Category: Travel

Day 2103 Another Day Another window

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You would be surprised to see what you can get drawn in line at a chic fil a. The line during lunch moves so slowly though they try their best to make it move quickly. Sooner or later I bet there will be a wreck between impatient customers waiting in those lines.

I was stopped in line when I drew the cars in roughly. And the stop sign the trees girl in the stand. That line took quite a while. As I was heading to home aka getting my food I was done.

Noodler brown Ink Lamy Ef hahnemuhle journal which is almost full.

Margaret Xoxoxoxo

Day 2079 did I say

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More museum. I also loved this Chinese guy. A seated dignitary. I wouldn’t want him looking at me. He’s scary looking. I tend to think I should have left him in sketch form. Same thing with the bodihsattva from yesterday. Oh well.

Same colors as yesterday. Bytw my twisbee has started dripping ink. Eeek. No idea why.

Somebody shoot me if I buy any other pen that a Lamy. Sooo reliable. Always work. Never drip. Guess I will toss it in the drawer with my Noodler pens. 😢

Margaret Xoxoxoxo who’s sleepy and ready for bed with my guy David Baldacci. New load of books from second and Charles. 🤗❤️

Day 2073 Those Kings

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Are painted now.

I just LOVE these silly guys.

I also painted this drawing of Elizabeth Catlettes marble Torso.

Torso is just van dyke brown and indigo yellow ochre background

The lokapala washed w yellow ochre added burnt sienna cad red light, van dyke brown, Vlads neutral tint, quin gold. Background cerulean

Hahnemuhle wc journal Twisbee Pen with Deartrementis document brown.

Margaret ready for the Memorial Day concert.

Day 2072 The Four Heavenly Kings

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Fell in love with these when I went to the Columbia Museum of Art last time. Today I returned to draw some of the statues and have one last look at the Pollock. It was 8×20’😳. Sadly it was gone but these cuties were still there part of the permanent collection right next to a gorgeous Botticelli. Do you think they would notice if I borrowed one for a while??! Too bad an art museum doesn’t lend art to their visitors like a library lends books.

While I am not a big fan of Renaissance art it’s hard not to appreciate this gorgeous painting which is about 4×5′ or so right next to the Lokapala.

I don’t know why but I just find these two guys charming. I am sure they were not meant to be charming but scary.

Bytw I drew two more figures before these. It was the fourth figure on the right before I started drawing well. I have a sketchbook full of Buddhas and saints now and a couple of Soda City street drawings. Now to get them painted.

I have to say the Columbia Art Museum was a lovely cool respite from the muggy 100 degree day outside at Soda City. You could have told me the queen of England was outside and I would not have left the cool museum.

Bytw the museum is only $5 on Saturday while Soda City is open (9-1pm).

Margaret ready for her cool comfy bed. Xoxoxoxo

Day 2054 Strancone, Italy done!!! Onward!!!

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At least for the monenbt. You never know. It’s subject to change right?! Until it’s framed.

At the end of class. Pallet colors same as Vld said to use. Mostly neutral tint cad red light cad yellow and cobalt today.

Thinking tomorrow or Thursday will try the beach scene we did the sepia sketch of. Lost my focal point but I can fix it in the final one. Should have been in the middle.

Like this one. Sigh.

Think I will draw the scene while I listen to tv. Lol. Can’t watch and draw right.

Spent half the day looking for paint. How can I be out of cobalt van dyke brown AND dioxzine purple. This method of painting uses shovel loads of paint. Need to buy the BIG tubes not the 16″5 oz. shoulda added to my Blick order. Sigh.

I ordered these during class Sunday and here they are already.

I did get a set of Escoda perla brushes from amazon because I could NOT get my black velvets to dry brush. They split.

Escoda perla 8,10,12 from top to bottom

If the perlas are good enough for Vlad, Iain Stewart and Joseph Zbukiv they are good enough for me. Suppose to make great calligraphic marks as well as do sweeping dry brush effects. Not a bad deal $30 for and 8 10 and a 12 travel brush Escoda perla Joseph Zbukiv Brand.

Homework from class. I couldn’t stand the tension of watching the battle this week in Game of Thrones. Eyes on paper. Eeekkk. Glad that episode is over.

Line practice

More homework from class. Supposedly if u draw two dots keep your pencil on left for eye on right dot you should get straight lines. Thinking not something to do during game of thrones or after four cups of high caffeine tea. Lol.

Margaret who has to make her clean bed first before she draws the scene so I can practice trees with my new brushes. Bet they will work on rocks too. Xoxoxo

Day 2053 Day 3 w Vlad

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So tired after three days of painting all day and family parties every night I drove home two and a half hours and crashed. Vlads luminous painting of Strancone Umbria Italy Class yesterday was again wonderful. He stayed til the bitter end far longer than he was required. I think he left at 6 not long after I did.

Mine at the end of class. NOT finished. I got into trouble AGAIN. Groan. I did my shadow wash to the wrong line on the drawing. I thought the wire line was where it was supposed to stop. I was painting so fast doing the wash I didn’t notice. I was going to flip it over and start again or paint white gouache over the left side when Vlad said no. Got a sea sponge and taped off the left section and the arch and blotted off the errant wash. Now I have to go back and repaint the windows.

At least my first wash went well. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Vlads soupy washes

Finished day 2 painting. A little dark. I wish I had lifted it with a sponge. And I may redo or look try my paintings for one to do in similar style. Everybody loves it but it looks dark in comparison to yesterday.

Will post yesterday’s when I finish it – hopefully tomorrow.

Vlad at lunch still instructing.

Perhaps the most exciting sharing watercolor teacher I have had. Always on, always instructing. Goes the extra mile. When not demoing hes walking the room helping students several times a day. Shares EVERYTHING he knows. Only John Salimen can compare as a teacher. Then dear Charles who also shares everything he knows as does John.

Tells funny stories and his Russian accent is icing on the cake.

Vlad’s Strancone Italy on his website for sale. I do like his sunflooded version better than the one we painted in class.

One of his funniest told with his Russian accent is we Russians line up for everything. We don’t know what line is for but we get in line anyway.

A fog it up example from his website.

Another funny story. He was telling us how to a paint a landscape similar to this one. He said with his Russian accent u need to fogk it up. We were all dead silent eyes large thinking he said THAT word. He said you know Fogk it up. Aka FOG to up. We burst out laughing after that. Watercolor teachers do NOT run to cussing let alone that word.

He’s also kind and considerate in his critique of your work and thinking of tailor made suggestions to improve what you do. I HIGHLY recommend him. If you cant take one of his classees get his dvd. I am sure its as wonderful as he is. Mine is on its way. He ran out before he got to our class.

Vlads palette and brushes

Two of Vlads paintings that will be for sale at Olmsted Plein Air this weekend.

HIS Plein Air painting in Havana. Said it was full of wonderful crumbly buildings and old cars. But take plenty of paper towels. They don’t have them. 😳 And he ran out when he was there. Oppss.

A lot of these are for sale on his website. Wishing I could afford one or two.

Margaret resting up after her travails. Xoxoxox

Day 1295 – More Flowers

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Day Two is in the bag. Another busy day.

I thought you might like to see how Charles painted this painting.

The world famous coot is the bird in the picture. I wonder how many times he has painted it.

First break.

Second break. He takes breaks every 20 minutes or so.

Third break.

Fourth break. Aka DONE!!!

My sketch. Drawing the recorder was such a pain.

I tried really hard to let the paint mingle on the page. As Charles says watercolor is 50% the painter 50% the watercolor doing its thing.

We ate at Vic’s on E Bay last nite. Shrimp and grits for dinner. Then we rode around Savannah a bit. It rained a lot so not many pictures.

The Mercer House was The House in the book Midnight in Garden of Good and Evil.

An old Jewish Schul across the square from the Mercer House.

Off to class. More tomorrow Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1218 Urban Sketching

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My nieces sweet house where I stayed in Charlotte for class. It’s just a small house but the perfect size with a small perfect kitchen fabulous bathrooms. Three bedrooms and hardwood floors. Screened porch and front porch. A great yard. What else do you need. Oh handy to downtown class

Drawn with a Lamy Safari in my stillman and birn. I painted this with my paints left from class. DS sepentine Green House grass with a dab of hookers Mineral violet shadows yellow ochre for the trim. Roof trees are manganese and quin sienna. Trees have a dab of burnt umber as does the fence. Manganese sky. A bit of alizarin crimson for the pinks added while wet. And some brilliant purple for the iris.

All the painting was done wet on wet so the colors would mingle on the page.

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1163 Excitement

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This letter from WordPress Discover was in my in box this am. Too exciting. 🤗

I’ve selected your site (https://margaretmccarthyhunt.com/) for Discover (https://discover.wordpress.com); our team has promoted one of your posts in the past, but we also think your entire site is great, with new art frequently posted, so we wanted to designate it as a recommended site pick.Your site will appear on Discover on January 12. Thanks so much for continuing to publish with us and happy 2018!🤗👍🏻🎉

🔘Now about that picture. A remembrance of our adventure at the Center for the Puppetry Arts a big hit with Henry and I. The troupe does an amazing job. Extremely professional and a very well done show.

The painting is done with Ted Nuttalls transparent palette in my Stillman and Birn Alpha drawn with one of my Lamy’s.

The museum is incredible. A great Jim Henson section. Yes Kermit and Miss Piggy are there. And the Fraggles. Historical puppets from around the world. Indian shadow puppets. l Lots of interactive child friendly exhibits.

A Chines puppet I think. Scar from Lion King. The large puppets from War Horse.

Just a great place. Henry wanted to go again and see the Gingerbread Boy show. We should have. So much easier than Fernbank.

Put the Center for the Puppetry Arts on your must see Atlanta list. You will love it. Ask Henry!!

Margaret xoxoxox whose excited about WordPress Discover!! Yeah