Day 407 – Playtime

August 20, 2015Leave a comment

Loved the way the dads play with their kids now. And help out with them. Today we welcomed a new McCarthy Olivia June into the world. My nephew her dad Vince McCarthy is one of those great dads. This sketch is another great dad playing with his daughter on the beach at Garden City. Olivia will be playing here with her dad in a few years. The circle of a life.

As one of my first graders once told me that’s all I got for today. Large sinus headaches here. Back to sofa lounging. I even packed my gym bag and almost got there today Til the headache struck about two.

More tomorrow. But you knew that.

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret ️xxx

Day 406 – the Pier

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015Leave a comment

The Pier at Garden City

This was sketched on the pier at Garden City. A very long pier. The late evening sun glinting off the boards was turning the dock to gold.

A bit of the pier

People were everywhere. Some sitting some walking enjoying the breezes others waiting to get weaves done in their hair. Who knew weaves were in demand on the piers of the Grand Strand?!

Put these together to see the whole pier.

And of course you guessed that gold is Quin gold. The people’s shadows were made with a soupy Inathradone and burnt umber mix that I let drip from the feet by propping the sketch book up. I added burnt sienna to some of the figures to give them a tan. Tans are big at the beach.

I seem to be into drips and splatters lately. I find the splatters are easier if I load a large brush like my #12 Legend sable brush with a soup of darker colors like blues and the Browns. Sometimes together sometimes separate.

Tip of the day!! Just remember splattering can make a BIG mess!! BeWaRe!!! It will go everywhere.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 401 – impressive number of

August 15, 20152 Comments

continual posts. Almost broke the record snoozing today. Oopps. So make this short and sweet. More Garden City!

These three sweet children were waiting for their mothers who were busy making money doing hair weaves @ $5 each on vacationing little girls. They were so well behaved I drew the whole pier before I noticed them. The one small girl was literally sitting under the palm.

That’s it for Tonite.

Thanks For reading.

Margaret ️xxx

Day 400 – A lot of Days!!

August 13, 2015Leave a comment

400 Days of consecutive Posting!! Anyone see any sky rockets and fire works going off?! Grown a lot on this journey both with my art and the number of followers- almost a 1000 on Instagram and over 100 in six months on WordPress. My original intention was 50 days. I have exceeded that now haven’t I?! Thanks for all the support!! Let’s see how far I can go?! Two years?! I am settling for day by day!
A quick sketch of a grandmother playing with her granddaughter on the Garden City beach last weekend.
Flesh is yellow and cad red light with some burnt sienna on the grandmother. The sand is burnt umber Inathradone and yellow ochre.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret ️xxx

Day 399 -Garden City

August 13, 2015August 13, 20159 Comments

The swarms of people at Garden City were calling to my pen saying draw draw draw. If I hadn’t been drawing this is what I would have been doing consuming books like peanuts.

I really like this painting a lot. The water is more of a Caribbean blue than an Atlantic blue but I like it. It’s done in cheap joes Andrea turquoise, cobalt, purple, and a bright yellow green. The sky is cerulean and cobalt.

The sand is really grey when it’s wet. It’s done with burnt umber Inathradone and yellow ochre.

Bytw the horizon line is really straight but the books would not lie flat. The only fault I can find with a Strathmore 500 mixed media sketchbook.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx heading out on another trip. Thank goodness for house sitters!!

Day 397 – Louies Back Yard

August 10, 2015Leave a comment

Louies Back Yard Key West

Whenever I go on a trip there always seems to be some leftover sketches that don’t quite get painted. I call these making my own coloring book because sooner or later I go back and paint them.

Right now I have six from Key West and 8 or ten from Garden City to paint. Hopefully I will knuckle down on the next few days and get some knocked out. Several of them I really like including more of the court house chickens. Of course you said she has more chickens to paint lol.

This is one I got around to painting. Louies should have about ten stars on its sketch.

Mahi Mahi with Mango sauce.

The food is superb the servers outstanding and the views are amazing. Hands down our favorite for divine food. Go at lunch to save a little on the bill!!

A not to be beaten combo of great food and gorgeous view.

After we ate inside we sat on the back deck enjoying the breeze and the view of the Florida straits.

The view from out table.

My divine sautéed yellowfin tuna a la Julia Childs flounder in Julie and Julia. I have the recipe. I guess I need to turn it into a recipe sketch. Easy and oh so delicious. We used to make it with striped and hybrid. To think I almost didn’t get it because I am tired of tuna a la Charlie in a can. Not the same at all!!

My sisters Beef. Also fab.

My creme brûlée with a brownie buried in it. Melt in your mouth deliciousness.

A coconut orange cream pie like nothing you have ever eaten. The creme brûlée wins the desert contest BUT if you go twice like we did you can try both!!

Day 397 – Travel Day

August 10, 2015Leave a comment

Louies Back Yard Key West

Whenever I go on a trip there always seems to be some leftover sketches that don’t quite get painted. I call these making my own coloring book because sooner or later I go back and paint them.

This is one I got around to painting. Louies should have about ten stars on its sketch.

Mahi Mahi with Mango sauce.

The food is superb the servers outstanding and the views are amazing. Hands down our favorite for divine food. Go at lunch to save a little on the bill!!

A not to be beaten combo of great food and gorgeous view.

After we ate inside we sat on the back deck enjoying the breeze and the view of the Florida straits.

The view from out table.

My sisters Beef. Also fab.

My creme brûlée with a brownie buried in it. Melt in your mouth deliciousness.

A coconut orange cream pie like nothing you have ever eaten. The creme brûlée wins the desert contest BUT if you go twice like we did you can try both!!

Day 392 – A Few Ibis

August 5, 20157 Comments

Three times is the charm they say! Wordpress keeps eating my post today. These were all drawn on site at the Key West Wildlife center. I counted at least 8-10 pages of ibis sketches.

Stay tuned tomorrow for painting details. Want to be sure WordPress behaves before I write one more long post.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 392 – Wesley

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015Leave a comment

my sons English fox hound mix rescue is spending some time with his grandma.

All the drawings are app. 6×12. If you are interested in having me draw your dog email me at m c m h u nt @ me. Com

Wesley Noodler Creaper Ahab Platinum carbon Black ink.

All the drawings are app. 6×12. If you are interested in having me draw your dog email me at m c m h u nt @ me. Com

Every Monday I try to win the Goulet Pen giveaway. Every Tuesday I DONT!! Reminds me of when I buy a lottery ticket. Lol.

I suppose I did actually win because I like these sketches a lot. And I like to draw dogs a lot. Wesley was a very cooperative subject as he snoozed on the sofa chaise on top of a quilt.

One relaxed dog. Noodler Konrad with Lexington Grey Ink.

I usually start by drawing the spine and the top of the head a modified contour drawing. I also bear down on the pen like I did on his legs to make a variety of lines.

You have to love a Noodler Flex Nib pens ability to do that. All the lines on the first three pics were done with a Noodler Flex Nib. It works simalarly to a dip pen and usually not quite the mess.

The first two drawings were colored with the Noodler pens. I smudged the ink with my finger as I went.

Did I say he likes to sleep!? Noodler Konrad with Lexington Grey Ink. This one is just cross hatched. I left light areas to give an effect of the shine on his black fur.

Dogs can sleep for hours and just rearrange giving you new drawing opportunities. This one was the first one I drew. Done with a Pentel brush pen. His jaw was a little too wide so I started over again this time with a Noodler pen which allows me more control. Sometimes it takes a few sketches of a new dog to get him down pat just like it does when you draw a new model.

The sketches are posted in the reverse order that I drew them. Wesley’s head is the last one I drew of him.

Back to key West sketches tomorrow. I think I drew enough while I was there to post for the rest of the month. Lol. Hmm maybe I should save some of them for while I am in Paris?!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx

Day 391 – Buzzards Roost part 2

August 3, 20152 Comments

As we sadly left the Keys we made a return trip to Buzzards Roost on Key Largo. I drew this as we waited for our order to arrive. As usual the service was not super though our waitress was an overworked sweetheart (too many tables) this time but the view was still gorgeous!!!

The view

Drawn with my Noodler Creaper loaded with Platinum Carbon Black ink.

The food was amazing this trip. We ate Mahi Mahi wraps. Oh my gosh it was sooo good. We both kept the second half of our sandwich for dinner. Sadly we ended up throwing it out since we never ate dinner that nite. Nobody wants tomaine poisoning on a four hundred mike drive.

I also sketched the marine at Garden cove. This was our view from our table minus the bank of flowers across the edge.
Here it painted. The yellow in the palms and on the boats is Quin gold. I like the glow it gives to the shadows on the boats.

If a storm had not been blowing in I could sit here for hours drawing and enjoying the view. Garden Cove is just a gorgeous place. A piece of Heaven!!