Day 33 Never

April 15, 2020Leave a comment

Eat a large chocolate bar. It will keep you up most of the night. But oh was it good.

I took another photo of The Farm using my Ott light to light it up. Much more accurate photo. Can’t wait til Saturday for the next class.

Drawing with Koosje. A corner of the living room really my den.

Lamy Stillman and Birn Alpha.

We drew masks with Danny at noon. Now we have to pick one out and make a paper bag mask.

I had to write down what I thought they were saying. That was fun. Can you find the Covid monster?! Lamy Safari Stillman and Birn Alpha. Only five spreads left but I got a new one from Amazon. Hurrah.

Sweet Ilaina. Missing my painting peeps.

Digging around for my 140 # rough press Fabriano I found this. Always liked it. Still have the photo to finish it. Full sheet on Waterman cold press I think.

Got some decent pics of the Downy that hit the window this am. So pretty.

Not sure what he is but cute. A sparrow?! Where’s the bird book?!

Loves this female cardinal on the thistle feeder. Adoreable.

Distancing in SC

Margaret ready for bed despite my excellent afternoon nap while watching Mary Berry at Highclere Castle on YouTube. Zzzz

Xoxoxox😘

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 21

April 4, 2020April 4, 2020Leave a comment

Sketchbookskool drawing party. Draw a dollar Bill. Crumple it up. Hope for no breeze no fan stirring it and draw. First a bold thick pen for the outline and finer pens inside. I used a Lamy Safari and a Lamy Ef. Half the time the Lamy was upside down.

Then you draw till you are satisfied. I journaled all over the page writing over and over the same page with a soft pencil til you couldn’t read it. Always makes a lot of texture.

Painted with burnt sienna Andrews turquoise cad yellow for the green. Burnt sienna background. Add a favorite quote or two. This was one of Andrew Cuomos dads favorites. Evidently he liked anything by Churchill.

The Sketchbookskool Instagram drawing party. Didn’t draw it live but one day I will get up early enough to do it at 8 am😵😵. Draw your coffee mug and paint it with your leftover coffee. Fun and much easier to do than that darn dollar bill.

The mask filter

In the throws of mask making. All the parts assembled. Just a few seams left and I will have enough masks to cover all my kids nose and the grandkids.

This is the brand and type I used for the mask filter.

Four done and almost 17 finished. Filters ready to go into the cotton mask.

Two seams each and done. Hurrah.

Margaret Tahred. Haven’t knitted a stitch all week. Xoxoxox

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

It’s Saturday

January 4, 2020Leave a comment

Emily 15×22″ cold press Fluid paper

Sketch

At forty minutes in

Second break

And when I quit today.

Used my Charles Reid palette colors.

Dr Bill who was too my right.

Dr Fred who was sitting in front of Dr Bill

Coach Larry who was behind me.

Drew who was to my left

Al Beyer who does a great back!

That’s a wrap. Off to another movie

Xoxoxox Margaret

A good sketch

December 21, 20192 Comments

To start was helpful. The painting is about 16×20 coldpress fluid 140# paper.

The sketch at the first break with just a little color added. My biggest problem was as Charles Reid said “NEVER draw a head smaller than four inches.” It makes it too hard to paint the features. Oh well being annoyed with our painting short comings keeps us coming back to try again.

Bill Daniels small oil

Al Beyer sorry about the bad light

Drew Murphy – old Holland acrylic. Looks a lot like an oil.

And Dr Freds large acrylic. His are always just fun and whimsical. Everyone else fled before I thought to take photos. Oops.

Margaret who really needs to get her presents wrapped but first a long nap. Three hours sleep is NOT enough. 😴😴😴😴

Capturing friends

December 13, 20192 Comments

Rich Klein listening to Joe Kameen talk at USC Aiken. I am sure one day I will look back thru my sketchbooks and say I remember him. He’s the guy who started buying Lamy pens!! Aka he fell down the rabbit hole with the rest of us. Prof Rich can frequently be seen leaning on his chin while he listens intently or hmm maybe he day dreams. You can follow him at richkleinvisions on instagram. Inside his head might be quite interesting if his art work is any indication.

Lamy EF Noodlers Eelskin Ink handprint journal.

And yes he will get painted if I ever quit knitting. Christmas stocking half done. Did I post this?! For youngest grandson. Down to the heel now so on the downhill run.

Margaret whose glad the icy cold rain has stopped. Xoxoxox

Naomi

November 15, 20192 Comments

Was a naughty girl and had to stay after school.

Couldn’t be me could it?!

The very bad sketch. What’s with the hands and that shoe??!

At the end of the portrait session. Was thinking about future mulch pile for her but after looking at her a while and talking to Ruth abt her after I got home I realized some of the problems Ruth was having at life modeling where causing my problems.

Tomorrow I will lift some highlights out and work on her braids some more.

Tape and Mr Clean are my friends once Naomi is dry.

Margaret off to bed soon. Gotta draw some talking heads manana.

Xoxoxox

A Break Through

October 3, 2019Leave a comment

Another busy busy day

Not often I am in my jammies in bed st 8:30. Up at the crack of dawn draw and paint all day.

So what was the break through?! Don’t paint people you know then you won’t be hampered or intimidated by the need to make them look like your relative or friend. You can just have fun painting.

So I spent all morning drawing these two ladies.

More to do on Morning Coffee. 15×22″ 140# cold press Fluid

paper.

All that water I threw at her and she’s still flat.

Lots of edges to soften. Hard edges are ridiculous on her face.

The Drawing

A lot left to do on her. All of her jewelry. Her head scarf and a million other fun things. OH her glasses. Not anywhere dark enough. She had on about six necklaces and ten bracelets. So LOTS to do.

And those teeth. Ugh.

Colors used raw sienna alizarin American Journey Andrews Turquoise Mineral Violet Cad red cad yellow burnt sienna and some ultramarine blue. Big 1 1/2 flat for most of the painting.

Margaret tucked into bed before 9am. All I need is sweet Zoe. Xoxoxo

Eaton Street #3

September 25, 2019Leave a comment

My favorite so far. Not sure if there’s another one.

Drawn on Fabriano rough press. Impossible to draw straight lines on it which I think caused its wonkiness which I like.

Margaret who needs a nap. This heat is ridiculous. Can’t wait to head to the mountains. Xoxoxoxo

Washington DC and the Marine Corps Museum

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019Leave a comment

Visited the museum on my drive home yesterday after we buried Dad in Arlington Friday.

This is his quote on the wall of the Marine Corps Museum. You can read more about it on my old blog.

Dad was 96 and ready to fold up his tent and go home so the funeral was more of a wake than a sad time.

He was the first lieutenant in an amazing, terrible battle called the Battle of Fox Hill during the Choisin Reservoir campaign during November 1950.

Mom listened to the news back home saying he and all of the two regiments of the first Marine division -10000 men- were lost in frozen North Korea surrounded by 100000 Chinese.

His Marine rifle company Fox Company – about 220 men – was holding the retreat at Toktong Pass all alone, surrounded by 10000 more Chinese. Everyman was wounded but half of them survived the vicious five day battle to fight their way out on the coldest longest retreat in US Military history and enter the legends of which Marines are made.

To this day Marines and West Pointers study Dads battle plan on how to set up a defense using a small rifle company against overwhelming enemy numbers.

According to Dad one of his gunners Hector Cafferati killed 3000 Chinese but dad only wrote him up for 500 when Cafferati got his Medal of Honor because Dad thought no one would believe the real number.

You can read more about Choisin here or buy the book The Last Stand of Fox Hill on Amazon.

Rest In Peace Major Dad. Margaret xoxoxo