Day 1044 – That Dirty Dried out Palette

May 31, 2017Leave a comment

Now that I am home for a day or two I wanted to use my Ted Nuttall palette. This is actually Teds Palette.

All those lovely transparent colors.

And it helped with my procrastination mode getting started painting the Raisin and Harley painting

which is finally transferred to paper and ready to paint.

Of course my Palette has dried out and filthy. They always dry out!! It needed revival and cleaning. Another way to procrastinate!!! The spray bottle was not getting the job done. The colors were lumpy and nasty.

So how did I get it clean and get the paint smooth and ready to use!?

First I sprayed it and tried stirring each color with its own tooth pick. That did not do much for the lumps. I wanted to paint!!!

I got out my trusty old palette knife. It has a tiny blade on it compared to most so it fit perfectly in the wells of my porcelain palette.

I used a jillion Kleenex wiping wells out where there was just a dribble of old hard paint. NO LOTION On those Kleenex.

I started bending my antique palette knife in some of the paint. Oh NO!! I kept going. What palette knife is supposed to last forever!?

I decided to rearrange the colors. Here and there I had added colors I MUST have to the basic Nuttall Palette like Cerulean, Andrews Blue, Daniel Smith Piemonite and Green Apaptite.

The Kleenex and the palette knife left crusts of color in the corners.

Then I realized I could fill the wells with water and used an old brush to swirl out the bits left in corners. Hallelujah clean wells at last.

I used a sharpie to rewrite the colors on the edges of the wells and I even have a few leftover slots.

So it’s new clean and lovely at this point.

What I learned while cleaning my palette.

Wear rubber gloves while cleaning your palette unless you want to have colored fingernails. 😱
Those dollar store Kleenex with lotion have something wierd in them. They gave me a rash when I used them on my nose. 😱😱 Now gone. 🤗🤗🤗
Now I know why some people have stacks of these palettes. It might be easier to just buy a new palette than clean the old one out.

Margaret who has some painting to do. Xoxox and no more reasons to procrastinate because I even cleaned up the studio and moved to the summer one aka the kitchen table and island.

Oh wait I need to use the glass cleaner on the winter studio table. It’s looking hazy. Procrastinate procrastinate. I need some flowers to paint!!

🌼🌻🥀🌷🌷🌸🌺🌼🌻🥀🌹🌷🌸🌺

Day 998 Oh My Two More Days Painting PCM

April 15, 20177 Comments

Spent yesterday hitting the art stores and taking photographs for possible future paintings at Ponce City Market.

It’s a HUGE rehabbed old Sears building on Ponce de Leon near the Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Whoever designed it kept much of the funkiness of the old building keeping the floors and the huge support columns and the ibeams in the floors.

The two panoramas give a 360 degree view of the space which is jammed packed with the smells of the 20 plus upscale chef run restaurants that allow you and your friends many delicious choices of food which you eat in the open areas.

Outside eating area is a huge interesting place called the Shed which is an enormous concrete beam structure surrounded by restaurants ok one side and stores on the other. I think it’s new construction but not sure. I really need to sit down and draw it becAuse it’s wonderful to look at.

The store side of the Shed.

Sunday there is an art market in the shed. Going to check that out tomorrow but since it’s Easter thinking it’s not open.

Keep taking photos of a few places that just appeal to my eye. This Caribbean food place El Super Pan is just delightfully funky with its purple lit metal overhang. Someplace I have an unpainted sketch of this place.

And my favorite golden dragon Chinese restaurant. I have painted this twice. Love that dragon.

This couple sat down inches from me at the same table Aron f one of the columns between me and the object of my attention. The golden dragon column. Yes there were other tables to sit at but no they had to block my view. Irritated with the self involved duo I snapped their photo and immortalized the French Fry couple.

Here’s the sketch I had been doing.

I love going upstairs and taking photos of the first floor over the railing.

That’s how I snapped the photo for this painting called Looking Down which was recently juried into the Anderson Center for the Arts Show which is considered a coup in South Carolina.

One of the appeals of Ponce city Market besides the delicious food are the masses of people and the odd interesting architectural elements like the large yellow and black arrow in the upper right.

I think you could find a life time of paintings on the environs of PCM aka Ponce City Market. Something about this one. The two guys one big one little trudging off across the light from the doors.
Sooner or later I will get a food pic of this bar. Maybe on my big camera not my phone. I have two hundred or so photos there.

A trip to PCM is not complete without drooling over the delicious candy shop

And my personal favorite the St Germain a PArisian themed patisserie loaded with all things Parisian – macaroons, breads, small crispy meringues, real marshmallows and cases of decadent gorgeous goodies.

Trying to resist the lure of PCM today a Sketchers paradise but there are eggs to dye and Easter prep to be done.

Ttyl

Margaret loving Atlanta even when it took me an hour and 15 min to drive 4 miles from Trader Joe’s to the house. Xoxoxo

Day 947 Is it done?!!Ponce City

February 23, 2017February 23, 2017Leave a comment

Glad to update this with YES ITS DONE! Signed sealed ya wanna buy it?

After over a month of painting on this large canvas Looking Down-Ponce City Market. I can only hope!! It’s acrylic 3’x4′ BIG!!

And here’s the progress on it.

Not much else to say but IS IT DONE?!

Ttyl

Margaret at the vets with Zoe whose saying is it done is it done too. Xoxoxo

Day 915 Atlanta

January 21, 2017Leave a comment

These are based on photos I have taken in Atlanta the last few years. Drawn on Stonehenge paper with Prismacolor pencils and art sticks.

The High Museum 5×8″hmm this building is all white but not in my version. Added the red sky to hopefully make building pop. And dabs of lime green to make the red pop or was it the other way around. Complimentary colors do that.

Ponce City Market- 5x 8″

I take so many photos of this building. So hard to get close enough to take pics of Tower on the right and the name on top of the building. I think one day that name will be an Atlanta icon similar to the Hollywood sign.

The only difference in these two is the sky. The blue made the orange pop. Complimentary colors do. Think it helped don’t you?! Also like the letters sort of there but not quite.

Fox Theater

I am always getting stuck turning left onto Ponce de Leon from Peachtree in front of the Fox Theater. I love looking at it. And since I am stopped dead in traffic at a light I whip out my phone and snap a photo or two.

The Fox is a fairytale Moorish palace complete with a twinkling star strewn ceiling worthy of Scherazades tales in the heart of Atlanta downtown. If you haven’t been to a show in this one or the one in Detroit treat yourself and go. Just magical.

I am going to have another go at this one because it was the first one I tried and it’s not too great. And the Fox needs more from me.
Thanks for stopping by!!

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 905 – the Bean

January 11, 2017Leave a comment

Everybody’s favorite place to eat lunch in Augusta or for a coffee or even better some of their amazing cake. They give you a slab of home made cake for $4 or $4.50. Today I had their Tuscan Bean Soup which was delicious. A big bowl and some delicious ice tea $5. A good deal.

I don’t think I have ever eaten anything that was not delicious at the bean as we call it. Their coffee is from that other fabulous cafe that I drew a couple of weeks ago The Dancing Goats in Decatur.

Painted in my new STillman and Birn Zeta. Drawn with a Lamy Ef loaded with Lexington Grey and painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors.

Sketchbookskool Homework.

Draw some textured objects. I might have gotten carried away but have had these on my art table for a while to draw. I can check them off my list now right?!

Pens used Staedler .01, carbon Platinum pen w carbon platinum black ink and a Pitt calligraphy pen which I soon abandoned because it was too dark to me.

Stillman and Birn mixed Zeta journal.

Ttyl

Margaret off to bed early after two hours at the gym and walking a couple of miles. Color me tahred. Xoxoxo

Day 737 A parakeet

July 8, 20162 Comments

And a parrot
Rosy ring necked parakeet

Parrot that needs more work I think.

Hmm well you shouldn’t paint at midnite. What else can I say!? He should be more of an emerald green but that’s easy to fix.just another coat of darker green.

One coat of a nice green and he’s better. Not so pale and washed out.

The background is cerulean and Quin sienna. Not a big fan but the sienna works well with the cerulean. Splattered with the same colors.

Check by for a parrot update. Off to find something to draw I hope.

Margaret xxx

Day 635 Ponce City Part two or three?!

March 28, 2016Leave a comment

Szechuan Restaurant and Bar
I had a perfect seat to have another go at this dragon. I think I did a better job at the perspective this time.

While there is a lot I like about this the perspective on that bar is wild and I still think the people look like the walking dead.

A nervy young couple say not two feet from me between the restaurant and me blocking my view. First time that has ever happened.

I kept craning my head to look around them as I drew. They never noticed nor did they notice when I took this picture of them.
I really should turn them into a large painting similar to the one I am working on now.

Waiting at Waffle House which no loner looks like this. Who could resist those crosses arms and those faces?!

Ponce City Market looking toward the Beltline stairs. No walking dead in this sketch.

Taped down and reading to watercolor.

The Cuban restaurant LL Superpan.

All three Ponce City Restaurants are drawn with the very fine tip pilot pen with Carbon Platinum Black ink on Strathmore 500 watercolor paper which is lovely paper. I can’t wait to use it. Takes the color so well.

A tea towel from French Silver Shop. Sooner or later I will buy some. I just can’t pick which one.

Ohhhhh

Ahhhhhhhh

We were “hangry” from all the oohing and ahing, the walking, the two hour drive, the packing, the loading of the car. Which restaurant would we choose?? There were so many.

Marakeesh Mediterranean Market North Africa East of Atlanta

We decided that though the hamburgers smelled oh so delicious wafting thru the air we were not doing burgers. So many restaurants how did we choose?!

We got food from Marakeesh Market because there was a small line and well it was just exotic to eat Moroccan food.

The potato stuffed burekas,tahini, Israeli pickles and Israeli salad which looks just like feggous – a Morrocan tomato and cucumber salad except for added radish sticks were all just simply delicious. I can’t decide which item I liked best. Best pickles ever. Perfect iced tea.

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