to home.

When you break down

February 17, 20203 Comments

And buy an espresso machine it’s worth a journal page or two. Figuring out the different espressos available is like learning a foreign language. I bet there are twenty types all in Italian. Hmmm.

Anyway this machine makes it possible to make any size you want by popping in a capsule form like a Keurig and very shortly you have a cup full.

My favorite thing is that it pops the old capsule out into the container on the right of the machine. Kinda fun.

Margaret whose thinking it’s too late to have a cup. What do U think?! Xoxoxo

WIP

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020Leave a comment

Or perhaps nearing completion. Having fun doing these tiny journal pages which incidentally seem to take as long as an 8×10″ spread.

Watercolor pencils pitt pen Lamy pen Ef and safari

Margaret done for the night xoxoxo

Having fun

February 10, 2020Leave a comment

Filling my tiny stillman and birn with memory pages. They are starting to add up. True story of a tiny mouse yesterday. It might have been two inches long.

The guys were just standing there looking at it seemingly afraid of it.

I took the broom from Fred and told him to put the dustpan down on the floor and swept it up.

Appropriately painted with my tiny whiskey painters box with a basic winsor newton set of paints that I bought years ago. The expensive plastic box broke soon after purchase but the paint endures.