Day 220 WIPE Out or Surprises!!

Hmm I more ways than one. My car battery died today too. Now jumped off and running fine. A Prius gets a dead battery so easily. And yes I thought I had checked to see if all the lights were off Miss Rebecca. Evidently NOT. Sigh. Thank goodness for USAA roadside assistance. They have me on speed dial for dead batteries. Groan.

Been working on this hideous painting. Not at all what I imagined. So where did I go wrong.

I didn’t used my value sketch but the photo to paint from. A bad idea according to Vlad Yesilesev and I should no better by now but NOPE. Did it anyway.

After much discussion with Ms Ruth today she suggested I put the focal point back where it belonged and take attention away from the middle building.

With nothing to loose it was time to WIPE it out. So I taped it up and had at it.

Now I actually like it better. An amazing improvement with nothing down but wiping off paint.

Stay tuned to see if I wiped off the finish w the paint. I hope not but if I did I drew another one this afternoon thinking this one was hopeless.

Stay tuned.

Pot kitties posing in the autumn sun.

Stay tuned.

Margaret xoxox

Day 217 Assisi, Italy

Flew off to Assisi Italy today with Vlad Yesileyev on his paint along. So far. Leaning toward this is DONE but might change my mind in the am.

The photo

The value sketch by Vlad Yesilev. I am bad. I don’t look at the shades. Rather look at the painting.

First wash.

I use a muffin Pan to mix the first wash-yellow ochre cobalt and alizarin – in so I can save it for the next painting instead of tossing. I do have to stir it up before use because the color settles. Moving along flowers started.

Same colors as first wash and burnt umber dioxzine and Andrew’s turquoise.

Well underway almost done. I forgot to take photos. Oops. We added indigo mixed w cobalt to our colors. Should have had two windows but I messed up. So I have three up top. Another oops.

I decided I needed to fix the top of the left door. It was NOT aim perspective.

So now I am done. Pot kitties fed. Chicken pot pie in the oven. Time to put my feet up and snuggle Zoe for a while.

Margaret xoxoxox

Day 201 Venice Canal Part Deux

Or should I say Duo?!

Think it’s done. The way I left it Sunday after The paint along with Vlad Yesileyev. I was not happy with it and thought about trashing it. Aka turn it over and paint on the back.

I actually used a large 1″ bristle brush to wash this off after I taped it up. It lightened up a lot. Thank goodness. Hate to waste half sheet of Kilimanjaro. Down to about one sheet of it. Eeek.

So I slowly stated adding color to it. Adding a lot of black and grey. Actually used ivory black. As well as mixed greys and blacks.

I also Added A grey unifying wash on the brown building on the left and across the bottoms of some Of the others.

I also added some blues-cobalt ultramarine cerulean and Andrews turquoise. And Browns burnt umber and burnt sienna mixed with blues and that darn Dioxzine purple.

Then I decided it needed some more black and some vague details on the right walk way. Oops I had forgotten them. Joes turquoise and grey to the rescue.

Subtle Changes so I didn’t kill it again.

And this is it now. Really like it a lot.

Scrubbing off color was so much fun I decided to scrub this one too. It too has gone to the dioxzine side. Duh.

Look how light it is now. This one won’t be so hard to fix. Not as much to do.

Margaret listening to the news. Xoxox. Stay safe and wear your masks people. Hugs!!!

Day 203 Paris Awnings

so far. Half sheet Kilimanjaro 300 #. Really like that paper. Need to order more. One sheet left. Eeek.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Vlads photo

So complicated. A famous French cafe near Notre Dame and the Sorbonne. Just drawing the balconies was SHOOT me now please.

First washes. Wow that was mad. And a lot of mud colorful mud but mud.

And more and more things paintted. We flew through the cars.

And now. Still have to work on the people but I decided to make a quiche for dinner.

Yummy.

And knit a bit. At the rate I am going an inch or two a night I won’t be done with this scarf til October. Christmas is coming, right?!!

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 213 Upside down

After the upside down drawing I got into a discussion with my dear painting friend Ruth Pearl also my guiding light for art critiques about looking at your art upside down to see problems.

So today I tried it. I want to see if I can apply what I have learned from Vlad Paint Alongs to this fairly simple photo.

I did my value sketch. It is a little big. Should be postcard size. Oops. And I should work on a wider range of values from dark to light but I have a good start.

I want to make the top right window the focal point.

Then I turned it upside down to sit and look at for errors. Why do errors show?? Because you aren’t looking at what you drew but the shapes and tones of the value sketch.

I noticed right off the bat that the building was wonky. Aka lines weren’t straight. A good thing or bad thing. I also noticed that the top window did attract your eye right off the bat.

I cheated and drew it first. Now I have to go back and make some Adjustments. Like a taller roof on the left building and the chimney on the right one.

I guess I should turn it upside down and look at it too.

Something else I like to do is take the color out of a photo to reduce it to the elements.

Ps don’t forget just because it’s not there in thenpainting doesn’t meant you can’t add it.

Been watching Frank Francese paint watercolors on Cheap Joes YouTube. https://youtu.be/EPSfkIL9nzs
There are several of them. Love his bright colors and his wild paintings.

Margaret ready to watch Part 2&3 of Frank’s Beach painting. Xoxoxox

Day 210 Parafruegel Costa Brava Spain

Flying away with Vlad Yesilesev on today’s paint along. I think I actually finished for once. Reserve the right to get up tomorrow and change it. Half sheet Kilimanjaro 140#. Trying to decide if I want to buy more 300# Kilimanjaro. Down to my last sheet but I have a large stack of the 140 so I may use it for a while. #useitup Also a stack of arches cold press #280.

The photo

Vlads value sketch

The sketch

First wash

What people already.

Oops forgot to take photos.

More darks esp foreground and under the umbrellas. The balcony. Playing with my saber brush which us fun to do squiggly calligraphic lines with.

thought it was done but nope.

added a few more whites and more balcony shadow.

Anybody want a kitty kitty???

Margaret xoxoxo

Day 197 Venice

Today our paint brushes flew to Venice on a paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev . Of course I would rather be on the beach down Edisto drawing whatever came my way but all good things end right?!!

Probably needs more work in between washing stacks of sheets and towels. Who knew you could rent a house without linens and what a house it was. Three houses in one. I had my own guest house connected to the main house by an elevated walk way.

The main house from the guest room. You can see the MBR suite house peaking out from behind the crows nest. And of course it had an elevator. Doesn’t every beach house?

The photo

Vlads value sketch.

Vlads drawing.

First wash

Almost done.

For now. Half sheet of Kilimanjaro Cold Press. 15×22″

Margaret Xoxoxox tired from running up and down all those steps here and at the beach house.

Day194- Down Edisto Way

A quick sketch while on the beach today. Micro uniball Fabre Castro watercolor pencils stillman and birn Alpha

BYTW you can own this house for a mere $4.9 million. 5 bedroom 9 baths on the front.

My favorite watercolor pencils. Buy please tell me why there a pthalo blue instead of cerulean or cobalt. Someone please explain.

Margaret ready for bed. Another busy day manana xoxoxo

Day 192 Rousillon 2

I darkened the buildings. Think it’s better bid. Still need to work on the big bush on the right. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev.

Heading to the beach. Been baking all day. 2 loaves of banana bread.

Peanut butter cookies

The best wheat bread I have ever eaten. Yum

Pot kitty pic. They love my pots. Silly kitties.

The back porch pile.

View from the beach house crows nest.

Margaret who is Tahred now. Xoxoxo but I have my painting stuff packed for the beach.

Day 188 I just had to.

And I should have left it alone but NOOOO I couldnt do that.

So I have quit now. Impossible to knock out that yellow and make a nice tin roof on the house like a Low Country Cottage would have.

Bytw in case u were wondering the Low Country is the coastal area of South Carolina starting around Orangeburg about 90 miles from the coast. A slower way of life.

My moms fav cookie. I love the orange cranberry walnut version

Our family has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember. Originally on the back of the Quaker Oatmeal box.

My son Bens fav. Also quite a few of my friends. Some like them with nuts some without. I usually make both types.
My friend slim trim Alexis will break her diet for a few of these and my friend Elizabeth- well better than anything to her. Tell her I am baking and she WILL show up. Voted best cookie by all the Saturday artists. Well at least a big fav.
Grits is …. well these can’t be beat. Best made with nasty mineral laden Edisto water. Anything with all that milk and cheese is bound to be good right??!

I didn’t wet this watercolor pencil because I was afraid it would smear the ink. What is with that ink?! Should be permanent.

Pot kitties. My pots used to be gorgeous til the pot kitties took them over. A veritable kitty play ground.

Tootsie short for Tootsie roll actually came in the house today. Oh my.

A few more kittie pics because who doesn’t love kitty pics?!!

Margaret whose made two loaves of bread and hand made artisan pizza today as well as a jillion other things now calling it quits. Oh wait ones still in the oven. Xoxoxox