Category: Watercolor

I discovered

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YouTube is loaded with bird and squirrel videos. Since the cats moved in my birds have evaporated and the squirrels moved elsewhere.

Paul Denning’s videos are great. Gorgeous birds but European – in Cornwall. He taped them for his family cat who watches them. 😳😳😳

I realized today I missed the silly ravenous squirrels hanging from the bird feeders often launching themselves into space to leap onto them.

Pentel brush pen uniball micro caran d’ache neocolor ii

Margaret whose getting behind on her knitting. Xoxoxo

Happy New Year

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Did Drawing with Danny on YouTube today hoping he would get my engine going. All things obsolete. Bet I could draw another page.

Drawn with a pentel brush pen and colored w Caran d’ache neocolor ii. Stillman and birn alpha.

Been madly knitting. Some for birthdays. Some just because who doesn’t like red socks to warm your toes. And then there’s my son the lawyer who wanted grey. What?!! That’s no fun!!

Taking a class with Keiko Tanabe next week. Should be fun. Also one with Ian Fennelly. Both on shopkeeparty website id you would like to take a class with them. A lot of YouTube videos too which are free.

Hugs Margaret xoxoxox

Fly away to Old Havana

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Old town Havana Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. Fabriano 300 lb rough paper which I have decided I now hate. It kept holding edges. Put paint on and there was a hard edge. What the heck. It’s not suppose to do that at $16 a sheet. This is a half sheet.

The photo

Vlad’s value sketch.

The drawing and what a pain it was.

First washes just three colors yellow ochre alizarin and cobalt blue.

Midtones. Adding I burnt sienna neutral tint dioxzine purples cad orange.

Adding darks. Burnt sienna burnt umber ultramarine vandyke brown

Almost there.

Done doe now. Who knows what it will tell me in the am?!

Margaret tired of looking at it.

Here Kitty Kitty

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A Torbie aka tiger cat w orange on it. Took an online zoom class with Liz Chaderton on shopkeeparty.com the photo

Tacking the paper down. A half sheet of Kilimanjaro 300. Have to order more from cheap Joe’s.

The drawing You would think as many cats as I have drawn this would be a piece of cake. Nope.

The palette opera rose, perlene maroon, gamboge, Quin gold, Thalo blue, Cheap Joe’s Andrew’s turquoise, and ultramarine blue. My fine mister spray bottle.

The eye first. Painting wet on wet. Keeping the edges wet so they won’t get hard edge.

Starting to look like a cat. Trying to keep those edges wet. Eeek

painting fast w an 8 sable to keep the edges soft. A fine spray mister to soften edges of ears.

Almost done. Adding the dark layer.

Touch up time and then add whiskers with negative painting and white gouache using my saber brush. Hmm I actually used my loosely goose brush from cheap Joe’s a skinny saber brush.

So far for now. Let’s see what I think in the am.

Big thanks to That’s What Friends are For for $30 certificates to spay neuter and rabies shots for the kitties and to Dr Bagshaw and his fantastic staff at Edgefield Veterinary Services for doing the job for that price. I took them some fresh home made banana bread. Still have to catch one of the tigers and take her.

Margaret whose kitties are mad at her since she had them neutered yesterday. Three sore tummies and one sore bottom. Ouchie. Xoxoxo

Parges, France

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Near Paris. 12×16 arches 280cold press. Did a wild hour long paint all with Vlad Yesileyev at shopkeeparty,com. Also on shopkeeparty’s YouTube if you want to give it a try.

The photo

The sketch

First wash

About an hour of painting. Adding darks. I actually painted the people with my brush aka I didn’t draw them first. I think they are some of my better people.

Debating with my self when is it done.

I never know when to stop but time to add some calligraphy marks with the saber brush I think. Feeling totally uninspired.

And as she is now. She may get more torture tomorrow. We shall see.

Have to capture all five kittens and take them 30 miles to Edgefield to get them neutered or spayed. What happens if one runs. I guess I can always schedule another trek to Edgefield.

Margaret xoxoxo

Sunday Snapshots

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See if you can figure out what I drew!! I haven’t done one of these box drawings in a while. Always give u an up close view of objects. These are objects nearby me today.

I added a tomboy marker to the background. I was afraid to go to far because it can lift the ink even the Carbon Platinum Black that I used.

Thought snapshots would be a good name for these. I was drawing Them while half watching a show about David Hockney who loves the camera. He had 100s of albums of photos that he actually painted from.

I think it would be fun to do these with a theme like Christmas or animals or kitchen objects or small drawings of your toes and fingers?! I dunno. Possibilities are endless.

Lamy EF Stillman and Birn Alpha

Margaret looking for a new good binge watch. Stay home ans stay safe!! Xoxoxo

Wet on Wet

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Always wondered how people paint juicy wet on wet so did a demo today with Liz Chaderton who has several classes here. Shopkeepeasy.com

Update: closer to the finish line. Below before I lifted the blue blob on left of the cats chest:

Himalayan 140 cp so far. Going to lift off some of the Thalo blue under her chin.

The sketch

The photo

Liz’s cat

Painted with three colors. Thalo blue Hematite violet abs neutral tint. That’s it. Size 8 brush and a box cutter to scrape out whiskers.

Before I lifted some color out and add some color in. Going after the other blue spot under her chin after a nap. Woke up at five despite a Zyrtec which knocks me out for the whole day.

Had to be ready to paint by 9. Since I signed up abt 10 pm least nite after the Zyrtec I was NOT ready. Finished episode two of Black Narcissus on FX and Hulu an amazing BBC show, remake of a 1937 mystery film with Deborah Kerr back then. Also a 1934 best seller be Rumer Godden. Kerr’s better known for the King and I with Yul Bryner. Now I am wondering if the original is on my fav channel YouTube. Where else can you watch fix it shows baking shows art shows and old lost movies??

Margaret whose exhausted from get allergy attack last nite. Xoxoxo

A post before

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It slips my mind. I think the only time Henry holds still is when he’s doing class work. Virtual school now out for this week.

The first drawing was terrible as you can see. Doesn’t pay to lay off of drawing people for a while. No a curve in the back of the first one.

Practice is necessary a lot or you get rusty.

I didn’t get around to drawing the chair again. Class was out for lunch.

Colored with Fabre castell watercolor pencils, stillman and birn alpha, Lamy ef.

Margaret xoxoxox

Oops meant to post

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This yesterday.

Drawing Van Goghs The Room with Danny Gregory. Always a fun activity on YouTube. Low pressure. Everyone yaks away via chat while Danny yaks. Last about an hour. He’s always relaxing.

As to The Room. Drawn with Caran d’ache neocolor ii which are crayons that turn into watercolors. I wet them with my fingers aka finger painted. I was too lazy to get up and find a brush so I stuck my fingers in my nearby water glass and smeared the color around.

Did u know the actual painting has turned purple. Some reaction to the underpaintings color. Oops Vincent what happened?!

Margaret xoxoxo

Touch up time

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I really like it now. Marking this one DONE. I even signed it. As we say when painting in Aiken it’s done if you signed it. Actually we say it’s not done til it’s signed but this one is.Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev

Detail of the foreground water. More

Accurate color.

Yesterday. I added a lot of black in the focal point. More shadows along the bottom of the buildings. Darkened the water into an L shape. Painted the roof oranger. Added highlights to the focal point and the water with white gouache. Oh and I lightened the grey stones on left. Added more green to the water. I think that’s it.

Really not a lot but in the right place adds drama.

Margaret xoxoxo