Her way to cheer someone up. I started her with watercolor pencils but shifted to regular watercolor. Pen is sepia Pitt pen on 140 Fluid cold press paper.
Colors used yellow ochre Burnt sienna burnt umber ultramarine.
Margaret ready to put on her jammies and warm up at her house. Xoxoxo
Half sheet Fabriano. 300#
Took a day long online class from Vlad yesterday. Have to say it was the best class EVER and I have two masters aka taken a lot of classes.
The photo
I have taken classes from some great art teachers Charles Reid and John Salimen who I would take more from if they were on line. Vlad just shares all his knowledge and the man knows ALOT!
I have had some teachers that spent the class trying to sell you their stuff. Annoying and not what I paid for. I have had other teachers that don’t tell you all the info to do what you are trying to do. Also annoying. I have had teachers who never explain things only demo and then want to fix your painting when he doesn’t like what you did. Annoying and NOT helpful.
Value study. Kinda like it a lot.
the sketch
First wash.
He showed us how to do the sky. His approach is quite interesting. Three four colors all wet on wet. Lotsa water. Let it dry. I defy you to reproduce this sky.
Onto the next layers
The class was very interactive. We could talk to him and he could see what we were doing one at a time. I learned a lot. I even learned some new things about perspective. Two points. The vanishing point and the point of sight lines from the person taking the picture.
Jamie Oliver’s ez pizza and scones from his YouTube. His pizza is a dump pizza. Use what u have and the toppings I ised were delicious. Was not fond of the crust. Will use yeast dough next time and yes I will do it again. There’s also a very tasty pot of his minestrone soup from YouTube.
Then I cooked all morning today and painted all afternoon. So tired I can barely type.
A beginning but lots left to do. The gazebo on Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park. Did not like it at all when I went to bed last nite but today in daylight I do. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.
The photo. 
It’s a popular spot where the ducks teem to get fed. 
The value sketch. Ready to be hung at the Louvre🤣. Wasn’t sure I wanted boats. They aren’t allowed in the lake but I went with the flow. We always do these first w a 2B pencil and cheap printer paper on a clip board.
The sketch. Rough 300# Fabriano. No more Arches for me. Sorry for the bad photo. Can not improve it. I tried. Drawn w an hb pencil.
First wash. Colors used yellow ochre cobalt blue alizarin dioxizine purple.
I was not suppose to leave all the white in the water. Trying to follow him who is painting lightening fast and cover a half sheet. Groan. I did use my big size 16 kolinsky from Cheap Joes. But still. I do better for details like leaving white columns on the gazebo and making them straight with my 14 kolinsky from Cheap Joes. In my next life I am getting a Raphael or Windsor Newton. Hmm maybe I should try my mop next time.
Moving onto darker colors. But still very sheer. I have to admit painting with Vlad is like running a road race always trying to catch up with the number one runner. Leaves me worn out but in a good way.
How it looked when I quit for the day.
Ok more colors used golden ochre cobalt turquoise. Neutral tint made from indigo burnt sienna and doxizine purple. Adding white coach’s for lost highlights. Still need to do.
Half the trick is learning to use those pesky perla escodas and that saver brush. Vlad now sells his own brand for $89 from Rosemarys brushes but I have two sets of the Perlas so will wait til I wear them out. Some kind of synthetic fibers. 
I don’t think u can do the dry brush with my much loved kolinsky sable and I would NOT touch my Charles Reid kolinsky da Vinci on this rough paper. I don’t want to destroy it with the texture.
And I know you can’t do those I the tiny details w a kolinsky sable. The sabers have a wobble to them that makes interesting lines. Controlling them well that’s another thing. They really shine on tree branches and railings. Light posts. Power lines. They make graceful lines. 
Top two brushes are the sabers. I use the green handled one a Loosey Goosey from Cheap Joes the most. Then three Perlas. Hmm I have four. 8 10 12 14. Got them dirt cheap on amazon. And my two Cheap Joes Kolinsky sables.
The tree Branch is done with the saber brush. An odd paint brush that does hold a ton of water despite it being synthetic. Right now I am trying to decide if the tree branch needs more work. Maybe?!! It is done with the saber brush.
Margaret who needs to quit goofing off make some bread and paint paint paint. Xoxox
seems to be getting to be a habit. This one is much better. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. No streaks and dry out bubbles from the crappy arches paper. The bubbles in the trees are caused by misting. Not sure I am a fan of misting but as Charles Reid said it should not look like a painting close up but at 20′ away you can see. Aka if you are riding by on a horse u wouldn’t notice it. 
sky streaks on arches rough 140#. Blech. Sky washes are hard enough without the paper going nuts.
sky wash on fabriano. No streaks. Hurrah.
I need to make the figures larger. Why did I do them so small? And maybe something in the foreground. Oh. I need to squint at it.
Excited about the Piedmont Park paint along Saturday. An Atlanta icon. Margaret getting ready for class. This is a test from new iPad Pro. Xoxoxo
Noah got a ribbon at the North Augusta Arts Center spring Show and the director asked me to do a show. Hmm not sure about a show. All the expense in the time of Rona. I don’t know if I want to go stand around shaking hands at any art reception. A cesspool I am afraid. Maybe when this calms down.
At any rate a great honor to be asked and handed an application and said please apply no cd required you are in. What?!! 😳🥰. Great for the ego, right?!!
I didn’t go to the reception for the spring show either so no idea I had won a ribbon. Just an HM abut better than no ribbon right. He’s off to the Transparent Watercolor Show next I hope. Or maybe the GWS National Show in next spring. Noah will be in high school before my niece Cat gets it. Lol.
Today’s paint along
Vlad the funny guy said this yesterday. Rule of life. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Go forth and order art supplies. Lol.
Hugs Margaret off to a paintalong with Vlad Yesilesev. Not too late to join us. Another one Saturday of Piedmont Park. Join us. http://yeliseyevstudio.com/school/
Interesting. Still looking at it deciding what else it needs. I think my figures are too small. May try to fix them.
Paintalong with Vlad Yesilesev. Another one Tuesday if you want to give it a try.
I do wish I had really been at the beach. Summer is zooming by and I need to go to the beach. 
The photo
the sketch
First wash. Zip zip
And for now.
Made snicker doodles today. Yummy.
Margaret who is tired. Xoxoxo
I forgot to post again And I had been doing so well.
Drawing items in the middle of the island. There were a lot more. A woman after my own heart. All your essential needs handy.
No matter how I tried I couldn’t get everything in. This one needs more shading I think. Well maybe. There were all kinds of intriguing things to draw. Another basket of stuff. And a surge plug. Endless objects all in one place.
If I had drawn them all together they would have been tiny in the middle of the page. This is when I needed an accordion book. Take one next time I go. Bet it will be soon.
stillman and birn micro uniball pen
Hugs Margaret xoxoxo who saw the most amazing peaceful Black LivesMatter protest yesterday march right by my sons house about a mile from downtown Decatur where the march started.
Out my back window. It needs some color I think. To distinguish between all the jumble of plants growing on the porch.
My son and his baby Davis’s birthdays. They were born on the same day. How cool is that? Drive by cupcake party.
Anyway that’s it for today. Back to the book I just started. Hugs. Stay safe! Xoxoxo Margaret
left page. Right page was suppose to be what I would wear to a party. Honestly couldn’t think of a thing to draw after so many days slouching around the house. Now I have thought of something so maybe I can finish the spread.
Gorgeous sunset tonite. All actually reflected on the clouds. The sun is setting too far north now to set over the river so it reflects off the clouds on a good night.
Margaret busy day grocery shopping and scrubbing fruit and veg and boxes. 🤪 so tired of doing that. But on the other hand it’s all washed and clean when you want to use it so that’s a plus.
Xoxoxox
Meant to repaint this today but nope. Lost a lot of transparency but other than that I like it. Annoyed with myself when I do that. I do NOT know why I am doing that so much on these paint alongs with Vlad but I am there it is. Annoyed.
Next one is Sunday. Hopefully I will do a better job. Anyway you really should try one of these you learn an awful lot. And he’s very funny. A running commentary about what he’s doing and why as we paint paint paint.
Margaret who spent most of the day trying to get a tv to run her iPad to no avail. Sigh. Xoxoxox
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 