Day 984 Alex and Willie

Every Sunday I watch CBS SUnday Morning. My fav bits on it are the partsabout  artists or singers people stuff. And this show is crammed with them. Alex was on this am talking about his 45 impersonations. Hard to resist sketching him. He morphed into 45. The mans definitely making me political!! 

The background was Quin gold but not enough contrast w the head. Like the orange one better. After all he is the Orange One”

Have always loved Willie and meant to just draw him. He just popped onto the page. What’s not to love about an 84 year old who says “we woke up and we are still not dead!”??

Think they are done. Maybe. Trying to resist the urge to scribble on them in the background with a soft dark pencils. So many quotable quotes from them both.  

Painted on 280# Arches Cold Press with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus cerulean, hematite and cheap Joes Andrews Turquoise. Pen pentel brush pen. 

Ttyl Going to try my hand at horses today. 

Margaret taking a walk in the park today too. 

Day 982 Dr Sketchys 2


Love the Chinese dresses Foxy wore at Dr Sketchys Wednesday. Gorgeous fabrics and they fit her like a glove.  Classic Chinese dresses probably from her home in Taiwan. 

This is my favorite sketch I think though the next one is nice too. 

Both 11×14″ Super Aquabee tablet. Noodler Konrad WN colors in a whiskey painter box with a Cotman travel box full of Daniel Smith quinacridones. I used a gold Wink of Stella marker to sparkle these.  

This was a challenge to add origami elements. I have folded thousands of those cranes and a few of the frogs. As a kid I loved doing origami since the first kit I received for Christmas. I think she’s slightly out of proportion. Head to big. Legs a tad too short but I like her anyway. A lot to draw and paint in 20 minutes!!

Day 982 Last Nite!

After several disastrous sketches I knew I could handle our beautiful Asian model when I did this watercolor in ten minutes or so. 

All sketches are 11×14 in a Super Aquabee tablet. Love that paper. Painted with my whisky painter box loaded with WN and Daniel  Smith Quin coral and an old Cotman palette loaded with every quinacridone I own plus thalo blue and green black and white gouache. Painted with a pentel waterbrush. 


These are all two minute sketches. Some of these will probably be altered. And most are pretty awful. As in EEEKKK I Don’t feel good and I can’t draw a thing tonite. This one was the worst. 


Better.  I decided to give up my go to Dr Sketchys pen the Pentel Brush pen and use a Noodler Konrad. Life improved.  I always think it’s interesting how a change of pen can improve your drawing skills when they aren’t going well. 

Next We had a challenge to turn her into a fox. Evidently her stage name is Foxy. As some of you know I like to draw chickens. Follow them around at Key West to draw them or sit and watch them and sketch them. Never thought chickens could be so much fun but they are. 

Really like the sketchiness of her body and legs in this one. 

Ttyl another busy day. Haircut picking up paintings and back to aiken for a reception for a friends show.  

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 980 A few of those 100 people 

Painting the Farmhaus people 

And a few of my tv sketches. Really liking the background colors. A lot different than my usual cerulean. Sometimes it pays to get outta the box you are in. 

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette. 

Book club tonite. If you haven’t read When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanathi do. Don’t know when a book has made me cry more. So poignant. Wonderful book.

Book club tonite. Off I go. Xoxoxo Margaret.  

Day 976 Time for some News

Been obsesssed with the news as many other Americans have and I take notes and draw the talking heads. Monday I was almost late to class listening to Comey FBI director talk about their investigation into the Presidents claims against Obama which of course as most people knew even before the testimony were completely unfounded. 

His other bomb  shell  was that the FBI has been investigating the Trumps campaigned connections to the Russians since July.  And I am keeping track of what they are saying and how it’s interlocked. 


It’s just all to incredible. 

About the picture. I had a few problems with Comeys face. His eyes and mouth should be parallel. They weren’t. I fixed him by adding a dark left corner to his mouth which raised it slightly. 

The purple brown on his face is Daniel smiths piemonite. Love that color. Makes delicious darks combined with blues too. And stays transparent. 

I think I nailed Schiff. 

Most of the red is a grease pencil. SO much fun. Loved them. Got a box of 5-6different  colors on Amazon.  It’s like a crayon on steroids. 

Otherwise the colors are Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus piemonite on their faces for shadows. 

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo Where’s my Dick Blick 40% off coupon?? Heading that way today. Art store shopping!!  

Day 975 One more St Paddys Day


Could not resist drawing this great pirate ship passed by loaded with people tossing beads to the crowds. So much to draw and so little time. I really like parts of this but the foreground people watching are all assorted sizes. The middle group too tall for the other two groups. 

And I completely forgot to draw the buildings in the background. OOPS!!! 

Oh well that’s the thing about live sketching. Some you win some you mess up. Lol. 

One more to go. The Whiskey Bar Lamy Safari. Lexington Grey ink in a Stillman and Birn Alpha. 

Colors used. Every green I own. Pants are all some combo of ultramarine blue and burnt umber. Sky peacock blue I think.  

Ttyl off to delve into Atlanta after talking to two groups is middle school art kids. One was awesome second one ready for lunch. Fun classes though the kids are so cute. Just hungry. 

Margaret xoxox 

 Day 974 More St Paddys Day Parade

St Paddys Day Parade ladies from St. John’s tower. They were actually riding another truck but I liked this one better. Augusta Ga 
A dab of gel pen on the antennae. I loved those. And they were riding in chairs. 

#stjohnstower #augustaga #stpatricksday #watercolorpainting #sketchbookskool #urbansketcher #undercoverspy #urbansketching #usk #georgia #ink #lamysafari #lamy #stillmanandbirn

Gotta run. Heading to Atlanta. Hope to sketch there. I am Ready!!

Margaret xoxox 

Day 974 Art for Breakfast


Decided to quickly draw my Sunday brunch before I ate it. Hmm it’s an omelet. Got a little dark. Aka lost my yellows. But on the whole I like this a lot. 

The tulips were really standing up but they are so pretty decided to draw them flopping so they would fit. 

Since I also used a Prismacolor art stick or two and a white gel pen this is really mixed media. 

Lamy safari Arches #280 paper Lexington grey ink. 

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 973 St Patrick’s Day in Augusta 

We had an Urban Sketchers of Augusta meet up at Artus to draw the St Patrick’s day parade Friday. Fun time with Sandy from Artus and AC who fell in love w my Lamy EF that I lent him and sweet Katie Padgett.  
These guys were enjoying some Guinness in front of Soy Noodle House and watching the parade go by. Architecture is a little wonky because I was standing on the sidewalk looking around the mob that passed by. Some of them would just stand in front of me. Eeek. 

Whiskey Bar still needs paint. These two are on 280# Arches cold press. Oops cut off their legs. 


A great pirate ship passed by. I taught AC and Katie that u don’t have to draw everyone you see but can add people from different floats to the one you are working on. Who will know!? Just you. 


One float was full of an adorable group of older women from St Johns Towers a retirement home. I forgot to draw the crowd in front darn it because I was so enthralled with the old truck and the ladies. 

These two are in my Stillman and Birn Alpha which is almost full. 

All are drawn with my Lamy Safari. Painted w Ted Nuttalls transparent palette. 

Ttyl class in Aiken. 

Margaret xoxoxo