Day 982 Dr Sketchys 2

March 31, 2017March 31, 2017Leave a comment

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 979 -21 Days left

March 27, 2017March 27, 2017Leave a comment

Till 1000. The goal is nigh!

Taking an online class in extreme journaling with Julianna Coles. All my questing for a book at goodwill, salvation army, thrift stores and in the garage where I found a forgotten stack of books I found the perfect book in my son’s recycle bin in Atlanta. It’s a heavy thick very slick Saks sales ad. Since it was trash I didn’t feel bad about altering it. It also had some nice photos of women in it.

Despite babysitting the grandchildren single handedly, lecturing to middle schoolers about art quilts aka show n tell and driving about four hundred miles I bounced out of bed to start the monster mash process this morning.

I worked on the cover since I did not like the big script Saks on the cover.

Oddest thing happened when I opened a huge old Bartletts to cut out poetry. I don’t think I even turned a page. It opened to a page that held a poem about “locking all your heart aches inside” and “hide it in your trunk” “will hide all your failures””will rise to meet you yet” and of course I cut them out and glued them on.

I don’t think it’s quite done the more I look at them. Bout maybe they are never done? They will tell me. Lots of fun. Go sign up.

The first double page spread. Thinking it’s still too busy.

I painted stamped collages scribbled and painted and lettered and I could go on but it’s time for French. Acrylic paint caran dache neocolonial ii prismacolor paintstiks paint marker.

The books about the size of a piece of printer paper. Can’t wait for the next chapter.

Margaret xoxoxo #julianacoles

Day 975 One more St Paddys Day

March 23, 2017Leave a comment

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

March 22, 2017March 22, 2017Leave a comment

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 973 St Patrick’s Day in Augusta

March 20, 2017Leave a comment

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

Day 965 141 People in one Week

March 12, 2017March 12, 2017Leave a comment

Well I made it. Added another another 14 people yesterday when we were at the Standardbred Harness Races yesterday at McGhees Mile Track in Aiken. Starting from the last one draw to the first one drawn at the end of the post. I am going to paint some of these today I think since this is day 7.

Flipagram of the sketches.

All of them are drawn with my Lamy safari in Lexington Grey ink in my Stillman and Birn Alpha. Most were drawn from real life except the 20 or so talking heads.

In the window at the Mexican cafe on Laurens street in Aiken.

At the races. I was afraid to shop out my sketchbook after I did this because a certain bird was busy telling people what a great sketched I was.

Off MSNBC Friday nite. ditto that

Hanging the new Augusta State University logo sign at the Dental School Friday. These guys were working hard. Two guys only but they hardly stood still pushing and shoving the big scaffold that would take them to the top of the four story building.

More of the two guys. One worked continually nonstop the whole hour or so I was drawing. Pulling and pushin. And backing the truck up.

Contour drawings because they were moving fast. The angles they got on their bodies were as good as any dancer or yoga as they pushed and shoved the heavy scaffold.

In line waiting at chic fil a and the dental school check in.

Too right luck at chic Fil a and a guy waiting to see the dentist at the college.

A three generation family at chic Fil a

More tv talking heads.

My heroine Rachel Maddow. So brilliant.

Talking heads MSNBC especially like the Bernie Head.

Lawrence O’Donnell taking heads. Love him too.

Rachel Maddow and her talking heads

Panera sketches Tuesday

Panera Tuesday

Panera Tuesday the rest are at Panera Monday and a few more talking. Heads from MSNBC.

Heads on Morning Joe.

As I said will paint some of these. I love having my own coloring book. Total people. Depends on how you count them. 141 if I count all the contour drawings at the Dental College and in the crowd at the races.

Ttyl

Margaret who has to paint. Xoxoxo

Day 964 100 people in seven days Day SIX

March 11, 2017March 11, 2017Leave a comment

Time to finish up those 100 people. In the meantime there’s always the tv to draw from.

I am completely absorbed by the unfolding spy whodunnit on Eachel Maddow every nite on MSNBC. I even take notes and draw some of the talking heads or players in this dramatic story. Last nite it was General Flynn who was working for the Turkish government to the tune of $500000 while he was head of our National Security.

I don’t think Robert Ludlum or John Le Carre could make this stuff up. Just crazy stuff going on.

And yesterday ALL the holdover Obama attorneys were fired and told to clear out by close of business. Usually they stay to finish up their cases and then leave. Not this time. And Hannity a tv talking head seems to have precipitated it. Hmmm.

The double page spread. Still have to find one more head to draw.

Colors used. Quin coral and gold and burnt orange. Burnt umber and ultramarine and cerulean. A dab of orange.

Ttyl off to the flat track horse races in Aiken. No nekkid painting today. Going to miss my painting peeps.

Margaret xoxoxo who hopes it’s not freezing cold out today.

Day 963 Rachel Maddow!

March 10, 20173 Comments

These sketches brought the total of people drawn for the week to 82 or so. Has been riveting lately. It’s like watching a spy novel written by one of my favorite authors John Le Carre or Robert Ludlum unfolding in real life.

So why did I write all the notes?! My mind tends to drift when I don’t take notes. It’s rather like a doodle for me. It keeps my attention focused and it helps me remember what’s been said. Truly I think I would be paying attention with or without the note taking BUT I kind of like the way it looks too.

It’s my writing on my art work taken to the extreme. And you know I do love to write on my artwork. It gives a sort of Susan Shie flavor to it.

I almost left her without her black jacket and top painted. I took a pic like this in case but decided to paint it and I like it better painted.

Here’s the sketch.

And a sketch of her only guest that night US Congressman Eric Swalwell who is also fascinating. Not to sure how his right cheek got so much darker. Oh well. I guess I could go back and paint the other one but just been too busy. Getting close to the 100 people mark for the week.

The sketch. These are done in my Stillman and Birn Alpha with a Lamy Safari loaded with Lexington Gray ink.

Colors used. Quin gold Quin coral Quin burnt orange cerulean burnt umber ultramarine blue.

Ttyl

Margaret xoxoxo off to do her last ten people.

Day 955 Urban Landscape Knoxville

March 2, 20172 Comments

Yesterday we had at lunch Kathe Drew and I had a big discussion on gridding our paintings or not. Drews currently working on a huge painting of downtown Augusta. The view is five floors up and he’s frustrated trying to get all the buildings in to the scene.

I told him about drawing this view of downtown Knoxville last May. I was five stories up too at 7 am drawing away. It took about half an hour to draw this.

Most people looking at it would think that yes that’s exactly what Knoxville looks like but it’s not quite.

No matter how hard I try to plot the drawing of a cityscape like this I usually run out of room by the time I work right or left to the edges.

I end up leaving out buildings. I told Drew that as long as you get the important buildings in the skyline is recognizable. What would the Knoxville skyline look like without the Workds Fair golden globe or the the big basketball from the basketball hall of fame.

Some buildings are musts in the skyline. Other nobody will ever notice they are missing. Nobody has yet to say where’s xyz.

These are actually what I was looking like.

I didn’t even paint it so it looked like this.

I added nice dawn colors. Layering buildings with a base coating of Quin gold letting it dry and then painting it the colors of the buildings. It gives a nice early morning glow to the sketch.