Category: Watercolor

Around the World in 60 Seconds

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Drawing each icon of their country for 60 seconds each with Danny Gregory today on YouTube. He had a slide show of each of the icons that let you view it for 60 seconds. Then on to the next one.

Quite the challenge. Also trying to get them all on one page was a challenge. Eeek. And no time to plan. Double eeek.

So not bad considering EXCEPT the first time I didn’t realize it was suppose to be on ONE page. I used SIX!!

These are quite large. The sketchbook – a handprint journal is 5 1/2x 8″.

This set was drawn with my pentel brush pen which is always fun but makes a big thick line. I only used two colors. Quin gold and cobalt teal. Together they made a great mucky green.

So second time around I used my Namiki fude. Love drawing with them making thin or thick lines easily. Check out the weird tip on it. Does a great job.

No I didn’t cheat. I didn’t pause the video either time except to get the dog in. And then I started it right back up.

It’s time for pot kitties again. They have grown a lot. Halley looks gorgeous with an orange glow from the sunset on her back.

Margaret xoxoxo

Every day a sunrise

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Making mist in the blue ridge. Arches 280#cold press. Cheap Joe’s American Journey paint.

Took photos of the process today. But it might be easier if you wanted David R. Smiths YouTube videos. This is the short one. Then the longer more involved one. Or you could sign up for his online class next Tuesday. Should be fun. His students give him rave reviews.

First layer wet the paper add yellow sun red ring and cobalt. Spray it with a spatters spray. Dry it.

First row of trees. Wet under the trees and spatter again. Lift some color form the bottom w a thirsty brush. Aka dry brush which will suck up the paint making the mist. Dry after the colors run and mix.

Repeat on the left.

And so on and on. Repeat repeat. Repeat. Getting darker with each layer. Load bottom of trees w water. Paint the trees. Spatter tops w water. Lift some off bottoms w a thirsty brush. And dry.

Last layer is the darkest. It’s wet here.

I lifted some with my thirsty brush and this one is dry.

Crash and burn

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Go round 2. Misty Mountains arches

Watched a free YouTube video on shopkeeparty with David R Smith this am. Very interesting technique. Uses lots of water. Wiping spraying letting colors run.

This was go round 1 on Kilimanjaro. I used too much alizarin and could not get the ring to lift. Oh well.

Too tired to type more.

Margaret putting her feet up. Xoxoxo

Toyota time

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Now that I have had my second vaccine I decided time to brave the Toyota showroom cesspool and get my car a check up.

Was fun to have a real human to draw for once. This lady held quite still for a long time reading a real book.

Drawn with a fine Pitt pen stillman and birn alpha. Painted with this set of travel fuumuui kolinsky brushes I got from Amazon. Sizes 4,8,12. They have brass tubes for handles so they can collapse into the leather folder they come in. Nice brushes for $25. Great reviews. People love them and they hold up well.

Evidently Zoe’s kitty missed her while we were in Atlanta. This cat will not come near me. I can only pet her when she’s eating. But Zoe. Much to Zoe’s chagrin she follows her around rubbing all over her. Doesn’t she know most Jack Russells like to eat cats!? Lucky for her Zoe tolerated them.

Margaret xoxoxo

On the Adriatic

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Croatia. Paint along #three with Vlad Yesileyev. He’s taking a group there to paint this summer he hopes. Covid willing.

Done for now and maybe forever. 

The photo

The value sketch.

The sketch. 140# rough Hahnemuhle Cezanne great paper. Only thing I don’t like abt it it buckles when soppy wet but dries flat. Paint and paper from Cheap Joes. Love them.

First washes. Looks very ghost like. This photo was taken when it was wet. See the buckles?!

Adding midtones.

Adding darks and the water. Painting those darn boats. Hmm they were the easiet thing to paint. Actually this was not a hard painting. Just a lot to do.

And done. I need a nap now after the paint along. Work slap out!! 😂

Margaret whose ready to tuck up on the sofa with a blanket. Xoxoxo

Wild and Wet

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Winter Petersburg: Blue bridge, Moika Embankment

With Tatiana Asinismova. She was speaking Russian and was on St Petersburg while Vlad Yesileyev translated. When his internet went south his wife Marina who is in Moscow visiting family stepped up and ably continued translating.

This painting was done completely wet on wet using Paynes grey, burnt sienna, sepia, cad yellow, yellow ochre, white gouache. Period paragraph. I added some ultramarine because there was no blue in my Paynes grey.

Draw fast the paper is suppose to be being soaked. Times like this all the sketching I do comes in handy.

Soaked both sides of the a half sheet of 140# Kilimanjaro cold press paper first w a hake brush. No taping. Cheap Joe’s American Journey paint.

A few swipes of yellow ochre. Next we used a cat’s tongue brush loaded with layers grey. Swoosh swoosh the sky was done.

Dabs of burnt sienna across the horizon line.

Smidges of black verticals. Hmm what are those?

Next knocking out the bridge all the while painting into this wet morass. Burnt sienna and paynes grey.

What are those things poking up we are painting?! 🤔🤔🤔 A light!! Zip zip done. (It’s really pretty straight but the paper has a ripple because some sunny stood it up and let it dry standing up making a ripple. Duh!)

On to the river and the snow. Oops I didn’t draw it so I winged it. A little rewetting of the paper. Very interesting making the light and dark areas, fuzzy and sharp edged.

And don’t forget to leave some ice chunks.

Painting the right hand side of the bridge. My least fav part but we soldiered on. Burnt sienna and Payne’s grey. Are there any other colors?! Oh a dab of ultramarine. Splatter splatter. Paint faster. Splatter with white gouache.

Finally use a tooth brush loaded with white gouache to make the snow. I am sure there are 89 YouTube videos on how to do this. Looks just like snow. Hoping this is as close as my house will get to snow this year.

Tatianas class sample. You can follow her on Instagram at Tatianaasimova6056

She’s also teaching a class with Vlad Mar 7. The painting will be similar to the above photo. Can’t wait. Click the link to check it out.

If you want to try this technique Vlad or Marina is going to post this class on YouTube soon. Was really so much fun. I love splashing paint about. Paint flinging c’est moi!!!

Margaret exhausted because she finished another painting today too but that’s for another day. Hugs. Xoxoxox

One more

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High Street, Henley, UK

Hot press fluid 140# watercolor paper

I did this on a shopkeeparty.com paint along g w Ian Fennelly that I posted in my YouTube list of his classes yesterday. Lots of fun. Love hitting the Pause button.

I started painting this a little after 9 last nite. But it was fun.

The drawing and the shading. This is mostly tombow pen with some Pitt pen for details. The Pitt pens are permanent.

Watercolor layer done. I only used a few colors. Quin sienna, ultramarine, alizarin, burnt umber a dab of cerulean, and yellow ochre. Next time I will use more transparent color.

the finish. I really enjoyed doing the details in ink with Pitt pens like the column cap, the bricks, the sidewalk, tv antennas and a plethora of other details. Shading with cross hatching so much fun. It’s somehow soothing. I used a .03 Pitt pen for that. The Pitt pens have India ink in them.

Now I need to do some of Augusta or Atlanta. Really enjoy doing these. Been a pen nut since first grade and probably a painting nut even longer.

Margaret watching an ink seminar on crowdcast. My there are some positives about covid like zoom and crowdcast activities.

Xoxoxo

That was fun

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Took an online live class with Ian Fenelly. I have long wanted to take a class with him but never been where he was teaching. I have to say with ten years of public school teaching under his belt he’s an excellent organized teacher.

There are some pluses to the pandemic. If you haven’t tried one or two you should. shopkeeparty.com offers something for everyone. The photo Winsor Castle.

Starting the sketch with light grey tomboy pens on hot press fluid paper. A half sheet size.

Since Tombows are water soluble it is a great idea to use permanent markers on it to show details. The idea is to make an exaggerated perspective using some lines that are square but most not.

Watercolor layer done. Quin gold, Thalo blue, burnt sienna and andrews turquoise.

The markers and some of the paint brushes.

Adding details with the grey tombows. It was getting a lot of fun to do at this point. The fact that it did not all have to be exactly in perspective was freeing. Who cares if a line wobbles here and there. That’s part of the fun.

I added a lot of cross hatching per Ians direction. Done for now. Now it’s time to look at it for a while.

The bit of sky was added because I had some grey mess of Tombow that I couldn’t cover up any other way.

I recommend a class on Shopkeeparty.com. Thursday Keiko Tanabe is teaching. Will be scratching her off my bucket list come Friday. And next week Liz Chaderton is doing a very fun otter class. Once a week they offer a free one hour demo paint along on Tuesdays. I meant to do the otter with Liz today but got up too late. No sleep last nite. Might try it tomorrow when it’s on YouTube.

Margaret ready to put Her feet up and stare at her painting for a while. Xoxoxox

On a roll

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Some of my favorite British birds from Paul Dinnings Videos and Sounds for Cats: Garden Birds. They really are the best bird videos I have seen on YouTube. Some people use them for a good nights sleep.

Another new Favorite is Prowalking tours. I went to Rome and Montmartre today. Think I will try Venice next. Just the beginning of it is gobsmacking.

Stillman and birn alpha pentel brush pen uniball micron Caran d’ache neocolor ii watercolor pencils and a teabag to wet the Caran d’ache.

Margaret whose going to try Wendy’s for dinner. Xoxoxox