Pencils4tea live from Milan Italy

September 2, 2023September 2, 20231 Comment

Miss Marcia 3 min.
Always a lovely look to a watercolor of her.

14 live Sketches in an hour! 😳 @pencils4tea Thanks Ilairia and Kirsty and all of our models. Live on instagram from Italia aka Italy!! Always fun and challenging.

@Drawingisfree on instagram starts up again. More face drawing fun live from Paris for 1 hr at noon EST. Zoom Link in her bio on instagram. Pencils 4 tea will not meet next week. 😭😭😭 I really think these events have improved my sketching and loosened up my watercolors.

Highly recommend trying it. U dont have to share them and they will get better the more times you do it.

Our hostess Ilairia in Milan Italy 6 min.

Used 1 paint brush a 3/8” Princeton dagger brush. My cheap general HB charcoal pencil drawing w watercolors over it instead of pencil.

Ruth in Chattanooga 2 min
my frequent partner in art adventures for the last 12 years.

Wc Colors used DS quin burnt orange and quin rose, Cheap joes(cj) andrews Turquoise, cj yellow ochre, cj burnt umber, cj cerulean, cj cobalt , cj alizarin, and cj hookers green, Lukas Cad Yellow, m graham cobalt and ultramarine watercolors, 5×8” superaquabee sketchbook

Meg McCurtain 2:36 min.
Such a lovely long neck. In my next life I am asking for one!

Rone Prinz 3:45 min
Lovely puffy curly white hair and daisies my fav flower

Raphael 4:39 min
Really should have turned the book sideways to get his hand in. Oh well.

Molly 3:14 min
I finished her up afterwards because i knew three min was not enough to paint her lovely scarf.

Sarah Brunell 1 plus min.
Not enough tine of course. I took a deep breath and drew her. Then painted when we were done.

The weather here is beautiful after Idalia blew by. Sky is as clear as a bell. Cooled off from the brutal 100 degree days to 64 lows and highs of 85. Fabulous weather.

Margaret xoxoxoxo as usual ready to put her feet up!

Day 93! Zoey

August 11, 2023Leave a comment

Day 93! Zoey A sweet selfie! Ready for a party!

Quin rose, quin burnt sienna, ultramarine all the usual skin colors. Quin rose. Cobalt shadows

Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre left background. Other side is cerulean and burnt sienna.

Burnt sienna and ultramarine for the dress. Makes a more vibrant brown than just burnt umber. Ivory black hair, cobalt shadows.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks, Judith @jyportraitchallenge and Zoey @zoeykriegmont

Margaret tared again after painting four portraits today. #Knockingthemout! xoxoxo

Pencils4tea today

August 4, 2023August 4, 2023Leave a comment

A sketchbook throw-down but i drew in all of them today. The 3 annoying sketchbooks. Try juggling 3 books while madly drawing.

Two full sketchbooks. Waiting for amazon to deliver new ones. Will NEVER use three books again. What an aggravation!!

Robin 3:52 min. Another fav
More than ample time for this lovely pose.

Molly not long enough to do this fun pose justice and oh that circle of yellow tape. 🥴

16 live Sketches in an hour! 😳 @pencils4tea Thanks Kirsty and all of our models. Live on instagram from Dundee Scotland!! Always fun and challenging.

My cheap general HB charcoal pencil drawing w watercolors over it instead of pencil. Superaquabee sketchbook

Barbara two min and we were done. I raced off to the dermatologist 😳

Out my back window after two hrs of rain. The egrets are starting to roost. Its August when the big birds show up. On the look out for a woodstork or two. The cormorants will be here soon.

Margaret def tired tonite. Xoxoxo

@Pencils4tea & paper drifts!

August 1, 2023August 1, 20233 Comments

Marcia! A lady with the boxing gloves you never know what people w pose w @pencils4tea which was zoomed live from Dundee, Scotland.

We had 17 poses in the hour. I am surprised I made it through. Was like chasing a lure for an hour. Never quite catching it but yes i will be there next week of i have time. A challenge is thrown. 👍🏻

My friend Ruth. You can follow her @Britpeach on ig one of my two favs.

General Hb charcoal pencil and watercolor in a 6×9 superaquabee. Its almost full. Either going to have to draw smaller OR buy a big stack of them. Lasting abt 2-3 weeks with their 60 pages because u cant paint on the back because of the charcoal. Maybe forced to. Hmm.

Any suggestions???! In the meantime roaring thru paper. Right now i like it in sketchbooks so we aren’t buried under paper drifts.

Hmm too bad I cant draw on a roll of toilet paper. Rofl.

Sleuthing Susanna. Love her big eyes. I took three screen shots of the less than two minute poses and finished later. All 3 were all less than two minutes to draw which left no time to paint. Had to go back later and paint this one, Ruth and Miss Marple aka Anna.

Anna Marple as one of the artists called her. Each person had a theme song from a tv show or a movie. Hers was Miss Marple, my fav Agatha Christie series.

Karen and a yellow rose accompanied by Henry Mancini’s Charade. Maybe she just oeft one of the flower vendors along the Seine?? One of my fav movies-Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant. Her clothes and Paris! Perfection.

Silvia. 2:30 minutes to draw her. Slapping the paint on. Always gives it an immediacy.

Serena love her grey hair piercing blue eyes. The tilt of her head.

Audrey. Theme song Summer Place. Sweet face.

Ellas blue white and red perfect for her Inspector Clouseau theme song. all she needs is a beret.

Out of Africa. Did not catch her name. That purple vase was a trial. Turned out ok. At least i kept the white paper for highlights.

Michelle. You never know what her pose will be. Always something zany. Laurel leaves to go with the Gladiator music??

Lou not Katherine. A great drawing. But darn the wrong name. My friend Ruths high school friend who lives in London. Gone With the Wind theme song.

A nice quiet pose for sketch number 17. Amelie theme.

Time to go paint. Behind on the portrait challenge. Number 100 approaching. Xoxoxoxo Maggie aka Margaret

Day 90 Frank

July 27, 2023Leave a comment

Day 90 Frank

But first. Don’t forget pencils4tea at 1 pm EST. One hour of wild drawing fun. See u there. Well i hope my husbands birthday so off to the grocery store for a few last minute goodies.

The photo
Have long meant to paint Frank but could never slow down long enough to do it. He wasnt in Judiths portrait rotation but just an if u want to paint here he is. I love painting craggy old men w beards.

First layers. Have to stop and remember to take pics. My fav skin tone paint. Daniel Smith Quin burnt orange and quin rose. Ultramarine in the shadows. Beard cerulean, ultramarine and andrews turquoise with bits of ivory black.

Forgot the pics. andrew turquoise in the ceiling. Burnt umber and ultramarine in the eyes w dabs of perlene maroon. Blacks are mixed from ultramarine and burnt umber or quin bunrt orange. Quin burnt orange and burnt umber paneling.

When u think hes done but there are edges to soften and shadows to add.

Then i added the big scary. Ultramarine in the shadows esp on his nose and the ceiling and paneling on the left. Then i declared him done.

I think Frank wanted to be painted. Relatively an easy straight forward paint. i do wish i had used more ultramarine in his shirt. Always looks good in a black shirt.

Drew this last night of my sweet husband w my caran dache neocolor ii.

And this yesterday am. H appy Birthday Dickie.

Have a super day. Margaret off to the races xoxoxoxo

Day 88!!

July 27, 2023July 27, 20235 Comments

Tomorrow at 1EST @Pencils4tea on ig. Free zoom drawing lots of people for an hour.

Our fearless substitute leader Fun zany poses and lots of music. The hour will zip by!

Day 88! #jyportraitchallenge Joyous Stella! Approaching 100 portraits. Never thought I would make it but the goal is in sight now.

My Chinese brush. So useful for stringy bits and plaids

Andrews turquoise and ultramarine for the plaid using my big fat chinese brush splayed so u get lots of small thin points. M Graham perlene marroon for the purples in her face.

Skin is quin burnt orange and quin rose. Andrews turquoise cerulean and ultramarine shadows w dabs perlene marroon. Hair yellow ochre w burnt sienna cerulean and burnt umber a little quin burnt orange.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks! Judith @jyportraitchallenge and Stella @ mrs_booksart

The geese out back enjoying some breakie this am. Evidently watermelon is tasty.

Just for laughs. The unicorn float disappeared from our pool. A unicorn thief?? No our granddaughter who loves them took it home. This pic was sent by her dad with her unicorn collection floating in the float in her pool. Rofl. Who puts stuffed animals in the pool??!??🧐😳

Margaret tahred. Xoxoxo

Day 87 Andrea Eleana

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023Leave a comment

Day 87! #jyportraitchallenge Andrea Eleana @ humana_lince was not wild abt the photo but rather like the painting alot. Thinking Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Almost forgot to take pics added some masking fluid.

Skin is quin burnt orange and quin rose. Andrews turquoise shadows. Hair yellow ochre w burnt sienna cerulean and burnt umber. Leaves sap green, cad yellow, cobalt, ultramarine, cobalt teal and peacock blue.

Opps she needs more quin pink. She is pink everywhere from her rosy cheeks to her shoulder.

Mary Whytes cats paw brush from cityart. 1 1/2” cheap joes golden taklon flat for the background & #4 cheap joes golden taklon and a 3/8” dagger striper from masters touch.

9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Thanks! Judith @jyportraitchallenge and Andrea Eleana @ humana_lince

Margaret who hopes to be watching Oppenheimer. Xoxoxo

Day 86

July 25, 2023Leave a comment

Drawingisfree_org today. 16 portraits in an hour. OH MY. not what someone who doesnt feel well should be doing but then I lade a video of them. U can see lore at my ig feed. @maggieinsc. Chloe our drawing mc did poses mostly lasting less than three minutes. Even the double was three minutes 40. Oh MY. They are usually closer to six. Quite the challenge today. And yes i would do it again!! Lol. Cant wait for next week. Sick woman here in more ways than one. Hahaha.

Day 86! #jyportraitchallenge @sylvester.lifedrawing!! Loved the picture. Couldnt wait to paint him. Did not turn out the way imagined. What happens when u paint when u don’t feel well. Oh well.

The sketch – 9×12” superaquabee sketchbook.

Lots of burnt umber and ultramarine. It will go quite dark. A bit of cobalt blue. Cerulean blue background. Ivory black for hair and bird w a dab of quin burnt orange.

Better. Had to add to the back of his head and his neck.

Thanks! Judith @jyportraitchallenge and @sylvester.lifedrawing!!

I dreamed of a Charles Reid style painting with burnt umber and ultramarine mingling to a lovely dark brown but nope was not to be. beyond me even when i feel well oh well onward and more coughing!!

Drawing is free yesterday!

July 18, 20232 Comments

Indira

@drawingisfree_org yesterday. 1hr of free wild drawing and music fun live on Zoom from Paris. Thanks Chloe and models!

Hope to see you all @pencils4tea at 1 pm EST Thursday Link on her IG feed. Another hour of quickly drawing people.

Watercolor slapped over Charcoal sketches. No time to redo. Just time to flip the page and keep up. Always produced lovely loose work.

Double trouble. Adrian and his son 5 minutes

Chloe our fearless leader. These were all painted w the 3/8”saber brush and a 1”flat Too much of my fresh squeezed quin burnt orange. Oopps. Oddly like it anyway.

Doesn’t do her justice. But like it anyway. too much quin rose. Oh well.

Another nope. Only had a minute fifty to draw her. Eeek

Mary. Hmm what else can i say? 3 minutes 58 swconds

Dave not bad considering all his changing his pose. i drew it once and didn’t change everytime he did. That’s always a formula for failure.

Margaret hanging out with the grandkids. xoxoxo

Yesterdays Pencils4tea

July 14, 2023July 14, 20232 Comments

Yesterday’s @pencils4tea fast sketches. 13 in an hour. So much fun. Can’t wait til mondays @drawing_is_free.org session. Charcoal pencil and watercolor in my superaquabee.

As always the hour flew by @pencils4tea

We memorialized Lesleys freshly broken arm. Ouch

Thanks Kirsty & Jane, it was fun! Live from Engand i think?! Always fun and challenging.

That camera pose oh my! And in three minutes no less. 😵‍💫😂

Live every Th @1 pm EST on Zoom. Free event!! 2-5 minute poses set to music. Lasts abt an hour. Time just flies during the hour.

Loved Mollys pose but I might have to titivate it. Aka make small changed. Hate the smear of quin rose on her cheek.

Four minutes for this. Seriously?! Great pose. Loved her expression.

Really like the Generals charcoal pencil drawing w a shot of watercolors over it.

Liz always turns out so well. Five minutes was too long. Had to squelch my urge go titivate this one.

Used only two brushes a 1 1/2” flat cheap joes golden taklon and a 3/8” dagger striper from masters touch.

Sweet pose and yes sometimes u get cauliflowers. Oh well right?

Some of my fav artists like Don Andrews and Skip Lawrence tend to use alot of flats and oh my gosh they are fast and do the job well. Maggies hair was done in 1 swoosh of the1 1/2” flat.

Jane.
I think a formidable woman. Not that I have ever met her. Shes in England somewhere.

DS quin burnt orange and quin rose, Cheap joes andrews Turquoise, cj yellow ochre, cj burnt umber, cj cerulean, cj cobalt , cj alizarin, and cj hookers green, Lukas Cad Yellow, m graham cobalt and ultramarine watercolors, 5×8” superaquabee sketchbook

Hmm oh well they cant all be perfect right?! Her overalls could use a swoosh of black.

I do love the mix of DS quin burnt orange and with a dab of quin rose for the skin tones. Works on the very pale or people of color like Liz. Add alot of water and u get a light skin tone like on the right of Mikalas face.