Another Decatur urban sketch. The gazebo downtown. I think the proportions are right. And of course none of the people were there at the same time.
And what was I thinking dropping the one girl smack in the middle. She walked by and I drew her right where she was. Oopsey.
Margaret baking cookies. Xoxoxo
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. 
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
Searle’s sketch of the great trumpet player Al Hirt. Just a perfect drawing. The essences the man. 
New Orleans. Love the sketch scratchy lines. 
This one is just too funny. 
Who knew Eskimo parkas need a trim
Hahahaha
I am with the reindeer. Stay in the warm bed Boy. Ignore Santa. 
And well what can I say. ROFL.
Promise something new tomorrow.
Hugs Margaret in Decatur xoxoxo
Got the perfect book from Amazon right before I and taking an plein air urban sketching painting class from the great Vlad Yeliseyev a Russian emigre whose an amazing plein air watercolor artist that I ran across at Olmsted Plein Air last year. 
Been trying to find a class with him since and one unexpectedly popped up so back to Atlanta tomorrow.
Las Vegas
The book is a huge coffee table book in near mint condition.
San Francisco
Normally the book costs $85.
Central Park
Used the book was $30. Score.
China Town
NYC
even Disney cartoonist where inspired by him. This is 101 Dalmatians.
His tools. Hard to see in the small book pic so I took one of it to see what everything was. Where’s my black grease pencil?!
Just love this book. Go get your own on Amazon. In my dreams I draw as well as Searle.
How can you go wrong with these two hysterical American icons?!
Margaret off to book club and then Atlanta tomorrow. Xoxoxox call me yo-yo!!
My favorite Paris sketch. Three glasses of wine on the boat made it seem a good idea to walk a mile and half down the quai pronounced key to the Lit up flashing Eiffel Tower were I sat on a curb and drew this. What were we thinking?! A highlight of our trip and we lived to tell it lol.
Back to the boat to listen to Nickie to serenade us up the Seine.
A couple of composite sketches of houses and buildings as they passed by the ship. We were going too fast to draw each town we passed just the way it looked but you do get the flavor of the place as we passed by and many bits do look just like the town especially the locks picture.
Bytw if you dispare of ever being able to afford a cheap Viking trip. Call them like we did. Ask what the cheapest trip they have is and when it’s leaving. You might be in for a surprise. Our trip cost $2100 including air fare from Atlanta and all the beer and wine we could drink at meals AND ALL the tours but Versailles or the Louvre. Not a sou More did we pay for our trip. Well there was a three day extension at a posh hotel the Rochester on Rue de la Boitie just 3 blocks off the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Not bad and they pick you up from the airport whisk you to your destination. You never touch your suitcase once u leave the US. Hurrah. Run and book one. Let me know where u are going.
Margaret recovering from her trip planning to head back to Atlanta on Wednesday for my class. Xoxoxox
Happy Easter!! We are busy with the Easter bunny. How about you. 
Manets beloved Rouen cathedral. He only painted it 26 28 times. I stood across the street in the Rue de Gros Horlages and drew it in a typical French drizzly rain on Veterans Day.
St Maclou and old medieval buildings in Rouen. The people were not there at the same time. I dropped them in as they walked thru the plaza. Once again drawn in the drizzly rain. Who cares!? C’est la vie!
The Rouen market square where Julia Childe ate her first French food a file of sole aka flounder. Sounds better en Francais n’est pas?
The highest point in Paris – Montmartre topped by Sacre Couer and St Dennis cathedrals churches?! What a view!
The infamous Moulin Rouge at the bottom of the hill.
Back to Easter activities. Hope yours is full of family fun.
Margaret in Decatur xoxoxo
Am alphabet done with a namiki Fude Noodler Eelskin Black Ink.
A sketch I did at Hunans during Masters Week. The guy on left works for NBC sports and was having an avid discussion on shots for tv with his coworker who walked off before I got a chance to draw him. Not my fav sketch. Should have left his hat off which is how I drew him first.
Lamy Ef Watercolor pencils and inktense pencils.
Journaling is done with a watercolor pencil that I dropped and splattered clear water over.
And I had Livie age 4 draw a page in it which seems to be a good way of keeping up with what she’s up too. Have to add her story that she has that goes with it.
Margaret who has to boil Easter eggs. Xoxoxox
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From my Biking cruise from Paris to Normandy. 
First night on the Champs d’Elysses. Who doesn’t love the arc de Triomphe and a rainy night in Paris.
All the variety of doors just fascinated me. I could have filled a book with doors and 
The amazing variety of lampposts.
Drawing in the Louvre. Who knew you weren’t suppose to?! And I sat in the main hall near the Mona Lisa drawing away. I mean they had these really comfy sofas.
Whiskey painter box Noodler Ahab pen platinum black ink strathmore mixed media sketchbook
Back to grandkids. Truly Margart Xoxoxoxo in Decatur.
Not wild about this drawing of the cutest little shop on a trailer. I like the people walking and talking. I LOVE the little building. Had wierd things like flying pigs and Campbell’s soup can chicken clocks that where too much fun.
Nobody to buy them from that I could tell but what a nifty way to do a craft show. Pull up. Open your two sides up with a drop leaf desk type of thing lower the steps and you are open for business. Of course you have to stick around and sell stuff right?! Hmmm.
Derwent Watercolor pencils Lamy Ef Eelskin ink hahnemuhle journal
Margaret off to Atlanta in the am but would rather stay home on the sofa. Did I say Henry has lost his first tooth?’ 😳👍🏻🤗Xoxoxoxo
Cute shop at Soda City #urbansketching #ink #lamyjoy #stillmanandbirn #columbia #sc #southcatolina #mainst #drawing #sketching #streetfestival #downtown #Sketchbookskool #sodacity
I decided to draw the state capital again since I had messed up the perspective on the last one. 
I had drawn the capital dome higher than the buildings on Main. 
It’s really the other way around. Buildings taller than the capital.
And don’t forget to make all the peoples heads the same height. Something I have learned since I did the Notre Dame sketch. Oopsey. We live and we learn right?
Bytw speaking of Notre Dame great youtube to listen to all the French churches ringing their bells together 48 hours after the fire started. The video starts with St Denis Cathedral. After decaptitation on Montmartre St Denis is the patron saint of Paris and France who walked around Paris with his head under his arm I think around 300 AD.
One more story about St Denis. We were in France during the bombings of the Bataclan. All public buildings shut down our last day. We stayed out in Conflans outside Paris to be safe.
Then Viking got us up at 5 am to drive to Charles De Gaulle right thru St Denis where the bombers were found three days later. Not a very safe route. We also went right by the Basilica of St Denis where he is buried.
Of course missing Versailles and d’Orsay is a reason to return right?! And I can light a candle at Notre Dame or nearby Sainte Chapelle.
Hahnemuhle journal watercolor pencils Lamy EF Eelskin ink
Margaret Xoxoxoxo
Drawing the state capitol #urbansketching #ink #lamyjoy #stillmanandbirn #columbia #sc #southcatolina #mainst #drawing #sketching #streetfestival #downtown #Sketchbookskool #sodacity
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 