Day 579 – More Chateau Gaillard

February 2, 2016January 31, 20162 Comments

I did say I drew Chateau Gaillard a lot! This was my first attempt and the same view as yesterday post.

I seriously ran out of room before I could get the whole town in at the base. Just rooves looked odd so guess what’s under the accounting ledger?! You got it!! The bit of town I drew before I turned the page and started over.

This turned into a fun opportunity to do a bit journaling, mixed media and add some stamps.

I chose this quote because Richard was the quintessential adventurer traveling from France to the Holy Lands, got kidnapped and ransomed, hung out with Robin Hood, battled the wicked King John and his lackeys. Now that’s a life spent in adventure. He even took on his father the original tough King Henry II to usurp the throne.

Colors – the same as yesterday’s.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to class in Aiken. Xxx

Day 580-One Last Chateau Gaillard

February 2, 2016January 31, 2016Leave a comment

I sat on the corner in Les Andelys watching my cruising companions hiking up the hill from which “many don’t return” according to my new friend Gus’ husband Bob. Gus and Bob have done the Paris to Normandy cruise several times annually.

This painting was done wet on wet and is one of my favorite paintings to date. I felt like I was finally getting Charles Reid!!

Since hill hikes make my asthma go crazy I elected to draw while they hiked. Les Andelys is just a charming tiny village. A cute row of shops. A church dating to 1200! Half timber buildings.

What’s not to love?! And Richard the Lionhearted walked these streets. Fascinating to me with our young American history.

Once again same colors.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 578 – Chateau Gaillard

January 31, 2016February 5, 2016Leave a comment

I drew Chateau Gaillard several times while we were in Les Andelys. It sits high above the Seine Valley dominating the river and the quintessential French village at its base.

Richard the Lionhearted built it to control access to Normandy via the Seine around 1180-1200. No housing could be built until the Chateau aka castle was finished in a record ten years. Imagine a French winter in what tents?! Or sleeping outside for ten years?!

The second son of Henry II of England spent most of his life in Normandy even when he became king of England.

Legendary characters in Bristish history surround King Richard from his parents Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane to Robin Hood who came to his aide.

The machinations of Richards younger brother, Eleanor’s favorite son -the notorious King John Lackland, and the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham who had the Germans kidnap and held him for ransom on his return from the crusades in the Holy Land are the stuff of many movies.

So there it’s sits wrapped in legend glowing in the French sun begging to be drawn. And I did.

This was drawn sitting in the warm lounge of the Viking Pride. Talk about cushy urban sketching!! Does not get any better!! Comfy chair, feet up, huge glass windows with incredible views and a glass of wine! What more could you ask for??!

Colors used – DS Green apatite, dioxzine purple, Quin gold Quin red orange. The castle is Winsor yellow and cerulean with raw umber and yellow ochre.

Read more about the Chateau at http://lesandelys.com/chateau-gaillard/

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to enjoy this gorgeous 70 day.

Xxx

Day 574 Place de la Concorde

January 27, 20162 Comments

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, 2016Leave a comment

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 570 – A quickie

January 24, 2016Leave a comment

Thought that would get your attention. I shop too much at Costco and these are just Some of the things that I bought on two trips- one to pick up croissants and one to pick up those luscious new crop strawberries.

I also bought a dog bed and four pounds of butter. 😋

Two friends and I were doing lunch when we started talking about we had on jeans we had bought at Costco the Amanda by Gloria Vanderbilt.

And of course we had a good laugh about what else we were wearing that’s as bought at Costco like my boots.

Next time we need to do lunch at Costco aka sample heaven in the afternoon. Hard to resist those impulse purchases.

Yesthe Florida strawberries are in!!

I may go back and paint the background yellow. I meant too but got carried away on a map for my sons weddings save the date in September.

Colors. The letters started out as cobalt but were too pale so I added Inathrodone to them. Cad red on strawberries. All the green is hookers w cobalt. Same on the hydrangea and strawberry tops. Blacks are Inathrodone and burnt umber or burnt sienna.

Currently dyeing a mouse brown scarf red.

Right now it’s a nice rust but going to dunk it in food coloring since I already used all the koolaid. It’s soaking in vinegar and water for the next go round. If that doesn’t work back to Krogers for more tropical punch.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 566 -Quai Grenelle / Radio France

January 20, 2016January 20, 2016Leave a comment

Quai Grenelle / Radio France building as the sun was setting. It does that early in Paris because it sits at such a northern latitude. That said the walk along the quai was bustling with people going for evening walks.
The people were added as they walked across the path at the top of the quai. I really think people bring a landscape or cityscape to life.

This part of Paris had a lot of interesting modern buildings which I would still like to draw. The terrorists interfered with my plan.

This is painted with a bottom coat of Winsor Yellow and bits of Quin gold.

The blue is mostly cobalt blue which is a good transparent color. Harder to get muddy colors if you start out with transparent colors.

Greys are cobalt and burnt sienna or inathradone blue and burnt sienna.

Trees are Quin gold and hookers green and green apatite with Inathrodone blue.

Day 565 – St Maclou

January 19, 2016January 19, 20162 Comments

St Maclou Neighborhood Rouen

Noodler Konrad Platinum Black Ink Strathmore 500 Mixed Media journal

I sketched this late one grey afternoon sitting under an old tree in the square in front of St Maclou which is a lovely Gothic Church surrounded by half timber buildings. People continually walked by and I dropped them in here and there in the drawing.

St McClou was probably my favorite church. A gothic pile of confection like a wedding cake encrusted on every surface with lace and gargoyles and embellishments of every kind.

The church is on the small side in the sketch but I like it a lot anyway. Originally I had the church too light. I was trying not to get it too dark but the house was too dominant so I had to darken it.

I also darkened the sky which made the very light church pop more.

Colors used. The ones I usually use aka I can’t remember which ones. Oops. Sorry!!

Thanks for reading.

Day 562- Happy Anniversary

January 16, 2016Leave a comment

My blog is one year old today!! WordPress has been great!! Already twice as many followers as I had on my old Blogger blog after 9 years.

I have been putting off painting this sketch I made one Saturday nite when we sat under the Eiffel Tower enjoying watching it sparkle.

So many people were there including the guys who hawked these twinkling Eiffel Towers and bottles of champagne. I imagine someone would be busy picking your pocket while you bought one.

Pick pockets are terrible at the Eiffel Tower but we had nothing with us but our room cards, a sketchbook, and a pen or two in my pocket. No money.

They gave up trying to sell us one when I sat down on the curb and started drawing. Once again I drew the people as they drifted by.

So Happy Birthday blog. Thanks for following me.

Oh TIP: How I painted this. Wish I had taken photos. First I painted the tower with Winsor yellow and let it dry. Then I painted the people with a mixture of mineral violet and cobalt and bits of burnt sienna and burnt umber.

Then I painted the ground and the tower with Quin gold. Shadows got added wet on wet violet and cobalt.

The dark sky was painted TWICE Inathrodone and burnt umber mixed. Let it dry between coats. If this were not in my sketchbook I might paint it again. Last I added shadows where the girders crossed.

Trees. Ooops forgot them. Quin gold and Daniel smith green apitite with some of the night sky color painted over it.

Is the tower accurate? NO! But it does give the feel of standing under the tower on a dark nite enjoying it twinkle with the rest of Paris.

Day 560 A Chimera

January 13, 2016January 11, 2016Leave a comment

And I know you like I thought they were all called gargoyles. Nope this one is a chimera on Notre Dame in Paris. It’s the companion page to the Notre Dame sketch.

I actually like the journal side of the page a lot. Colors hmm Quin magenta and sienna?! Quin gold and of course Quin sienna and cerulean on the chimera.