Shhh. Don’t tell the teachers.

March 11, 2020Leave a comment

Done I think but I have been known to be wrong. I actually measured her eyes dropping verticals and horizontals with a long ruler. Something I never do. Shhh. Don’t tell the teachers.

I also softened the right edge of her face using a nylon round. Tough brush. Scrub scrub scrub and it keeps its point. You could have cut an apple with that razor sharp edge.

Oh I softened her top lip. Why you say?! Keeps it from looking cut and pasted. if you don’t soften the edge of the upper lip it looks cut and pasted on.

She doesn’t look quite so much like she would eat you for dinner. All that softening of edges helped with the ferocious look.

Saturday. Eeek. Tilted eye and nasty background that doesn’t coordinate on both sides.

Back to that right annoying eye. Actually used some white gouache mixed with a dab of quin gold to pick out the highlights.

Oh and those three dots on her eyelashes – all gouache mixed with quin gold!!

Margaret watching the election returns. Xoxoxo

Lifting a straight line

March 6, 2020Leave a comment

The easy way. The bar behind her was lifted by tapping it off and lifting with a swipe of a Mr Clean. The blue grey background was perfect for leaving a steel colored bar.

Oh and I added a bit of ultramarine and burnt umber along the bottom edge of her foreword leg.

Tossing her in the done pile.

Before

Margaret wondering how fast the wind is blowing on this cold blustery day.

Joya Steps up

March 6, 2020Leave a comment

Edited with Waterlogue

Our model was late so Joya nimbly volunteered to model for our gesture sketch session.

The one minute poses. We tried to get her to pole dance but she said NOPE!!

More 1 min poses. She really did some interesting poses.

Three minute poses. We all loved drawing someone with clothes on. Especially the folds and wrinkles in them.

Five minute. I gave my sheaf of drawings to our model Joya. She quipped if I had known you were going to do that I would have given you( aka me) real paper(aka not newsprint).

Charcoal pencil.

Another one dumped into Waterlogue. Such athleticism!! The best she could do in the pole dancing category. 🤗

Margaret giggling at Young Sheldon. Xoxoxo

Neither rain nor sleet nor hail

March 4, 2020Leave a comment

will keep us from gathering at USC Aiken to paint. The weather predicted today was terrible (tornadoes and torrential rain) but we soldiered on.

First break. An all over wash of quin gold some burnt sienna alizarin a touch of mineral violet.

Coming along more of the same colors.

When I left Aiken

Now. I keep losing the edge across her arm and thigh where the drippy background meets the body but really liking the background. I can lift the burnt umber off the skin.

I also lifted her shoulder about 1/2″ to make her body more in proportion with her head which is a touch too big.

Added some more darks to her face especially around the eyes and the chin.

Really like the background which is a combo of all the colors used plus cobalt. Nice swirly look made mostly by splattering wet on wet.

Will post her again after I lift the spillover on her body. Have to let it dry first.

Highlights mostly lifted out now.

My favorite bit. Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre stripes. Or was it burnt sienna

Margaret watching the Super Tuesday returns. Xoxoxo

Life modeling at USC Aiken

February 27, 2020Leave a comment

After my Saturday disaster I really didn’t want to make the drive to Aiken but I got a nice painting so am glad I did.

First break. Funny how washed out she looks.

So how did I paint her?? The big question I got yesterday.

Most of the painting was done with a two inch flat black velvet. Finishing with my 10 Charles Reid da Vinci.

First up a wash of quin gold all over her. It just gives a nice glow to African Americans.

Then I judiciously started adding burnt sienna and burnt umber for shadows. A swish of cad orange on highlights on her back. Piling on Andrews turquoise as well as a small dab of ultramarine toward the end for shadows and cad red light on the highlights – ears, the tip of the nose and on the elbow.

The hair is burnt umber and ultramarine. Not sure why I left the divot on top of her head but will fix that sooner or later.

The cloth she is sitting on is burnt sienna and cad red light.

Margaret relieved she can still draw after Saturday.

Spent quite a while

February 20, 2020Leave a comment

messing around with the background. Adding layers and letting them dry adding more layers. Splattering. Wiping out the splatters and on and on.

I also tried to emphasize the top to distract from the right foot. Now she’s going to sit around a while and tell me if she’s done. Maybe ?!

Background is Andrews turquoise alizarin yellow ochre and mineral violet. Oh and a smidge of cobalt. Layers and layers and layers – all watery and transparent.

This is an art quilt I did a few years ago. Hmm 12 years or so ago! 😳

And here’s a close up. All fabric and thread painting except the drawing which is oil pastel. Thread painting is done by using thread on a machine like a colored pencil. Lots and lots of stitches.

Margaret on the second foot of a pair of snarky red socks. Temps going down so want to finish it ASAP to wear. Nite nite. Xoxoxoxo

Its Saturday

February 15, 2020Leave a comment

Aslyn So far. 15×22″ cold press Fluid

Needs a background which will set off the face and right shoulder. Maybe a dark blue?!

Annoyed I didn’t draw her 1/2″ to the right so I could have gotten her whole right foot in.

The drawing at forty minutes.

Second break.

An hour and a half of painting.

Colors used. Quin gold raw sienna cad red light burnt sienna Andrews turquoise. Alizarin burnt sienna and mineral violet for shadows. Hair burnt umber and ultramarine

Charcoal Coach Larry

Al Beyer oil. Funny story. I thought he was painting a skeleton at first glance. All the stripes in the blanket. Duh.

Acrylic Drew Murphy

Fredlianis mondrian. 🤗

Eve!😳🤗

Bill oil on metal panel

Margaret whose going to stare at Ashlyn a while til she tells me how to finish her. Aka tired from a very busy 24 hours. 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.

I have refilled a few like cerulean and added a few Daniel Smith quinacridones but the set marches on.

Darkened Ilaina’s left eye

Added a few shadows to her hand.

Pronouncing her D O N E!!

Margaret xoxoxo

Tuesday

February 5, 20202 Comments

Did I say exhausting?

Nothing like a sixty mile drive to paint and hanging out with friends to make you Tahred. 🤣But I managed to nap after the tenth correction after I got home anyway.

I thought the pose would kill me drawing it. Arms and legs going every which way. And that hand and foreshortened arm on the right. Eeekk.

I drew that arm and hand over and over again til I finally figured out you can’t see her forearm duh.

But maybe this is how she looked when I left?! Her face was squinchy but like the body.

And what about that neck. Groan.

The things you don’t notice in an hour or so of painting.

So here she is now. As Mike pointed out her eyes were NOT right. Too close together. So I fixed that. I also lightened her chin and widened her weird neck that I had given her.

Added a few shadows and called it quits. Well till I decide more Ilaina torture after I stare at it for a while.