Day 745 GNSP

July 18, 2016Leave a comment

Old Evans Family Cemetery tucked away in the woods near the Great Smoky National Park Headquarters. The first sketch I did when I was leaving.

I drew so much it took me four hours to drive thirty miles. But the park is gorgeous anytime of the year and something gorgeous is around every turn whether it’s a mountain view, a quiet stream dashing over rocks or wildflower. Just a drive thru the tunnel of trees is enjoyable.

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. A lot of splattering some negative painting.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 73? – About that Parrot

July 7, 2016Leave a comment

Hot off the paint brush. Red macaw at parrot mountain. Best sketching fun I have had in a while. And it looks so much better painted.

Pyrrole red alizarin Crimson maganese blue and the usual culprits cerulean burnt sienna Inathrodone blue all done wet on wet. Oh burnt umber for the blacks.

I often wonder why I can draw animals and scenery in public as people drift by but if I am drawing people I like to hide my sketchbook.

A peach cockatoo. He was too far away and people kept walking in front of the bird. Painted with a red orange soup that was on my Pallette.

Entrance to Parrot Mountain and yes those are very steep steps. Pant pant. But the flowers are lovely. Parrot Mountain takes in rescued birds of all types but most exotic birds like parrots and macaws and large parakeets. Owners don’t realize that some of these birds can out live them.

We went in this way which is I guess the handicapped access- a concrete ramp which should be labeled ramp to heaven. Very steep!

A few macaws under their hats near the parking lot. Someone asked why they don’t fly away. They can’t. The wing feathers are cropped so the best they can do is flutter a short distance. Sad for the birds but at least they are well taken care of in a lovely jungly spot.

Off for some lunch at the Plum Tea Room on the artists loop and away from the mobs of Gatlinburg or should I say herds? So many people!

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 735 – Parrot Mountain

July 6, 2016July 6, 2016Leave a comment

I am off to draw and paint plus a little sock yarn buying therapy as soon as I post.

Parrot Mountain is wonderful. Lovely gardens filled with birds all owner surrendered or rescued. Parrots macaws parakeets and a lot of other exotic birds.

The place is just lovely with many quiet spots to sit and enjoy the birds but I was HOT to draw them and did. However the rain was NOT conducive to painting them.

The Parrots and cockatoos have perches with little straw hats on top. I wish I had one yesterday when it started raining. Finally pouring but the lovely trees in the Parrot Mountain Gardens saved me from a soaking.

What are you doing my dear? Drawing. Some of the birds were so curious.

One of the caretakers. He loves the birds and they love him.

How’s this for a family portrait you will never forget?!

Misty A highly endangered Blue Hyacinth macaw in the petting area. This is the bird the movie Rio is based on.

Misty standing on her head half the time while I tried to draw her.
There were probably 100 different birds of all types in this area.

One of the cockatoos showing off for my son. Just the best $20 I have spent in a long time. Thoroughly enjoyed the place. I wish we could have stayed longer but we had a dinner reservation at the Buckhorn Inn and had to leave. We didn’t even have time to change for dinner we stayed so long.

Drawn in a strathmore mixed media 500 journal with Noodler Konrad and Carbon Platinum plus black ink.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret off to paint something today. Xxx

Day 735 – Yes More France!!!!

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016Leave a comment

Les Andelys looking up toward Chateau Gaillard – Richard the Lionhearted’s chateau stronghold above the Seine.

One of the Seine barges steaming toward Le Havre. These boats are just huge. I had no idea they were so long or so fast. I had to draw Quickly!!

Chateau Gaillard. I drew it twice. This one I messed up and didn’t get the town below in. I “fixed it” by adding ledger paper and some real French stamps.

This is what I was trying to draw in the last painting. I actually like both of them a lot now.

The Eglise Saint Sauverers in Les Andelys with Gussie and Bob from Seattle in front of the church.

Like the church and museum yesterday I first coated it with Quin gold and then a mixed grey of cerulean and burnt sienna. The blacccks are also a mix of burnt umber and ultramarine or Inathrodone blue.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret xxx

Day 730 – Happy Birthday Blog!!!

June 30, 20162 Comments

Happy Birthday Blog!!! Caran d’ache neocolor II on Kilimanjaro 5×7″

Absolutely THRILLED to say TWO years of posting daily. I started out just trying to post daily for 50 days. I think I made it!! 😊👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Start of an Abstract iii 26×40 Arches 280# elephant sheet

Have a couple of watercolors ready to paint. I really need to get with it but …..

So what else is up??? Plotting a trip to somewhere -probably France or China.

Travelzoo had some great deals. $1800 for 14 days in China including air fare may be hard to pass up.

But then there’s a seven day deal in France 4-5 days in Paris, museum passes hop on hop off bus, then off to the French country side around Dijon driving ourselves. Thinking that could be an adventure to remember.

Raisin full sheet watercolor Fabriano Hot Press just started
And thinking about a repeat of the Paris – Normandy Viking Cruise. You say why?! So I can draw Paris, Vernon, Auvers, Normandy and Rouen without being hustled everywhere nonstop while being pampered on the ship. Not bad.

Never touching a suitcase has its appeals.

It’s running $1900 including airfare. The southern leg thru Provence is also dirt cheap now.

So many possibilities. Which will it be. In the meantime heading to the mountains and Key West while we decide.

Thanks for reading.

Margaret dreaming of foreign lands instead of painting. Xxx

Day 727 – A Hmm

June 27, 2016June 27, 201610 Comments

But off to opthamologist to see if I have a retinal tear so this is all you get today. Maybe I need some glasses because drawing this statue of James Brown on Broad Street was NOT my finest hour.

Once again I used Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus Daniel smiths green apatite. Love that for trees. The tree tops were sponged with a sea sponge.

The greys were mixed usually with Quin burnt orange and ultramarine blue. The more color you add the darker the grey is.

Thanks for checking by.

Margaret off to the doctor. Xxx

Day 723 -WIP – Three hours of work so far

June 23, 2016Leave a comment

This is HUGE 28×48 Acrylic. I have only worked on it about three hours this includes drawing the photo to paint it.

I have a few glaring problems which I need to fix before going on. I have made her face and body much too wide. The shadows are nonexistent on her body on the left.

She’s a friend and I intend to fix that. I would fix it even if she weren’t because I would rather make people thinner than they are.

I had intended to paint this but all my friends said paint the next photo because the light is better which is true. I really love her boots. If you know her she wears boots most of the time since she rides horses.

Only problem is that I had already drawn this to do a full sheet watercolor too. It took hours and hours to draw it and LOTS of erasing.

Even in this one the face appears a little wide. Possibly due to the lack of shadows?! 3/4 views are always a pain.

So I guess I will do two since this one took most of the day to draw.

I do think it’s interesting that it was so much easier to draw the second time out. Practice makes perfect right?!!

One last thing. A lot of times I will change the photo to black and white to paint from so if I want to I can give her a red shirt and a purple jacket. I do like the blues better but getting comments it’s TOO pretty.

Sigh! You just can’t make everyone happy can you?! 😋

Colors used so far Golden Quin Nickel Azo Gold, Thalo Blue and Ultramarine Blue ( great for denim), Liquitex Burnt Umber and Titanium white plus a tube of Winsor Purple.

Day 722 – the Miller

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016Leave a comment

Named after its owner Frank Miller the theater is an Arte Moderne theater built in 1938 in downtown Augusta.

This side of Broad Street rarely gets any direct sunlight and of course it’s the side where all the old stores are.

Business office buildings are largely on the other side of Broad the sunny side probably because who wants to shop in the hot summer sun??

The onset of the malls in the late 70s destroyed downtown Augusta business and forced the closure of the Miller in 1980s.

Currently under new ownership of Peter Knox it is slated to reopen fully restored in 2017 as the new home of the Augusta Symphony.

As kids we went to see Disney movies, Beatle movies, and the umpteenth screening of Gone with the Wind here. I distinctly remember watching Swiss Family Robinson and 101 Dalmatians here.

Colors used. Ted Nuttalls colors and sodalite. Really like the way the sodalite granulated on the front of the grey stucco building. I also used a white and a light yellow caran d’ache watercolor crayon and a white gel pen for the lights.

Anyway. Thanks for checking by.

Margaret xxx

Day 720 – a Watercolor Finally

June 20, 2016June 20, 2016Leave a comment

I drew this almost a month ago but have been busy painting other things so finally got around to it last nite.

This is an old theater on Broad Street in Augusta GA which still has shows and YES an Elvis show was and is coming up the end of June at Imperial.

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors with the addition of cerulean. I always have a hard time painting white without my beloved cerulean.

I also used Daniel Smiths primatek colors Serpentine Genuine and Sodalite after seeing samples of them at Jerrys Artarama. You can buy Daniel Smith at most art supply stores as well as online at Cheap Joes and Amazon.

While I am on the subject of Cheap Joes I know the owner and founder Joe Miller a lovely man who recently received a humanitarian award from AWS. He’s the first to step up and voluntarily help artists in need as well as his longtime home Boone NC.

During the devastation of Katrina Joe voluntarily went into the Cheap Joes database to find any artist in the seven states affected by Katrina. Each of them received a studio startup gift certificate from Cheap Joes. He has done this time and again. So BUY from Cheap Joes if you can!!

Oh before I forget the tree was done with a sea sponge. I also used Caran d’ache watercolor crayons to add color to the drawing – white yellow and orange.

I also used a few Winsor Newton watercolor markers – indigo, lamp black, and turquoise.

Thanks For Checking by.

Margaret xxx

Day 714 – It was

June 13, 2016Leave a comment

A trick. Found some more that I have not posted. At least I don’t think I did.

Our sweet new friend Lenore

And Piper the service dog. One of my favorite dog sketches ever. I might have posted this one but its so great i can post it again. He’s actually a black standard poodle which is difficult to paint so black shadows are sufficing-artistic license and all that!!!

Here’s the whole page together. No idea why I didn’t paint the while background the same color. Ah well. No do overs with watercolor like one can do with watercolor.