Day 581 – Erica

February 3, 20162 Comments

Erica Acrylic 20x 30?

This is one of the best paintings I have done at life drawing on Saturday. I actually listened to what Al Beyers been telling me and spent a lot of time doing the blocking in of the figure. Trying to get the proportions right.

Still need to adjust her right breast but otherwise I think she’s done.

Beginning to block on with nickel Azo gold.

Some negative painting to correct my lines.

Beginning to paint.

Tip- Most of this was done with larger hog bristle brushes. Smallest one was half an inch which makes it impossible to get fussy with the painting.

The word chin on right is to remind me to correct her chin after break. What’s up with it?! OOPS!!!

Only thing left to do is that too long shadow under her right breast.

Here she is with the shadow fixed.

Colors used – nickel Azo gold, pyrrole red, white, cobalt, burnt umber.

Remember use large brushes!!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 574 Place de la Concorde

January 27, 2016Leave a comment

The perfect ending to a gorgeous fall day exploring Paris, the Louvre and the Orangerie. Sitting with my feet propped on a bench overlooking the place de la Concorde Parisians swirling around us walking dogs and enjoying the late afternoon sun I had to draw the scene in front of me.

The tall ornate fantastical gold leafed street lights all by themselves were amazing. Nothing like that in Georgia or South Carolina. Add in fountains and statues and obelisks, the hustle and bustle of city life. Time to draw!

Madame guillotine who used to reign over the Concorde has been replaced with beautiful fountains statues the obelisk and the fantastic lamppost on the left. The Concorde is so vast that the cars and bus near the fountain were tiny. It’s truly an enormous vast open space near the Louvre.

The obelisk is one that Napoleon brought back from Eygpt on his conquests.

Can you find the Jack Russell in the sketch? Who knew they were all ver Paris. Such an English dog for a Parisian to own. I even met one in Rouen walking his mistress one early morning.

Colors used winsor yellow and Quin gold, Andrews turquoise from cheap joes, Holbein marine blue and the usual suspects. Quin red orange, burnt umber and sienna. Inathrodone, Quin magenta Quin coral Inathrodone Quin magenta.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to paint. Xxx

Day 574 Place de la Concorde

January 27, 20162 Comments

The obelisk is one that Napoleon brought back from Eygpt on his conquests.

Can you find the Jack Russell in the sketch? Who knew they were all ver Paris. Such an English dog for a Parisian to own. I even met one in Rouen walking his mistress one early morning.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to paint. Xxx

Day 564 A -Ilenia part deux

January 17, 2016Leave a comment

Uses a one inch and an one and a half inch hog bristle to lighten the offending darks. I also added white and cobalt blue to the background using sheer layers. Lightened a lot of the face shadows with a watered white.

No beards on Ilenia!!

Of course I lightened the background w a dry white and cobalt blue. It helps soften some of her edges. Probably could do more but I am leaving her alone for now.

Thanks for checking in!!

Margaret who is off to knit and contemplate another painting. Xxx

Day 564 – Ilenia time!

January 17, 2016January 17, 2016Leave a comment

After forty minutes work. Other than her eyes were a little close together I think I like this one better than the more finished product. Like the immediacy and the brush strokes – the looseness of it.

This was painted with three colors. Goldens Nickel ago gold, alizarin Crimson and titanium white. I did add ultramarine and burnt umber to the hair.

Here she is now. Looking a little too old and what’s with the stripe on her tummy!? And the neck. An old lady chicken neck. Not good on a thirty year old. Too many hard edges.

That’s ALL got to go. No more small brushes! If it’s not a big hog bristle I can’t use it. Lol.
Back to the easel!!

Repost her when she gets better!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 561 – Rouen returns?! Changes!!

January 15, 20162 Comments

Final for the moment – Place du Vieux Marché – the Old Market Place in Rouen

Can’t remember if I posted this since I have painted on it for a couple of days which is why I am calling this Changes. See if you can find the changes. I know I posted it on Instagram but not sure about my blog.

Earlier this evening

This is the the market place where Julia Child first tried French cooking in one of those buildings in the background. It’s also the place where Joan of Arc was burned and the large grey roof is the church dedicated to her in the middle of the market place. Rouen is also the capital of Normandy and forty miles or so from the coast or La Manche – the Sleeve – as the French call the English Channel.

About three pm
The customers were sketched in as the drifted by doing their shopping. A lot of them had dogs or small children. It was a holiday – Armistice Day which is a big deal in France still.

Yesterday!!

This was the original. Some of the figures and the trees did not stand out. So I spent the next day off and on brightening or darkening the surroundings to make the painting pop more. I used my camera a lot taking photos of it to see if something else was needed.

Too tired to post the colors. Maybe tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 558 – Which do you like?

January 11, 20162 Comments

Background 1

I spent most of yesterday repainting the Ilenia’s background. This is the current background and my favorite so far. I also did a lot of work on the bottom background adding alizarin here and there to tie it to the background. Trying to loose some edges and get rid of the pasted on look of the figure bits of the purpley dark was added to her hair to blend it into the background. I had to completely paint out the blue background 2 with titanium white to get rid of the blue and paint the background as it is in the first picture.

The background colors are burnt umber, alizarin and ultramarine blue. I also added touches of burnt sienna and yellow ochre. It always seems that I scumble backgrounds a lot. And of course some of it was just painted with a sable paint brush which gives a smoother finish than the hog bristle that I used for scumbling.

Background 2

I thought I would like this color better than I did. It’s cerulean, nickel azo and titanium painted over background 3 which is really the first background I tried out and another I usually like. I thought it was too over powering.

Background 3

Burnt umber and ultramarine blue with some nickel azo over brushed or scumbled over the darker colors.

TIP: if you get tired of getting up and walking back from your painting to look at it you cab use your home.

Here are a few other versions of background 1.

So my question dear readers is WHICH do you like? As I said so far background 1 is my favorite.

Thanks for reading!

Margaret who is off to class to make great art tomorrow. Xxx

Day 557 – Saturday Life Modeling

January 10, 2016Leave a comment

Ilenia after about an hour and a half of painting. Acrylic 30×36 hardboard panel

Always a fun weekly event.

I thought she was going well for working in the dark. For some brilliant reason I had my easel turned AWAY from the light. Maybe because we breeze in right before start time. Hopefully next time I will set it up right.

Obvious problem was the bottom leg was too long. Her knee sticks out to far. I think that was due to slight shifts in the pose during breaks. Hard to resume the exact pose every time.

Here she is now. Knee shortened. Top hip lengthened a bit on the left. All that foreshortening is such a pain.

The background needs more work. The brown is too dark and those triangles at her feet need to go! 😳

Hard to paint such a big piece in a few hours. I think I have about five hours in it now. Dos I say I use big brushes.

Ilenia by Al Beyer – oil – at least 3×4′

This is Al Beyer’s aka painting. He was painting a few feet to my left. Always interesting to see how he goes about painting the model.

And how different the model looks just a few feet to my right or left. Al to my left barely saw her head.

Lee drawing on my right had her full profile whereas I barely saw her nose.

Als after two hour session which is really an hour and a half or so.
Colors used: all golden or liquitex -titanium white, nickel Azo gold, pyrrole red, cad yellow, ultramarine blue, burnt umber, alizarin Crimson. I buy artist grade but whichever is cheaper or the color I like better.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 554 – La Bouef Sur la Toit

January 7, 2016Leave a comment

A slick restaurant around the corner from our hotel. It means Beed on the Roof. Delicious food. Glad I finally got this one painted.

I used lots of Quin gold, also Quin sienna and Phthalo blue. Quin coral. Grey hair is burnt sienna and cerulean.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 536 – Saturday in Aiken

December 19, 2015Leave a comment

Life modeling today at USC Aiken

The lovely Ilenia was our model. Great pose- The thinker!! Acrylic on illo board.

Felt good to be painting and hanging out with other artists today.

After first forty minutes – legs are too long!!

Lots of good natured banter and holiday cheer today. The pound cake that I took was devoured. Just a few pieces left for Al our esteemed leader who was off celebrating his daughters marriage.

After I got home I gave her a good look as I sat eating a sandwich. Her chin was jutting out to far. The arm under her chin was too straight. Nose too long.
More shadows in the foreground. Cerulean blue shadows in the drape.

Making progress. How she looks at present!! I think I need a nap now. Going to let Ilenia lean on the mantel and tell me if she’s done or not. She will know. Then I will know.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret who has presents to wrap and a sweater to finish knitting. Xxx