And like that it was over

March 3, 20233 Comments

Loved Judge Newman. What a great even keel kind of guy. My fav sketch today too. Funny story. I didnt notice he had a beard and mustache til i was almost done because i was so intent on drawing him. His hair. Well he had alot less til they read the verdict and i said wait he has alot more hair. Then i added it.

The prosecutor Waters did an awesome summation. His side kick today was even better. Well done to all the prosecution team. We didn’t think it would go their way but it did. Guilty!!!

And this guy what can i say but he was B O R I N G today. No wonder they lost.

Guilty. Hope he enjoys the rest of his life in the SC jails. More than his wife and son got.

Watercolor and inktense pencils superaquabee book. Each drawing is about 6×9”.

Margaret xoxoxo

Morning scribbles

January 20, 2023Leave a comment

To say my sketchbook habit has fallen off would be an understatement. Been working on this stillman and birn alpha sketchbook for a year. Oops. Mostly these are birds and 2 cats on the back porch done with a uniball that I smear w a damp finger.

Daisy the cat was done with grey tombow. She loves to sit in the window and stare in at us in the den. Sooty the black male being solitary like he’s prone to be and yes he’s fixed. All our outdoor cats are.

Out back last night. It went from a nothing to this in about a minute last nite. Then it fizzled out just as quickly. Sunsets are so fleeting.

And yes the kitties still think they are starving ever morning.

Margaret show has to get busy drawing for Watercolor Live today. xoxoxox

Online Live modeling session

May 23, 2022May 26, 2022Leave a comment

Crystal was awesome. She’s a rock steady model holding the pose for long periods of time without moving and her poses are always fascinating. Her costumes which she makes are always phenomenal.

We started off with five minute poses then two minute and up to forty for the long fairy pose.
You can follow her at @crystallinecreative on Instagram.

*10 min pose with pentel ink brush pen, watercolor in my favorite super aquabee sketchbook.*

Crystal is a super model. Been drawing her off and on for a while since going to the Atlanta Artist Center where she also models. Now She’s doing online modeling sessions via Townsend Atelier about once a month on Monday at 5 EST. You can contact them at mailto:peggy@townsendatelier.com. They have a phenomenal range of classes.

Well chop her head off. Another two minute. Love the body but that neck is toooooo long. Lol.

10 min u really should fix her left eye. Will eye. Probably not. Lol.

Another ten minute but I went back in later and touched it up. Looked lame because it was done in pencil and needed more paint.

The Fairy is painted on a half sheet of Fabriano hot press. 15×22. It was nearby when I decided the long pose was too interesting for my smaller aquabee. Drawn in pencil painted with my Mary Whyte colors palette.

*Screenshot from the online zoom session.*

One advantage to doing a zoom session is that you can capture her pose with a screen shot.

Handy if you want to tweak your sketches. Doesn’t matter if there’s not enough detail because you really don’t want to get bogged down with the details.

The camera was down near her feet so there was a lot of odd foreshortening. She really doesn’t have big feet except from that angle. Lol.

Margaret who needs to get busy xoxoxo

Gone fishing

May 17, 2022Leave a comment

Me fishing. Incredible but it happened today. Actually I was painting in my Hahnemuhle journal while my dh fished. Of course the fish started hitting less than five minutes after he threw out his live bait. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

I can see this one needs work after looking at it just now.

The weather was perfect behind Clarke’s Hill Dam or floating lazily on the river under a turquoise umbrella fishing.

He caught four like this. Two were big enough to keep. The other two were slightly smaller. This one is over 28 inches long a big boy!!

Maggie having a relaxing Sunday after WordPress tried to eat this post. Xoxoxox

Update

April 23, 2022April 24, 2022Leave a comment

Calling Teri done now. I lifted highlights on her arm and face. Also added quite a few darks along her tummy and her hand and here and there. most importantly I gave her her middle finger. No idea why I didn’t paint it in yesterday since I did the other four. I also shortened her thumb. It was far too long.

Played with her a lot. Added a dark juicy background. Slung some paint at her with my Scroobys Loose Goose from Cheap Joes. Might try some paint rolling too with it. Too bad she’s really a very light blonde.

Might have too many hard edges. Will see what my fav two critics say.

Portrait Society of America is currently meeting in Atlanta and running live streams on their Facebook page. The paint out TH a nite was awesome. 12 portrait painters painting four models live. Here’s the link.

Also a link to last years winners here. Tonite we think they will live stream this years winners.

My sweet Weenie. She’s decided she’s an in and out cat. Mostly out but…. Dashes thru the house for a snack and back out.

Where’s my glass of wine? Kicking myself for not going. Darn it.

Margaret xoxoxo

Life modeling Finally

April 18, 2022Leave a comment

We had a super model Christine. She held the pose like a rock never moving. Hurrah. And always reset after breaks. Something rarely done by models.

Lots of gesture drawings each 2-5 minutes. Her poses were challenging and interesting. Charcoal on newsprint.

Down in about an hour and a half. 16×20 ish. So I lost the blonde hair. Oops and I made her a little too fat but oh well it was just great to be back drawing. Also went a little grey.

First session. I was determined to draw her in the first 20-25 minute session. And I did hurrah!!! She still needs some work but she may just get tossed in the pile of nudes.

Fluid 140# paper M Graham watercolor

Made a quick trip downtown to the Aiken Center for the Arts. Nice fiber art show from the upstate. And that’s a wrap folks.

Margaret xoxoxo

Mary Whyte and Mom’s 96th Birthday

January 29, 2022January 30, 20222 Comments

Well the time has come to take a class from the famous Mary Whyte. Off to St Simons next week via Dick Blick class in Savannah to spend my gift certificates. You know I “need “ something. Right?

Best part will be hanging out with my friend Karen Schaaf who I haven’t seen since before covid. Karen recently got her NWS signature and will be in the next issue of Splash 22. We can say we knew her when. Met her at Cheap Joes taking a class from the late great Charles Reid. I think I have almost every book he wrote.

I painted this of my mom who turned 96 last Monday a couple of years ago. I call it
“I Told Her to Smile” because I did and she didn’t. Painted on Fabriano 300# hot press. 11×15”

Thinking about repainting it since it looks off to me now. Nose too long and the mouth twitched to the side. And what’s with the light streak across her chin. Bytw mom did NOT like this painting. Never pout mom, never pout.

This is the photo the painting is based on taken on her 90th birthday. A friend said she was concentrating. Maybe so.

Maniacally sewed this baby quilt for my nephew and his wife’s new baby Mary Rose. She is named Miryam after her mothers aunt who died in the Holocaust. And another who survived it.

The back. Kind of wish I had put the yellow print on the front. Oh well. It’s off in the mail hopefully to greet the baby when she comes home this week.

It has the baby’s name in one corner heart her parents in another, her dob in the third and place of birth in the last one.

Really got to finish this. An old 60s VW abandoned in a car port in Athens Ga across the street from my brothers house. And then take it down town to Art on Broad with my other vehicle paintings for Kristin to sell. Maybe a few prints?! Could be an excuse to buy a new printer!!?

Baking bread. One loaf going to a friend for her birthday instead of a cake. We went to see Kingsmen and I treated her to popcorn and a drink since we aren’t eating out right now. We loved it even though the critics didn’t. Kept us in the edge of our seated the whole time.

Bytw NOBODY is at the movies so quite safe. We had the theater to ourselves. Well the top half. A couple that came in after us sat way down in front. Socially distancing! Yeah!!

Slicing my load up to freeze it. Reheats so well as toast or nuke ten min in the microwave. Taste fresh from the oven!! Also tasty as a sandwich.

My favorite red socks. Wore a hole in my other pair. It’s a free pattern from hedgehogfibers.com. It’s called Sprouting. I have probably made a dozen pairs of this sock. This is my second red pair. Wore the heels out of the first which were Malabrigo no poly. These are Madeline Tosh sock. Wears like cast iron. I also have to them in gold, two grey pairs, and turquoise.

A blue heron we saw on our walk. Fishing in the rice paddy where I live. This used to be a river plantation 200 years or so ago. Silly bird thought he was invisible and didn’t budge as I walked toward him. Finally I flapped my arms at him and he took off.

Bytw it’s quite dangerous to get near one of these birds or an egret. They can stab you with their beaks according to the SC Wildlife Department.

My current snuggle quilt. Where are my knitting needles. One more pair of socks almost done.

Margaret under her quilt on the sofa who really needs to pack for her Mary Whyte class next week but heck I can do that tomorrow right?! Xoxoxo

Inktober – 24 Down

October 24, 2021October 24, 2021Leave a comment

Seven to go. Used three pens. Lamy Ef or a micro uniball and sometimes a white pentel gel pen.

Here’s the star. She’s run me off the sofa except for the corner of one cushion. She needs the rest today.

If at first you don’t success try try again.

So I succumbed to too much white pentel gel pen. Might have been a good one otherwise.

The best one so far I think. Drawn w a micro uniball.

Kicking back. She rarely lies on her back.

Out my windows this am!! Love the light hitting the mist.

Margaret excited I have made it this far in inktober. Xoxoxo

Strawberry Time

May 16, 2021May 16, 2021Leave a comment

So good. It’s terrible to have a fresh strawberry stand less than two miles from my house. And lots of other good fresh veggies like corn -delicious- and fresh local spinach and lettuce to name a few.
Most beautiful fresh onions I have ever seen complete with tops. Pulled that morning.

I left the house with $20 in cash in my pocket. by the time I went to pay for my items it was gone. No check and they do not take credit cards which I had plenty of.

A very kind man paid for mine when I told the lady I would run back to the house and find it or a check. Wow!! Thanks mystery man. His story is the pencil writing in the background. Had to commemorate the event.

Anyway Stillman and Birn Epsilon or hmm is it a Beta? heavy paper compared to the Alpha that I usually use. Uniball micro pen. American Journey watercolors.

Margaret xoxoxoxo

Tinkering

May 7, 2021May 19, 2021Leave a comment

And calling it done. Of course I haven’t signed it so I might tinker some more. Who knows. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

I added some more darks. The shadows on the top right of the building- the third story?! Under the roof line and the left side of it. I also added some darks to all the windows and the thing that looks like a garage door.