Day 438 – Fishing time

September 21, 2015September 20, 20152 Comments

This was sketched on the docks of Laretto Creek across from Fort Palaski on Tybee Island.
One of my favorites painted recently because of all the whites I think.

He had noticed me sketching and asked if he could see them. I had been wanting to draw the fisherman but resisted because I might get caught undercover Sketching. As soon as he started fishing again I whipped this sketch off and quickly turned the page. I knew he would not mind.

It was painted with my Isabey squirrel mop #2 in a strathmore mixed media journal and drawn with my noodler cheaper ahab with platinum carbon black ink.

The bright fall sky was painted with cobalt and a bit of cerulean. Trees were painted with Quin gold and hematite with dabs of hookers green. So was the marsh grass. The water is Andrews turquoise with dabs of cerulean. Skin is Quin red and yellow ochre. Shirt hookers green and inathradone. Pants no idea. Yellow ochre and burnt umber w inathradone?!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 437 – Sacred Heart 2

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015Leave a comment

The altar of Sacred Heart. As a little girl I used to go with my best friend. Her family attended services here. The mystery and beauty of the old church always mesmerized me.

The stained glass in this Romanesque church is amazing. The nave soars high above the pews lined with banks of beautiful old stained glass clerestory windows.

The marble and gilt altar is unlike any church that I have been in. Ornate and loaded with statues of Jesus saints and angels. Topped off with soaring stained glass and a ribbed dome. So much to look at it makes you dizzy!!
I recently attended a meeting there and drew in a strathmore 500 mixed media sketchbook with a Carbon Platinum pen while I listened to the speakers.

More Sacred Heart tomorrow. Of course there are more sketches!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 437 – Sacred Heart

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015Leave a comment

A beautiful old deconsecrated Catholic Church in downtown Augusta. Supposedly it even has a ghost in one of the bell towers.

It’s hard to get a clear view of the entire front of the church. Trees have been planted that block the view so I only drew the top.

I knew the sketch had problems when it was drawn but painted it anyway. Painted with my Isabey mop #2. No control over it and should have changed to a sable to even up the towers. Oh well. I think it might be my Rouen cathedral to paint over and over.

From Wikipedia

It was built by Jesuit priests and its first service was on December 2, 1900. The church had been in Augusta for 70 years, until it closed in 1971 due to modern suburban advancements. While the building was vacant, it endured much vandalism and was near destruction.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]
In 1987, the Knox Foundation renovated the building and opened as a vibrant center of the city for cultural events. The building now host events such as wine festivals, choral concerts, and Christmas events. It is one of the best examples of redeveloping downtown Augusta.

More Sacred Heart tomorrow. The inside!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx whose actually reading a book instead of drawing or painting.

Day 433- WIP Savannah Riverwalk

September 16, 2015September 16, 20157 Comments

pleased with progress off to class so moh later as my grandson Henry says.

Calling it done. My weapons of choice were an Isabey #2 squirrel mop and a Lamy Vista fine point with an ink converter lapsed wit carbon platinum black ink. Mop is from Cheap Joes expensive but worth it and cheaper than Dick Blick. I got the pen and converter from Amazon but the ink from Goulet. The Amazon ink was NOT waterproof though it appeared to be the same ink. Another good waterproof ink is Noodlers Lexington Grey from Sam Flaxs Atlanta and de Artrementis DOCUMENT Brown from Goulet pens.

Colors used cerulean and cobalt sky. Aurelion yellow, Quinn gold in roof. burnt sienna quin burnt orange inathradone for the Sphinx. Quin gold hookers green olive green and green hematite with burnt umber in greenery. Piemonte and cobalt blue shadows on buildings and sidewalks.

The sketch Lamy on strathmore 500 mixed media

If you like this style of sketching and painting aka urban sketching sign up for Marc Holmes class on Craftsy. Sign up thru his site http://citizensketcher.com/2015/08/29/travel-sketching-in-mixed-media-lesson-sneak-peek-silhouette-shapes/ for a $10 discount. A good deal for $20 and do it at your leisure.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 433 Savannah Sketches

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015Leave a comment

River walk

Got eight Sketches done on Sunday. Four in Savannah and four on Tybee. All of the Savannah sketches were done with my Lamy Fine point.

It was hard to resist those x’s ones the building. I think they hold the building together for earthquakes. I added the people as they strolled thru my view. If you want to give it a go feel free to use my photo.

The Cotton exchange and the Freemasons Hall. Also on River front.

The Sphinx fountain in front of the Cotton Exchange. How could you resist this guy?!

Wesley Square. Love the guys. John Wesley not so much. Better extend that live oak tree!! Oops. Actually I extended the drawing adding the men last and didn’t fix the tree. I had places to go and things to see and a timed parking place!! 😄

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 431 – Sketching Tybee

September 15, 20157 Comments

We packed up and left the house about ten am. The kids were off to Atlanta and it was SkEtcH TIME!!

These will all be watercolored soon but in the meantime I am sharing the sketches. I did eight total yesterday. A lot of painting soon.

If you want to draw this feel free. Shrimp boat photos are hard to come by.
I found the perfect spot on a fishing dock when you first come one the island across from Fort Pulaski. The fisherman had to check out what I was doing.
So I drew him after he checked out my sketches. Think I better straighten up that bucket. Oops!!

I switched to Lamy fine with this one. My noodles Konrad ran out of ink and my ahab was leaking. Guess I am going to have to fix it. 😳 That said I really liked the sketchiness of the fine line the Lamy does.

Not the best pelican I have ever drawn but he will look better when he’s got some color on him.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day430- Food Food Food!!!

September 12, 2015Leave a comment

We ate at Taj of India the other day. I actually liked the sexond sketxh best til I painted them. Guess which one I like best now?!!funny how things change. I had trouble with my pentel brush running on this paper so I never painted the cerulean around the name of the restaurant. I read somewhere recently that the Pentel brush pen will sometimes run on certain paper. Guess I hit the jackpot on this one. Strathmore mixed media paper. Usually it behaves but I do have two brush pens. I may have used the Kuretake with carbon platinum black on the second one. No runny problems on it. You have to love that carbon platinum black. NEVER runs.

My favorite dish was mine. The chicken tiki Marsala. It was painted with cad red then Quin gold. Last I added touches of green apatite to the bowl. Lots of wet on wet. The same colors were used on the kuchumba just watery. Quin gold and Inathridone on the rice. I actually used most of the same colors on all the dishes just in different variety.

Having never been to Taj of India before I was hoping for an exotic interior. But no. Gold walls with one lonely wall hanging and an alcove. However there was a birthday party in progress having a good time. The odd waiter who had hair like a rasta was added for some variety. His hair and huge beard were red and black. Very odd. He was a really sweet guy and kept the water glasses full. Good idea since the food was spicy. Not a spicy food eater.

Skin tone – Quin red and yellow ochre. Burnt sienna for shadows sometimes with a touch of cerulean.

Greys and darks. Made with Cerulean and burnt umber or burnt umber and ultramarine blue. Test them for a great variety of greys blacks and Browns.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 429 – heading to Tybee

September 11, 2015September 11, 20155 Comments

With sketchbook in hand and hoping for some more bodies that scream sketch me.

Or at least some great photos to paint but no sunburn like I got when I did this one at Garden City Beach a month ago.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 426 Costco

September 8, 20152 Comments

Last week I sat in the corner at Costco’ s cafe area drawing the lunch crowd. There’s one table that has a 180 view and SCORE. I hid behind my purse.

I really like the way the wall of boxes turned out in the background. And the way most of the people turned out. I actually painted out one guy whose drawing went astray. Can you find him!?

It was also hard getting all the bodies with legs as they came and went.

Next time I will draw something easy like my polish sausage and the drink.

This should be a fun place for urban sketching. Or at least getting pics of the roustabouts working. Check their webpage for when they visit near you.

Thanks for reading. Class tomorrow. Busy day!!

Margaret xxx

Day 422?? Painting

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015Leave a comment

Update. Painted for a couple more hours.

So far

This painting had been fermenting in my brain all week. And really ever since I saw it. Love the grunge look of it.

And always liked this photo of my middle son. I started over for two reasons. The first one was on 140# and he had no feet. This is on a full sheet Crescent watercolor board. Heavy stuff.

The feet thing did it for me. Lol. Do over. He needed feet. And I had trouble with his head. Still too big. As I said on my fb wall watercolor is a roll of the die. Sometimes you win sometimes not. Like the new one better anyway.

Here’s the sketch of it. All those grey lines worried me. Hard to have transparent color and those lines not show. I think they are going away. I HOPE.

The face was a hash of lines.

Professor wants you to paint the drawing with a brush. 😳 I don’t know any WC people who do that but I was game to try.

I did draw a little with a grey watercolor pencil because toooo many grey WC lines. I erased all the grey lines I could with my moo erasure from cheap joes. We love our moo erasures.