Day 360 – Island Dreaming 2

July 3, 2015July 3, 20152 Comments

I repainted it. This one is larger than the first one. 12×18

I am much happier with this painting than the last. If I could change anything it would to have used a light hand on the porch across the house. I would have liked to have done it more like the next picture. Maybe one more go round?! Probably not.

This was mostly painted with my Isabey mops. Next time I am putting up all my paint brushes but the mops so the small ones don’t call me. You paint a lot looser with the mops. Try them. You will love them.

Really like this glow. I should have taken a break and thought a while before I painted the bottom half of the painting.

Colors used : cad orange and Aureolin yellow, cerulean, mineral Violet, cobalt, every green I have, Inathridone, burnt umber and vermilion to make the grey on the Palm trunks. Some Quin red.

Here’s version 1 of Island Dreaming. I actually do like it just wish I had not gotten the tower as dark as it is. Which one do u like best??

Thanks for reading.

Margaret ️xxx

Day 352 – More Super Deluxe Bee

June 26, 2015June 25, 2015Leave a comment

workout.

As you no doubt know I love sketching and lettering with my Noodler pens. They make such great lines. HOWEVER most bound sketchbooks do not like them. Well I don’t like the way the paper in them bounces when I try to draw on them leading by to stray marks I didn’t intend to do. I love the Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Paper but it feels oddly spongy and draggy to me when I use the pens on it.

Crosshatching – if you don’t use crosshatching the lines are streaky. Add in the cross lines the streaks go away.

NOT so with the Superbee. The letters are sharp and clear on the paper as are the sketches. There’s no drag on the pen so it’s easier to write the letters. Of course more practice would help. Big believer in practice even in art.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 351 – Tomato Pie Time!!

June 24, 2015June 24, 20156 Comments

Nothing says summer like an heirloom tomato pie! I made two tomato pies today and since this recipe is frequently requested I decided to draw it.

I am going to take u thru it as the recipe evolved.

The pie fresh out of the oven. Lots of yellows, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cad red light, green apatite and dark neutrals.

The ink sketch. I usually pencil in a recipe to be sure I don’t run out of room for anything. Then I ink it.

I laid in a yellow wash first. And dropped bits of yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cad red light, green apatite and dark neutrals while the pie was still wet.

Line green background added and more dark neutral around for the pies edge inside the crust.

I added the cad red line because as usual I smeared the bottom edge into the white. Maybe one day I will learn to keep my band out of the paint. MaYbE!! I can only hope. I also added more dark neutral around the edge of the pie inside the crust fluting and wiped some of the purple under the leaves off. Too purple.

Listening to a thomas Schaller video yesterday. He said you could tell when a painting is done when u start telling yourself I need to do one more thing. I Reinked the letters after I thought I was done not sure I like them.

I also sponged on a little dark neutral to make the surface shadows and it’s done.

I found this recipe from a book called ‘Pon Top Edisto when I was looking for my copy. It’s a great cookbook. Some people add onions. A little or a lot. Cooked or not. Thought garlic might be a tasty addition. And grits would be oh so tasty or fresh corn on the cob.
Thanks for reading

Margaret xxx

Day 347 – Key West Dreaming

June 21, 2015Leave a comment

We are off to Key West for fun and sketching in a few weeks. I know we are going to be eating at a lot of great restaurants.

Key West A sunny place for shady people!!

El Meson de Pepe. Lots of atmosphere but the margaritas were weak and the conch fritters rubber.

Blue Heaven aptly named. The food is amazing. Atmosphere funky with loads of chickens who beg.

My review of Blue Heaven. A definite we shall return.

The double page spread.

If being wrapped in palms is cozy the Bistro on Duval is a must. Food was ok. Great waitress. Great atmosphere. Killer deserts.

Watercolor and ink in a moleskine landscape watercolor book.

Hopefully more tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

Margaret xxx

Day 339 – Sgt. Wyatts Bar B Que

June 12, 2015June 12, 2015Leave a comment

Sgt Wyatts Barbecue is around the corner from one of my kids. I keep thinking we need to stop. It’s so funky and charming it’s been on my to draw list for a while. It’s bright yellow and sags a lot. Smoke billows from the chimney.

I found this photo of the side fence when I was looking for more information about it. I forgot to write on two signs and used artistic license after I found this photo on http://foodio54.com/restaurant/Atlanta-GA/20836/Wyatts-Diner. Evidently the food is really good. It’s moved up my list to try next time I am in East Atlanta. Most of the reviews are great.

The old Chevrolet truck was at Flying Biscuit on Piedmont Ave. I think I need an old Chevy truck. Thought of fit with the funkiness of Sgt Wyatts building so I added it.

Yellow is Aureolin yellow and yellow Ochre, grey my current fav Inathradone blue and burnt umber. Green roof was painted with a viridian green dulled with a burnt sienna.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 312 – sketching the grandkids

May 17, 2015May 17, 20152 Comments

Difficult to say the least. Henry holds still better than Livia who is always reaching for something or other.

Henry loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates and sits fairly still while watching them.

Here’s another one. The tiny feet are so sweet but hard to draw. I was using a sort of contour drawing to do all these not a searching sketchy line with my Noodle Creaper Ahab. Love that pen.

One last sketch. I will paint these with watercolor soon.

My favorite Livia sketches. Most of these were disasters because she rarely holds still more than a second.

Check back. More later!!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret XXX

Day 305 – a Review of the Weeks Paintings

May 9, 2015May 9, 2015Leave a comment

As no doubt you have noticed we all loved out week with Fealing Lin at Cheap Joes in Boone NC last week. If it weren’t for Mother’s Day I think we would still be there painting. A great teacher and the set up at Cheap Joes is just awesome. Everybody has their own table. A huge flat screen tv to watch teacher demos. Awesome lunches. What more can I say. Take a class at Cheap Joes(www.CheapJoes.com) and or a class from Fealing (www.fealinglin.com).

Most still need a few more touches but will set them out and stare at them first. Then they are FOR SALE!!

Man from Shanghai or Opium smoker. 15×22 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller

The debate still rages over what exactly is in his pipe.

Ben

15×22 cold press 140# Fabriano

He recieved several proposals from mothers of single daughters!!

Kenyatta 15×11 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller

Hair needs more curls and that brown spot on the left has got to go.

Fisherman from Falmouth

15×11 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller
From an old photo from around 1900 aka out of copyright

TIP: Did you know that all government photos are copyright free. The Library of Congress has a wealth of old black and white photos COPYRIGHT free at http://www.loc.gov 

Boone

15×22 cold press 300# Stephen Quiller

I am I love with painting old wrinkly weathered guys with beards and mustaches.

Thanks for reading!!

Margaret XXX

Day 261 – Tom Cat

May 4, 20152 Comments

Is astray my son found in the wheel well of a boat trailer years ago. He was so small you could hold him on the palm of your hand and covered with flea dirt. Now he’s a sleek with red orange fur that absolutely glows when he sits out in the sun on the back deck.

I drew this while he was asking to go out the screen porch. He’s an in and out yowly cat. Yowling incessantly to go in and out.

Day 285 – headin home.

April 19, 2015Leave a comment

Hallelujah. I am ready to sleep in my bed.

The park the old cabins the wildlife were charming but it’s zoe time!!!

I have at least ten pages of sketches done however no pics.

So here’s a few of the inner bean. I will be there soon.

Day 282 – Cataract Falls

April 15, 2015April 15, 20152 Comments

Took a nice walk behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center to Cataract Falls.

The waterfalls are difficult to draw with water threading over dark black rock. I am going to add some white gouache to the water to see if it perks it up a little. It was drawn with my Noodler Ahab in my S&B Zeta with caran d’ache.

I could not resist drawing the lady who was there taking pics of it. She had such an intersting stance I could not resist. Then she started talking to me. Scary!! What if she wanted to look?!