Category: Mixed Media

It’s Saturday

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Well Kinda sorta.

45 min sketch of Macy 15×22″ cold press fluid paper looking like an outtake from an Egon Schiele nude exhibit. His nudes were always stick thin with long bodies.

Is she finished??! No!!! She was 45 min late and I had to get back to Augusta for a hair cut. One MUST not miss your hair appointments ever!!

Hopefully I will get around to finishing her tomorrow in between drawing the eight talking heads testifying this week. 😳😳😳

Margaret trying to resist the urge to binge the crown and then there’s also Night manager by John LeCarre that I finally found on amazon. Ps. I did see the Good Liar with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellan. Hard to go wrong with that combo. Interesting and a twist. Love a twist. Xoxoxox

And the party continues

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Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch wow what a woman!!

I call it a party because my friend Ruth and I discuss our drawings via txt and talk about what’s going on. Always amazing how easy some people are to draw and others forget it.

Beginnings derwent watercolor and inktense pencils. Stillman and birn Alpha.

Adding more layers. Then I dab at it with a wet sable brush. And 8 I think. And if it goes to dark or threatens to run I dab at it with a Kleenex to lift color. Watercolor pencils can get oh so dark in seconds and some colors seem to run like crazy.

Hmm try number two at Adam Schiff head of the Intelligence Committee. Love the sketch but it’s not quite Adam. So will give him another try.

Devin Nunez the opposition. A Better sketch than Schiffs but not as good as the Yovanovitch sketch.

Bytw people are asking me for a book. Who knows. Maybe?! Going to try to draw all the talking heads and the major witnesses.

Oh yeah there are six more of these so far.

If u like this kind of stuff check out parispsalters feed on Instagram. A hoot.

Margaret xoxoxo

Paint flinging

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Calling this post paint flinging because my neighbor Drew and I were both splattering each other with our drippy mess. He kept making it rain on me. So I returned the favor. Dangerous painting near Drew. Rofl.

Went to portrait painting today at USC Aiken. Once again can’t decide if she’s done. Why won’t she tell me what she thinks?! I will say the young lady in the painting loved this watercolor. She’s a art student and got recruited to model at the last minute. Poor thing was grimacing trying to hold the pose. Felt bad for her.

First break- Sketch. 15×22″ Think it’s on cold press fluid paper. Just a piece that was floating around in the pile. 2B pencil

Was off to a slowww start redrawing her head and body more than once. Finally drew her from a photo on my phone.

Next break. We painted for about two hours in total. Raw umber and Andrews Turquoise underpainting. Used a lot of alizarin for shadows. Sometimes with burnt sienna. Also quin gold since she was quite yellow.

Third break Adding more shadows with more burnt sienna and alizarin plus dixozine purple. Blacks and greys are burnt umber and ultramarine blue.

And THE END! She had a large drip under her chin which I wiped off when I got home with a piece of Mr Clean. Gave her her nice young chin back. She has plenty of years before she gets a double chin I hope!!

Margaret packing for Daufuskie island trip. Xoxoxox

House boat living

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Our big joke is that we can afford to live on a house boat in Key West. Would the three of us fit?! Nah but we can dream.

Free docking because they are just anchored out in the Cow Channel between Key West and Stock Island.

And we would sell

My paintings out of a tiny trailer there to pay for it. Well supplement our salaries. Lol. Of course these are so small we would each need our own. And where oh where would Zoe go potty?!!

Also after weathering the possibilities of having the wrath of Dorian on our heads we decided we might like higher drier land than Key West where the highest point is 18 feet!!! 🤪🤪🤪

Stillman and Birn Zeta Lamy Ef and pentel Brush pen lettering

Margaret who no doubt has made a large mess today learning to mix egg tempura from scratch. Will get back to you if this was a good idea or not. In Raleigh for a few more days. Xoxoxox

Eaton Street #2

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For Sale – 9×12″

And there’s one more to come. Thinking it’s easier to paint palms on larger paper. Maybe this will be the Eaton Street series.

Dark sky is cerulean cobalt and a bit of ultramarine splattered with dioxzine purple.

Paper is cold pressed fluid 140#. Dries flat as a flutter no matter how much water you put on it.

Margaret who has to get ready for book club. Xoxoxox

Thank you notes

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I have a sweet friend who is always doing wonderful things for her friends like organizing a Downton Abbey tea party in a wonderful old Victorian Bnb in North Aigusta Rose Hill so I drew Downton Abbey for a thank you note for her. Right now it’s under a heavy book flattening out. I HOPE not that she will care.

Downton Abbey is a lot harder to draw than you would think. It took about an hour to draw and it’s only about 4×6″. For once I actually used a pencil before I inked it.

Painted it in layers. Quin gold with burnt sienna on the left half and layers of burnt sienna dioxzine purple and cerulean on the right side of the building also known as Highclere Castle. The cerulean made great greys on the building and drive.

Pen is an ultra fine uniball on superaquabee paper.

Margaret whose ready for bed. Xoxoxo

Day 2 selfies 😱😱😱

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A total freak out from this angle. Interesting gesso covered paper.

All the odd marks on it are stamps. Some old Tim Holts that I had never used. Coat the paper with gesso and then stamp in it while it’s wet.

More Dr PH Martin hideous watercolor. 18×24″. Rice Paper gessoed to some Cheap canson watercolor paper.

Myrna’s selfie using this technique and stamping dots over it.

A strange surface to paint on. Rather like painting on concrete. Do not use your good sable brushes if u try this technique.

Myrna lots of fun. Her idea of a good show name is The opposite of irony is wrinkly:Faces and Hands. 🤣

Got lost looking at Myrna’s series based on one photo. There are several but this is one. Quite an inspiring lady!!!

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxo

Barred rocks rock

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Did I say I LOVE drawing chickens??? Worth a ride to key west to just draw chickens.

I actually followed the chickens around at the homestead in the great Smokey’s National Park to draw these Barred Rocks. Too much fun.

I used to not like chickens. That’s before I started drawing them in all their infinite variety.

And somebody please tell me why I love to draw anything and everything when I am out of town. Staring at a bulldog lamp that’s saying draw me draw me. I don’t get that at home.

Lamy Ef strathmore 500 wc paper cerulean burnt umber ultramarine quin red quin gold.

Margaret who has to do a self portrait tomorrow. Eeekk. Xoxox

Day 2101 -Something about a dog

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When the family dogs visit my house they love to stare out the front windows lusting after squirrels, other dogs, maybe a quick chomp on a passing neighbors leg as they stroll down the street?! Who knows what they are thinking. But the dogs hold still and just stare making them perfect subjects for a sketch.

This is my nieces dog Scooch a lab chow mix whose recently went over the rainbow bridge. It’s nice to have sketches of him to remember this great dog that traveled the world with their family and watched over the kids as they grew up.

Superaquabee sketchbook Noodlers pen with Deartrementis document brown ink. Tomboy pens.

Margaret off to Atlanta to see the new grandbaby. Xoxoxoxo

Day 2072 The Four Heavenly Kings

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Fell in love with these when I went to the Columbia Museum of Art last time. Today I returned to draw some of the statues and have one last look at the Pollock. It was 8×20’😳. Sadly it was gone but these cuties were still there part of the permanent collection right next to a gorgeous Botticelli. Do you think they would notice if I borrowed one for a while??! Too bad an art museum doesn’t lend art to their visitors like a library lends books.

While I am not a big fan of Renaissance art it’s hard not to appreciate this gorgeous painting which is about 4×5′ or so right next to the Lokapala.

I don’t know why but I just find these two guys charming. I am sure they were not meant to be charming but scary.

Bytw I drew two more figures before these. It was the fourth figure on the right before I started drawing well. I have a sketchbook full of Buddhas and saints now and a couple of Soda City street drawings. Now to get them painted.

I have to say the Columbia Art Museum was a lovely cool respite from the muggy 100 degree day outside at Soda City. You could have told me the queen of England was outside and I would not have left the cool museum.

Bytw the museum is only $5 on Saturday while Soda City is open (9-1pm).

Margaret ready for her cool comfy bed. Xoxoxoxo