Category: Travel journal

Another day another palm

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Didn’t mean to make the ocean so rough. Maybe it’s an inadvertent portent of Dorian out in the Atlantic. Poor Bahamas. So relieved it’s not us.

Same colors as yesterday. The straits of Florida are painted with peacock Cheap Joes Andrews Turquoise and Dioxzine purple. I also splattered with some of those colors. Soupy brush and tap the brush NOT the Ferrell.

I took advantage of the opaqueness of cad red and yellow light to tap some flowers over the foreground greenery.

Sky. Cerulean and fab off some of to make clouds add dabs of Dioxzine purple and dab them odd again with a dry wadded Kleenex.

Painted with my saber brush a size 8 isabey sable and my 10 Charles Reid Sable.

Superaquabee paper. Really love that paper. It dries flat when you close the sketchbook. You can also lift mistakes a bit.

Out the window at the condo. Kinda like this. Think I MIGHT not paint it or add a bit of color just a little. Will think about it.

Lamy Ef noodler eelskin Black Ink stillman and birn Zeta.

Margaret whose watching Mindhunter on Netflix 😳😳😳xoxoxo

Busy perfect day!!

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Since Dorian is not blowing in it seems to have cooled off with lots of great breezes. Spent the day drawing painting chasing chickens for pictures. This guy is a mean character but oh so gorgeous with his yellow gold ruff.

Superaquabee paper is great to draw and paint on. Smooth as butter and LOVES watercolor. Easier to blend on.

Eaton Street View from Cole Peace bakery window. Rough press Arches

Palm trees coming along. Used the Vlad Yesilev saber brush. Might help that I had a couple of daiquiris. 🤗

Mile high Key Lime pie from lunch the other day and our view of Higgs Beach from Saluté on the Beach.

Painted the palm tree the same way same colors as first one. Do not like this one nearly as well. Almost like the paint would stick to the paper in my Stillman and Birn Zeta.

Palm tree colors leaves cad yellow light chrome green hookers green ultramarine blue.

Water is Cheap Joes Andrews Blue and peacock blue. Dab of mineral violet.

Margaret ready to read her new Carl Hiassen book. Xoxoxo

Ibis time

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You know I love to draw a bird. And ibis are so interesting. They just about lose so you can draw them. These were drawn at the Kew West Wildlife Center here. Found out recently they live in Augusta too. Now I wonder if they are the small white birds I see flying up and down the Savannah. Anyway fascinating birds with their pink bills and legs. They love dog food. Bought a sack of kitty snacks today in hopes of feeding them and getting them to pose for me.

Cerulean and quin gold on bodies. Quin coral on beans and feet. Cerulean blue eyes. Such lovely birds.

Background burnt sienna burnt umber mineral violet quin gold hookers green

Lamy pen eelskin black ink superaquabee tablet.

Margaret sitting out the hurricane in Key West. It’s heading north to Georgia so don’t worry. We should be high and dry.

Xoxoxox

Palm tree practice

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Sat out at the pool house today painting palm trees that I can see.

#1. Grass needs something.

It was 106 with the heat index or I might have painted more.

Number 2. Not a bit better Maybe worse. I was using my perla brush held sideways to do the leaves.Number 3 and my favorite. I used a dagger brush in the palm fronds. And my 10 Charles Reid sable on the trunk.

Number 4 I think.

Like the last two the best. And I like the ground in both. However I could use more palm practice. Lots more.

Trunk cerulean and burnt sienna. Palm – quin gold, cad yellow, cad red, cerulean, ultramarine, burnt sienna and umber.

Paper superaquabee

Same colors in the grass.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Palm tree practice

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Sat out at the pool house today painting palm trees that I can see.

#1. Grass needs something.

It was 106 with the heat index or I might have painted more.

Number 2. Not a bit better Maybe worse. I was using my perla brush held sideways to do the leaves.Number 3 and my favorite. I used a dagger brush in the palm fronds. And my 10 Charles Reid sable on the trunk.

Number 4 I think.

Like the last two the best. And I like the ground in both. However I could use more palm practice. Lots more.

Trunk cerulean and burnt sienna. Palm – quin gold, cad yellow, cad red, cerulean, ultramarine, burnt sienna and umber.

Paper superaquabee 6×12″

Same colors in the grass.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 3 selfie 3

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Collages background with black and white polka tissue paper some old ledger paper from the family business and some scrapbook paper.

Drew on it with brown ink and then slapped paint on. I really don’t feel like painting. Too busy worrying about loading up my car and driving home at noon. And then onto Daytona by bedtime. Believe it or not we made it. 900 miles later I am sitting on a sofa in Key West and already drawing the sights. Will share them soon.

Margaret who will be recovered soon and start painting xoxoxo

Day 2 selfies ðŸ˜±ðŸ˜±ðŸ˜±

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A total freak out from this angle. Interesting gesso covered paper.

All the odd marks on it are stamps. Some old Tim Holts that I had never used. Coat the paper with gesso and then stamp in it while it’s wet.

More Dr PH Martin hideous watercolor. 18×24″. Rice Paper gessoed to some Cheap canson watercolor paper.

Myrna’s selfie using this technique and stamping dots over it.

A strange surface to paint on. Rather like painting on concrete. Do not use your good sable brushes if u try this technique.

Myrna lots of fun. Her idea of a good show name is The opposite of irony is wrinkly:Faces and Hands. 🤣

Got lost looking at Myrna’s series based on one photo. There are several but this is one. Quite an inspiring lady!!!

Margaret ready for bed. Xoxoxo

Selfie time

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Eeekkk. Tyvek selfie 18×24″ Dr Ph Martin Hydrous Watercolor.

Taking a class with Myrna Wackov. Check the link her fascinating website and blog. Quite interesting all self portraits on strange surfaces. Today was tyvek a plastic material that houses are wrapped with – that white outer layer before the siding goes on. Yes you can use watercolor on it.

She had us sketch a selfie three Times using contour drawings.

Photos were taken by reversing iPhoto and using a timer delay. Then looking down at the phone. Always a scary proposition. Try it for some whacky selfies.

Then we drew it with a needle nosed bottle on the tyvek w well Karen and I used diluted burnt sienna Dr PH Martin watercolor. It disappears leaving no lines.

Then we added watery Dr PH Martin watercolor. I actually drew with the end of my perla paint brush dipped into the watery dark hair paint to get the thin lines. I also used my Isabey squirrel mops. Did my Charles Reid splatters. Turning it into a soppy mess.

Myrna uses all kinds of things to paint and draw with – sharpened chop sticks coffee stirrers mop strings even tampex. Yes you read that right!!

One last thing about this wonderful product. You can wipe it off while wet. You can even use the Kleenex used to wipe out to stamp color elsewhere. Strange stuff tyvek. Also what post office mailers are made of.

Margaret exhausted Xoxoxox

Barred rocks rock

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Did I say I LOVE drawing chickens??? Worth a ride to key west to just draw chickens.

I actually followed the chickens around at the homestead in the great Smokey’s National Park to draw these Barred Rocks. Too much fun.

I used to not like chickens. That’s before I started drawing them in all their infinite variety.

And somebody please tell me why I love to draw anything and everything when I am out of town. Staring at a bulldog lamp that’s saying draw me draw me. I don’t get that at home.

Lamy Ef strathmore 500 wc paper cerulean burnt umber ultramarine quin red quin gold.

Margaret who has to do a self portrait tomorrow. Eeekk. Xoxox

Day 2126 Motor Supply Bistro

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In Columbia is hard to beat for food or ambience. I met my sister in law there for her belated birthday dinner.

Had delicious wild caught SC shrimp for a Sunday brunch with a bed of Anson grits and a blood orange cocktail. Think it was a martini. Did I say this place never disappoints. So yummy.

Cocktails are also interesting and off beat. Blood orange anything is hard to beat.

I was sitting in the bar area drawing this as people drifted to and fro at the bar.

Drawn with my Lamy Ef loaded w Noodlers Brown Ink. Maybe I will paint it. Maybe I won’t.

Margaret xoxoxo who has been schleepping all over town for safflower seed. Evidently the squirrels hate it. Who knew. Thanks Miss Mike for the tip. Xoxoxox