I throw sunflower seeds out to the birds and squirrels just so they will model for me. Shhh they don’t know it. They are just getting fat for the winter.

These are all done in my small old 5×7″ watercolor moleskin. Some on toned pages pressured with yellow ochre.

I released the watercolor and inktense pencil with that ratty tea bag left over from my morning tea because I was too sorry to get up and get some water.

Back to the tea bag. I just put it down on the cardinals and pulled it across the birds smearing the watercolor pencil. Kind of like the effect.

I think some of these would be fun done as long strips on that long skinny leftover watercolor paper we all have. Maybe I need to add a few pieces to my pile on the den coffee table. It all helps to have everything right there where you like to sit and knit or watch tv.

Hugs Margaret who is NOT watching the news all day today. Really I am not well maybe not. Another wild crazy day in DC. Xoxoxo.

Backporch Birds #cardinal #dove #finch #augusta #georgia #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #atlanta #watercolor #evans #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #drawing #travelblogger #sketching #lifemodel #charlesreid #artinthemountain #geese #wildlife #birdsofinstagram #birds

Dancing the Night Away has won a prize at the South Carolina Watermedia Show. Of course I won’t know what the prize is til I go to the reception on Oct 6 at the City Art Gallery in Columbia. Cross your fingers and toes for me please.

Finally finished these socks and they are off to their new home. #winteriscoming

Margaret who is still worn out from her Atlanta trip topped off with book club.

Dance the night Away is a Winner at the SC State Watermedia Show. No idea what it won but it won. Hurrah. #southcarolina #cityart #acrylic #lechat #lechatnoir #dancing #burlesque #augusta #columbia #atlanta #scws #allaprima #impasto

Off to book club and want to post before I go. Still need to work on the background. And what’s with the red patch on her chest.

Maybe she’s just fit for garden mulch?!!

The sketch first break

Second break. One thing about a good sketch is that you don’t want to screw it up which inhibits you.

Third break

Fourth break

And the way she looks now. A mess.

Margaret off to book club after racing back from Atlanta. Kate Marie Cofsky awesome mode @katemariecofsky 16×22” fluid watercolor paper. #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #atlanta #atlantaartistcenter #lostedges #allaprima #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #drawing #sketching #travel #lifemodel #charlesreid

Always worth a drive to Atlanta to draw the amazing Miss Kate Marie Cofsky. She can do poses I have only seen one other model do.

All those arms and legs going different directions make for insane tough drawing. And she’s so slim. Don’t want to draw her fat. The things she did with that darn rope. Like I was at Dr Sketchys.

Second break.

Third break

Done. Think I could use a touch more work on her right arm and maybe add some more darks to the background. I used cerulean. Cobalt might be a better choice to make the figure pop more.

Fluid 140# cold press watercolor paper

Paints – Holbein M Graham or Daniel Smith

flesh-cad red light and yellow ochre.

Shadows-Cerulean cad red light and burnt sienna.

Hair -hansa yellow yellow ochre raw umber.

Throws-Brilliant orange raw umber ultramarine for the brown and orange.

Rope-quin gold cerulean and burnt sienna.

Tomorrow another day of drawing Miss Kate. She has something planned already. Margaret ready for a nap but might do her sons dishes first. Xoxoxo

Kate Marie Cofsky awesome mode @katemariecofsky 16×22” fluid watercolor paper. #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #atlanta #atlantaartistcenter #lostedges #allaprima #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #drawing #sketching #travel #lifemodel #charlesreid

getting tired of drawing my own hand.

I mean how many ways can you twist your hand to draw it differently.

These are colored with watercolor pencils and then wet. You never know how they will turn out. I used the watery brush I released the pencil with to splatter the pages.

Glued on some ephemera we all accumulate in our lives. That stuff is making the sketchbook heavy.

Margaret off to Atlanta to draw at Atlanta Artist Center tomorrow. Kate Marie here I come. Xoxoxo

100 hands …got to 10 I think #hands #stillmanandbirn #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #atlanta #atlantaartistcenter #lostedges #charlesreid #watercolor #drawing #sketching #lifemodel

I decided to use my Bob Burridge color wheel for my limited palette.

I think all the sugar from the cookies fried my brain today I felt like sludge til Fred made me a latte espresso.

Main colors used were alizarin cerulean cobalt ultramarine a Daniels smith green and cad yellow deep. Strathmore Bristol Board.

Margaret who is still Tahred. Fred. Where’s my latte?!! 🤗xoxoxo

Her foreshortened right arm was a problem. Also the fact that there’s no room to stand back and look at your sketch.

Thomas Needhams lovely small watercolor.

Always enjoy what Fred comes up with besides a great latte. He’s getting a Bob Burridge good proof color wheel too. Makes it so easy to choose a limited palette.

Don’t forget about BobBlasts by Bob Burridge. 220 videos on YouTube about painting and drawing. Probably my fav YouTube artist.

Another lovely head sketch from Jeremy Sutherland.

Amy Lockhart Ness what a long way she has come so fast. Watercolor I think.

Dawns pastel. Really dramatic improvement. She decide to use a pencil sketch.

Al Beyer’s lovely head. Small oil.

Bill Daniels really did a great job today. Limited palette oil.

I think her name is Eve. Lovely charcoal.

Our other model Ilania’s limited palette pencil sketch of Emily.

That’s a wrap folks. Ttyl. Nap time. Going to stream some Bobblasts and do nothing for a while.

Emily #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #southcarolina #aiken #charlesreid #watercolor #artist #painter #aquarelle #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #drawing #sketching #holbein #drawing #sketching #lifemodel

Or a little urban sketching. a little sloppy because it suooode to get paint. What can I say? And oops I ran out of room for the cross on top of the altar and was busy making big cookies instead of painting.

I always love to go to meetings at Sacred Heart.

My favorite spot to urban sketch in Augusta.

And today was a treat because the light was streaming thru all the fabulous stained glass windows that I faced.

Ok so I got lost in cookie land again and almost forgot to post. Oopsey. Will try to do better. Hmm I have another three dozen to ice. All my friends said I just want one. So I had to make more. Well shortly I will get over the cookie decorating urge I hope.

Margaret ready to go to bed and have sweet dreams. Did I say I saw this really cute video of hammerhead shark videos my grandson would flip out over?! Yum yum. I do love a good sugar cookie. Even tastier when made with Kerrygold butter. Xoxoxox

Who says sugar cookies can’t be artwork? Been working on these for two days along with a few jillion cheese crackers.

First time ever making royal icing too. Was so happy when the icing hardened up so I could wrap these babies up for delivery to Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman a local artist and the genius behind the Happy stickers buttons and the Happy movie.

You can follow him on Instagram @pantone811.

He gives his stickers and buttons a ya for free.Truly an Augusta phenomenon. Leonard had a real sweet tooth so every now and then I leave a batch of cookies for him at art on Broad for him. Usually they are chocolate chip. This time they are hand cut out and decorated sugar cookies based on a sidewalk drawing he did a few weeks ago. I saw the drawings and watched a baking show and thought those sketches would be perfect for some cookies.

Voila they are here. Only problem I may have to make a few more since friends want some too. Groan. Too hot to bake right now.

Margaret xoxoxox who thinks cookies can be art.

What happens when you watch too many baking shows!! Bringing some happy cookies to @pantone811 tomorrow. Wait for the phone call. #sugarcookies #cute #happy #pantone811 #porkchop #augusta #georgia #cookies #baking #baker #royalicing #makemyporkchop

we either have plenty of lifemodeling or none. Sept 1 there was none. Now we can go twice a week.

I think Ilania#2 ‘s head is too small.

I measured it and it’s not but….

I know I need to slim down her back. Maybe that’s it?! Doesn’t seem to help. Hmmm. Maybe paint the back of her head. Sigh. So aggravating.

However I like her hands. Drawing the hands drove me cray cray because they kept going to sleep on Ilania and she would move them just as I was drawing them. Something she never does !!

Ilania #1 – we all know our early because we thought the session was over. slimmed down a bit. Don’t wealk wish we could get on a diet. Loose 20 lb with a pencil mark or two?!!! Oops it wasn’t. So I worked on this some more. I can usually nail Ilania. And profile a piece of cake. Not today. Argh.

#2 Derwent sketch pencil Strathmore Bristol and watercolor. Same old colors. Cad red light and cad yellow light for the skin. Burnt sienna cerulean and dioxzine shadows. Hair burnt sienna ultramarine and burnt umber.

My friend Drew Murphys at the almost last break. Oops. He want happy with it at all. We both were having that kinda day.

Bill Daniels did an excellent face. Oil. Over Saturdays painting I think.

Marilyn Hartley. What a great job.

Rich’s I think. But not sure.

A new lady whose name I don’t know. It was a lot of scribbles for a while. You can still see a lot of them. Very interesting.

More tomorrow. Baked a jillion sugar cookies and cheese crackers for a party tomorrow. Maybe I can tear myself away from frosting the cookies to fix Ilania’s back poor baby.

Xoxoxo Margaret who needs her head examine baking for three hours on what feels like the hottest day of the year. Ilainia @ilainavanpelt details @ http://www.margaretmccarthyhunt.com #strathmore #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #atlanta #lostedges #allaprima #aiken #augusta #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #drawing #Sketching #charlesreid #nude