Day 722 – the Miller

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016Leave a comment

Named after its owner Frank Miller the theater is an Arte Moderne theater built in 1938 in downtown Augusta.

This side of Broad Street rarely gets any direct sunlight and of course it’s the side where all the old stores are.

Business office buildings are largely on the other side of Broad the sunny side probably because who wants to shop in the hot summer sun??

The onset of the malls in the late 70s destroyed downtown Augusta business and forced the closure of the Miller in 1980s.

Currently under new ownership of Peter Knox it is slated to reopen fully restored in 2017 as the new home of the Augusta Symphony.

As kids we went to see Disney movies, Beatle movies, and the umpteenth screening of Gone with the Wind here. I distinctly remember watching Swiss Family Robinson and 101 Dalmatians here.

Colors used. Ted Nuttalls colors and sodalite. Really like the way the sodalite granulated on the front of the grey stucco building. I also used a white and a light yellow caran d’ache watercolor crayon and a white gel pen for the lights.

Anyway. Thanks for checking by.

Margaret xxx

Day 712 – so it continues.

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016Leave a comment

Not done yet.

I drew Donna and Ann as they discussed Donnas abstracr. The conversation went on for quite a while giving me plenty of time to draw them.

Another sketch of Dinna done during lectures. The shadow under her eye got a little dark.

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 641 PCM and the t shirt

April 4, 2016April 4, 2016Leave a comment

Really loving this sketch of PonceCity Market Szechuan Restaurant. Love the dragon. Strathmore 500 watercolor paper carbon platinum black ink in carbon fine tip pen.

Repainting the tshirt sketch as promised. Hope to deliver it Tuesday to Rhineharts.
Letting the ink dry so no smears on it. Ink smears are so annoying and so unpredictable. A kin to letting paint dry!!!
I usually don’t use pencil but since it’s a redo of the original sketch which has a split page from the sketchbook it’s a necessity if the restaurant is to have it.

The sketchbook.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx

Day?! Rhineharts

March 31, 2016Leave a comment

Sold a painting to Rhineharts that will be on their Masters Week shirt. How exciting is that. I know stacks will be sold that week.
The shirt pocket

I sat out front of Rhineharts waiting for my high school friends Peggy and Karen. We are all excited to be on the shirt!!
Yesterday I got in Charles Reid’s class at Cheap Joes. It fills the instant its released. My friend Mike and I got one of the 16 places. Now to contain our excitement til May 2017!!!😳😃
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx

Day 635 Ponce City Part two or three?!

March 28, 2016Leave a comment

Szechuan Restaurant and Bar
I had a perfect seat to have another go at this dragon. I think I did a better job at the perspective this time.

While there is a lot I like about this the perspective on that bar is wild and I still think the people look like the walking dead.

A nervy young couple say not two feet from me between the restaurant and me blocking my view. First time that has ever happened.

I kept craning my head to look around them as I drew. They never noticed nor did they notice when I took this picture of them.
I really should turn them into a large painting similar to the one I am working on now.

Waiting at Waffle House which no loner looks like this. Who could resist those crosses arms and those faces?!

Ponce City Market looking toward the Beltline stairs. No walking dead in this sketch.

Taped down and reading to watercolor.

The Cuban restaurant LL Superpan.

All three Ponce City Restaurants are drawn with the very fine tip pilot pen with Carbon Platinum Black ink on Strathmore 500 watercolor paper which is lovely paper. I can’t wait to use it. Takes the color so well.

A tea towel from French Silver Shop. Sooner or later I will buy some. I just can’t pick which one.

Ohhhhh

Ahhhhhhhh

We were “hangry” from all the oohing and ahing, the walking, the two hour drive, the packing, the loading of the car. Which restaurant would we choose?? There were so many.

Marakeesh Mediterranean Market North Africa East of Atlanta

We decided that though the hamburgers smelled oh so delicious wafting thru the air we were not doing burgers. So many restaurants how did we choose?!

We got food from Marakeesh Market because there was a small line and well it was just exotic to eat Moroccan food.

The potato stuffed burekas,tahini, Israeli pickles and Israeli salad which looks just like feggous – a Morrocan tomato and cucumber salad except for added radish sticks were all just simply delicious. I can’t decide which item I liked best. Best pickles ever. Perfect iced tea.

Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx

Day 629 – Henry Time

March 22, 2016March 22, 20162 Comments

This weekend my sister Jan and I tagged teamed my sweet grandchildren Henry and Livia. Henry slowed down enough for me to sketch him watching Care Bears and playing with his cars his gramy bought him at Mc Donald’s and Publixs.

His dad asked me if I bought him a car at Publixs and I said Yes of course he asked for one and a rabbit for his sister and flowers for his mom but we knew daddy didn’t want anything but that ham we cooked!!

They also went to the zoo. When I asked Henry what his favorite part of the zoo was he told me you Gramy. What a kid. Lol.

Last a bit of ink fun with my Kuretake brush pen. I just like the quote. And it’s true. Hard to be perfect.

I got the quote from the strathmore art on line sketchbook Art Ninja Graham Smiths class. Check it out. It’s free. I wish I drew glad as well as he does. Here is his website.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Reasons.

Day 599 The Name is Bond

February 21, 2016Leave a comment

James Bond -6×10″ Arches Carnet de Voyage HOT Press

Lots of fun last night sketching at Wet Paint party at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.

The Vintage Olie models were styling James Bond movie fashion style. Lucky Ruth Pearl and I had a table right next to one of their six pedestals as they rotated around the audience.

I really liked this just as it is EXCEPT all my gooey only fingerprints all over it. Sigh. The light we were drawing in was terrible and my beloved Noodler was leaking as usual. Not conducive to clean drawings.

Misplaced my non leaky Noodler

Konrad. 😱

Background is gouache. Covers those ink prints!!

Wc Used Quin coral , French ochre, cerulean, burnt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine blue.

More urban sketching coming!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 593 – Back to Rouen

February 15, 2016Leave a comment

Somehow I forgot to post this sketch I did of Rue Martainville from the square in front of St Maclou in Rouen.

These half timber frame houses proliferated in the Rouenduring the medieval period. More still remain here than anywhere else in France. The medieval Europeans thought they were more fireproof than timber houses. Hmm?!

Notice how the bottom leans. Oh my!!
Rouen has them in great variety and shape, overhanging streets, leaning crazily. Often doors and windows are totally leaning a kilter on the front of the houses. Nothing is square though we were told they were inside. How is that possible. Je ne sais pas. I don’t know! But I have seen them with my own two eyes. Now you have too.

Lining an alley.
And how is it that these crazy wonky leaning buildings don’t fall down upon our heads. Once again. Je ne sais pas! C’est un miracle.

Surrounding the market place.

Marching toward St. Mclou.

And of course cheek to jowl with St Maclou.
Rouen has street after street lined with these teetering ancient beauties like old women in spikes towering and tilting down the narrow cobbled lanes waiting to tumble down momentarily.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx hot planning maps to make to fill in blanks in my French travel Journals.

Day 583 – Eglise Sainte-Sauveurs

February 5, 2016Leave a comment

In Les Andelys. 10″ x 16″

This was drawn leaning on an old building across the narrow street. Very hard to get a good view. Hard to draw in a floppy sketch book with nowhere to put the book but hey how often do you get a chance to draw a church built in 1198-1202 a very short period for such a huge building.

Because of the short building period it’s very cohesive in its early gothic design unlike most of the churches and cathedrals which took two or three HUNDRED years to build.

This lovely gothic Eglise aka church sits in the heart of the small river town Les Andelys, Richard the Lionhearted’s stronghold on the Seine. A small park or market square sits beside it where the citizens could promenade under the trees and enjoy the weather.

Originally I painted it a little too grey so I perked it up with a very diluted wash of Winsor yellow and hits of Quin gold.

Most of the churches and cathedrals are really not grey but the color of limestone which is yellower. The grime of centuries has turned them grey.

A bit of history. Richard the Lionhearted would not allow the town of Les Andelys to be built til his Chateau Gaillard was built. What the king wants the king gets right?! Another interesting bit of history. Most French churches are topped with a crowing rooster.

More about the church at http://lesandelys.com/church/

Colors used. Winsor yellow background. Stone cerulean French ochre and burnt sienna. Inathrodone blue and burnt umber shadows.  Strathmore 500 mixed media journal, Konrad Noodler, carbon platinum black ink.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 580-One Last Chateau Gaillard

February 2, 2016January 31, 2016Leave a comment

I sat on the corner in Les Andelys watching my cruising companions hiking up the hill from which “many don’t return” according to my new friend Gus’ husband Bob. Gus and Bob have done the Paris to Normandy cruise several times annually.

This painting was done wet on wet and is one of my favorite paintings to date. I felt like I was finally getting Charles Reid!!

Since hill hikes make my asthma go crazy I elected to draw while they hiked. Les Andelys is just a charming tiny village. A cute row of shops. A church dating to 1200! Half timber buildings.

What’s not to love?! And Richard the Lionhearted walked these streets. Fascinating to me with our young American history.