Day 346 – Goat time!

June 20, 2015Leave a comment

since taking Sketchbookskool classes online. Highly recommend them!! I have foud that I love to draw animals and people. I could have spent the whole day at the zoo drawing the animals and the people.

This was drawn with my Noodler Creaper Ahab in my spiral bound Stillman and Birn Zeta. A lovely book great paper that dries flat even with a lot of washes. Now if you want a paper that dries very flat this one is for you. I normally use small binders clips to hold my sketchbook paper down as I paint because I have yet to find one that does not curl when you wet it. The most important thing is does it dry flat and I can say YES Stillman and Birn Zeta does. My Stillman and Birn alpha which is much thinner paper does NOT ever dry flat. Most annoying since the Super Delixe Bee does. Both the Alpha and the Bee are the same weight paper. Hmm.

Before splattering.

Back to the goats. The only thing I did different than usual was to splatter the left goat with white gouache using an old toothbrush. Why?! The goat is a kind of roan color peppered with white. Hard to Dow I th watercolor. I could have used masking fluid but this is just a sketch so I opted for splattering. More fun than masking fluid anyway.

That’s it for today. It’s Henry and Livia time in Decatur!!

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret ️xxx

DY 341 Snuggling and Drawing

June 14, 20154 Comments

Zoe loves to snuggle. Drew this while we were watching CBS Sunday morning. Painted it while listening to Super Soul Sunday my two favorite shows. Noodler Creaper Ahab in my Stillman and Birn Alpha. Wish I had bought a zeta. The paper buckles a lot with washes but will flatten out somewhat when the book is closed. Also the paper does not let you live color without some pilling. No book is perfect but S&B tries hard.

Noodler creaper Ahab Carbon Black ink. Greys – Cerulean and Quin Sienna on the blue side darker grey Quin Sienna and Inathridone blue. Red fur Quin Sienna and Burnt umber w touches of Inathradone blue. Letters and border Quin red and cad orange. Background cerulean and Aureolin yellow. Scarf. Hmm all the above colors and mineral purple. Splattered with cerulean.

TIP!! Paint brushes. Thought you might like to see my favorite brushes, my kolinsky Isabeys. I have six now. – 2 4 6 8 and two big mops a 2 and an 8. They are Charles Reids favorite brushes.

If you think your paintings are too tight get a big mop or the biggest paint brush u can afford. Though I want a huge 12 or 14 Isabey they are very pricey but I am happy with my cheap Joes kolinsky Legend which is a 12 for $65.

Fealin Lin loves her Isabey mops. Lucky lady got hers off the reject table at Cheap Joes for $9 instead of the normal $65 ish.

Ink sketch stage.

Used negative space to keep the legs and nose in proportion. That’s looking at the shapes that surround the object like the hole in the coffee cup handle aka the inside shape that Zoe’s legs form almost a square.

Zoe posing.

And doing her favorite thing. Snuggling!! Couldn’t wait to paint this but hated dislodging her. Now she’s annoyed with me and staying in her bed. Sigh.
Fur soresto flea collar regular collar. She is such a princess. She loves to dress up. Newest scarf a triangle of amy butler fabric.

TIP: I love the bit of fur above the scarf. It’s done by painting lightly with grey. Letting it dry and adding more greys and Blues on top letting each layer dry.

The dark grey under the scarf is the Inathridone and Quin Sienna with dabs of mineral Violet added.

Details of furwith cerulean toothbrush splatter.
More fur and scarf details.
Thanks for reading!!

Margaret and Zoe xxx

Day 339 – Sgt. Wyatts Bar B Que

June 12, 2015June 12, 2015Leave a comment

Sgt Wyatts Barbecue is around the corner from one of my kids. I keep thinking we need to stop. It’s so funky and charming it’s been on my to draw list for a while. It’s bright yellow and sags a lot. Smoke billows from the chimney.

I found this photo of the side fence when I was looking for more information about it. I forgot to write on two signs and used artistic license after I found this photo on http://foodio54.com/restaurant/Atlanta-GA/20836/Wyatts-Diner. Evidently the food is really good. It’s moved up my list to try next time I am in East Atlanta. Most of the reviews are great.

The old Chevrolet truck was at Flying Biscuit on Piedmont Ave. I think I need an old Chevy truck. Thought of fit with the funkiness of Sgt Wyatts building so I added it.

Yellow is Aureolin yellow and yellow Ochre, grey my current fav Inathradone blue and burnt umber. Green roof was painted with a viridian green dulled with a burnt sienna.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 337 – More Ponce Market

June 10, 20152 Comments

My favorite side of the old Sears building now known as Ponce Market. Both have problems.

I drew this one first but really had just wanted to feature the tower and the sign. Love that sign. Vintage but brand new.
TIP: Since I didn’t use a pencil or a ruler you might be wondering how i get all those lines parallel and fairly straight. I put the pen on the paper with my hand on the side of the paper and run it down the page with my hand sliding down the edge of the paper. It really does work. Try it.

Colors same as yesterday. Noodler Creaper Ahab loaded with Carbon Platinum Black Ink. Stillman and bIrn Alpha. The color was hard to move on the sky and blotched. That did not make me happy. Oh well. They are done right?!

Thanks for reading!

Margaret xxx

Day 336 – Ponce City Market

June 9, 2015June 9, 20155 Comments

This is the back side of the Ponce City Market from the Binders store parking lot.

It was sketched with my Noodler Creaper Ahab no pencil first. Silly me. Wish I had painted the building farther down. Oops!!!

Sky is cobalt blue brick cad red and vermilion with yellow ochre and a bit of Inathridone to grey it slightly. Black is Inathridone and burnt umber. Letters are cad red and vermilion.

Stay tuned for more drawings of this building on Ponce de Leon in Atlanta. It’s the old Sears building that’s being rehabbed as condos and a market similar to the Pike Market in Seattle. There’s something about the tower on that old building with its flag flying against the blue sky that I never tire of. Add in the signage and its a winner. Best part of it to me is the new Binders store minutes from my kids houses!! Love that store.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 335 – Thirty Days to

June 8, 2015Leave a comment

go till I make a year of daily blogging. On the downhill slide.

A sort of contour drawing of Bear who decided to move in the middle of the drawing. I have drawn him so many times I can get him more or less right even so.

He’s a big brown brindled pitty that somebody dumped. Wisely Bear attached himself to my son Ben two years ago and there he stays. He’s really a very laid back relaxed dog who would rather be petted than ever chew on you. He was fun to journal about with my Noodler Creaper Ahab in Carbon Platinum Black ink.

Once again he was painted with Quin burnt sienna and ultramarine blue, Inathridone blue and burnt umber was added for the stripes and shadows.

The background started as a dirty grey cerulean. I stood the sketch book at a 90 degree angle and let bits of Quin burnt sienna, yellow ochre, Inathridone blue for the drops and splats.

I thought about painting the background another blue layer to even put the color but decided I liked it as is and left it alone.

Here’s the whole double page spread. I thought you would like to see it.

I am going to enter it in a win a free pen and ink contest on Instagram. They like to know what the pen and ink is in writing plus a photo of the pen. The white page looked so plain I quickly wrote one of my favorite dog quotes and painted the leftpage to match the right page.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 332 – Those Darn Squirrels

June 5, 2015Leave a comment

On our day trip to Columbia SC Tuesday we stopped by City Art which is carries all the supplies for both Charels Reid and Mary White then we went to Nonnahs and last Mast General on Main Street ended we found this super SQUIRREL PROOF bird feeder.

Mast General Store an old fashioned general store on Main St. The original is in Valle Crucis near Boone NC.

The squirrels are gluttons for bird seed gobbling voraciously. This bird feeder is actually squirrel proof. They are now entertaining us trying to figure out how to get into it. The top locks on and the bar across the front licks the seed up when the weight of the squirrels sets it. LOVE it. They don’t. They are actually hanging out on the porch rails staring at it with occasional attach forays and leave soon after. Very entertaining to watch their consternation over the shut off food supply. And of course they sit there staring making them easy subjects to draw.

Colors used. Inked with my Noodler creaper Ahab loaded with platinum carbon black my go to ink. Greys cerulean and burnt sienna or Inathridone and Burnt umber for darker greys on squirrels. All done wet on wet. Bird feeder is vermilion and cad red medium. Same greys were used on the roof. Background is cerulean toothbrush splattered with Inathridone blue.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 331 -Tom Cat

June 4, 20152 Comments

and painting greys.

Tom spent a long time on the sofa grooming today. You have to wonder why cats do that. He’s always immaculate.

He’s drawn and lettered with my Noodler Creaper Ahab. I painted Tom with a wash of orange and then laid in Quin burnt sienna for the stripes and to warm up the orange. The Quin burnt sienna was added when he was wet and when he was dry. He’s really almost red in some light. A dark auburn. Darks are done with burnt umber and Inathridone blue.

Greys. Watercolor makes lovely greys. Combine any blue with any brown or yellow ochre and you can get a wide variety of interesting greys.

Here are a few I made that way.

Sometimes you end up with too much brown in the grey. Better to end up with too much blue!! You can darken the grey by using less water.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 330 – urban sketching?

June 3, 20158 Comments

is sketching a friend at breakfast at a local restaurant considered urban sketching?!

Lowered the left eyebrow. It was too high. Still a bit too high but better.

Doesn’t look a bit like Marsha. She kept moving. So I am blaming her for the poor likeness.

I did have a good time dripping and splattering the painting and that’s what counts right?!

Really like the hair. It was washed with burnt sienna and the darkened with tiny bits of cobalt, burnt umber, mineral Violet and Inathridone blue after the initial wash dried. Fun stuff.

Colors used: Quin coral and ochre for skin, vermilion, mineral purple and cobalt, Inathridone blue for blouse, mineral purple and burnt sienna for shadows. Hair is burnt sienna, cobalt, burnt umber and Inathridone blue.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 329 – Urban Sketching

June 2, 2015Leave a comment

in Columbia at Nonnahs on Gervais.

The view of the restaurant from our table. Delicious awesome from scratch biscuits made with the famous SC flour Adluh and great chicken salad on a bed of mixed greens with artichoke hearts and lots of iced tea. Deliciousness.