Category: Watercolor

Day 157 The Finger Lakeside

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So far. Still needs some more touches here and there and something in the water. But not to bad. It was a wild paint along today with Vlad.

Vlads photo

Vlads value sketch

The sketch with masking fluid applied.

First washes. Water looks really dark until more layers are added.

So many washes so little time.

And once again now. Needs some more darks I think.

Storm rolling in today. Oddly we didn’t get a drop of rain. Certainly looked like it. The sky was really dark inside the house too but nope not today. Just a big tease.

Watching Perry Mason with Matthew Ryhs on HBO. My friends say it is really good.

So far I give it really interesting – reserving judgement. Interestingly enough Perry Mason’s a private detective, John Lithgow is the attorney; and so far, Paul Drake is a cop.

Hmm people are not playing the parts they should be. Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 155 Fly Away to Paris

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So far. Think it’s too light but we shall see. The perspective is right but too tired from wild painting with Vlad Yesileyev to get off the sofa and take another one right now.

And now I see the closest car is too small. Sigh. A problem aka how to fix it.

Saying I fixed the car. What a pain. Easier not to mess them up. Cars should be close to as tall as the people. Also added some more darks. And I knocked back my crosswalk which was NOT aim perspective. Maybe I will fix it tomorrow.

Sorry didn’t take a pic of the tape up job on that £!%# car.

Vlads photo somewhere in Paris

Vlads value sketch

The sketch. Maybe my photo skills got lost today.

First washes. Cobalt yellow ochre alizarin and neutral tint.

Building washes still wet. They dried lighter.

Red umbrellas and the balcony done.

And so far. Mom interrupted my painting. Will finish tomorrow.

Margaret taking a rest now. Xoxoxox

Day 153 Mustang

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My youngest son has always wanted a Mustang and last fall he finally bought one. You can read about the 64 1/2 Mustang here.

Yesterday I decided to draw it. Did I say he did not want ANY Mustang but an old vintage Mustang. He’s wanted it since at least high school. A red one.

Hmm he didn’t get a red one but he did get a lovely original Mustang in metallic blue.

Can’t decide if I ruined it coloring it. Stay tuned for more mustang torture. Ps it rides great w an engine that growls.

Lamy EF Namiki Fude Stillman and Birn Alpha Caran dache Neocolor ii

Vroom vroom vroom. Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 152 A Twofer

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Drawing vehicles with Danny Gregory today on YouTube. Every Thursday at noon if you remember. I forgot last week.

Lamy Ef Namiki Fude Noodlers Eelskin Black Ink stillman and birn sketchbook. White pentel gel pen Caran Dache Neocolor ii and watercolor

Oddly the paper seems to loose its finish once you wet the paper so the ink acts differently.

Margaret Xoxoxox who is still no more than half done with her scarf though it’s over three feet. Ps would someone please cook me some dinner. Low salt please. Xoxoxox

Day 150 worse ways to

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Spend the pandemic than virtual painting travel with Vlad Yesilesev

St. Martin du Mont

Almost done. Had to put my light pole back in. Oopsey.

Before I scraped the light pole in.

This paper loves to be scraped. Not sure what it is. Thinking 300# Kilimanjaro cold press.

I scratched the pole in with an xacto knife point. Doesn’t leafs work well but this paper loves it. I don’t like the way the same knife acts on Fabriano or arches.

The photo

Vlads value sketch

The sketch which I kept rearranging.

First wash.

Cad yellow and red, cobalt, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, Alizarin with a little dioxzine purple and a grey mix of those. Aka stir up your palette. Some yellow ochre gold.

Orange roofs added. Cad red and yellow

Dark greens added. Neutral tint, yellow, cobalt, and vandyke brown for tree green. Scraped wit a chunk of old credit card. Greys are palette soup.

Windows added. Cad red yellow and dioxzine purple. Cheap Joes turquoise on grey car windows.

Tree alizarin dioxzine purple and neutral tint shadow.

End of class

And now w the light post scraped out.

Zoe guarding my painting.

Back to my scarf. Only about 3 feet long now.

Margaret w her feet up xoxoxo

Day 149 in the corner

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Is what it feels like when the power keeps going out from our crazy thunder storms. On the other hand we are getting plenty of rain. In the past years August has been a month of drought. The whole world a large dust pile.

Somebody please tell me why so many books are boring colors. A few red and orange ones. A blue one here and there but most are white black or grey. Wonder why?!

Same tools as yesterday except I paint this one with water to release the neocolor ii s power.

Here are the jays with water added to the neocolor. They darken a lot.

A fun art toy to play with. Beware heavy ink will smear sometimes. Darn it. Even if it’s waterproof.

Margaret whose been binge watching Professor T on PBS Passport. A quirky odd crime show set in Antwerp with subtitles. I think I am beginning to understand the language. Part Dutch part French and a lot of English slang. Xoxoxo.

Stay dry in this crazy summer weather.

Day 148 Jays

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Been feeding the birds on the back porch rails. I have been giving them red hot seed that the squirrels won’t touch. Not do the raccoons seem to.

Twins My fav pic of the jays. There are up to four at a time on the porch.

Keeps them out of range of the back porch wild cat Gus who loves to be fed but won’t let u touch her. Got to catch that baby making machine and get her fixed.

Lamy EF Namiki Fude

Caran dache neocolor ii

Eelskin Black Noodlers Ink

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 144 Paris Barges

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Nothing better than walking by the Seine in Paris passing the barges under the fabulous bridges, Pont Alexander, and by such landmarks as Les Invalides and my fav – le tour Eiffel aka the Eiffel Tower.

Vlads picture

A wild paintalong with Vlad. I bet his wife, his manager, has to wear track shoes to chase him around.

Vlads value sketch.

Seems I forgot to take a pic of my sketch. This is Vlads.

First wash. Almost done.

And the washes are piling up. Pointy brush w Paris grey to the Eiffel Tower and the Pont Alexander.

Sliding toward home. Pulling the masking off the boat lines and a few other whites I wanted to save.

Going to have to fix these lines now the masking gone. Can’t leave them stark white.

Lines

Looking better. Really need to work on softening my lines.

Calling it quits for tonite.

What a difference a few minutes makes in the sky.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 143 Giverny 2

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Notice the numbers have gone down. I counted today exactly 143 days since IT started. I had been using Gov Cuomos count. I guess NY started before Ga.

Today I decided to repaint Giverny on different paper with different paint. Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev. I spent an hour this am talking to a customer service rep at Cheap Joes. Great guy, very helpful, stuck out in the boonies near Boone NC where Cheap Joes is located. We talked each other’s ears off.

The gist of the conversation was I don’t like my cream colored Fabriano rough because it’s c ream colored. Great paper except it’s NOT white. And it takes the brightness away from the watercolor.

Turns out there is Fabriano rough white. Some is wafting it’s way to me as I type.

So I pulled out that annoying arches 140 block. Did I say it’s bright white. Paper may be rotten but it was the right color.

It was taped up ready to Paint. I also used my Fealing Lin palette full of non Chalky Daniel Smith M Graham and lovely Holbein plus A bit of cheap Joes Andrews turquoise and his alizarin permanent.

I think the whole thing is much brighter due to the white paper and the paint. The bottom one is the one from today. Top is the Fabriano cream w Lukas paint.

I should have listened to my friend Mike abt Lukas paint. Best I can say is it’s cheap.

I splattered the flowers while the green was wet like Charles Reid used to do. I may had a bit of pink w some gouache.

I also got better darks w my regular paints than I can ever get w the Lukas.

Wild storm tonite. Power out again. Sigh.

Goodnite all Margaret and Zoe tucked up in bed. Xoxoxo

Day 150 Giverny

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Our brushes lifted over for Giverny Paint along with Vladislav Yesileyev today in Normandie France. One day I hope to go. Giverny closes in October and we cruised by on our Viking longboat in November. We did get to tour Auvers sur L’Oise where Van Gogh lived and painted and finally died-even visiting his attic room where he drew his last breath and the cemetery where he’s buried. The sketch 300lb Fabriano rough

10×15

First wash. Off to the paint brush races.

Sprinting for the finish adding dappled shadows. Watercolors all about thinking light to dark.

Trees have grown zip zip so fast.

Cad yellow and cobalt neutral tint burnt umber.

Done for now though I think it needs more darks. I may resplatter. I wanted Monet pink. I got a red. Hmm and yes I added white gouache to the splatter. Oops.

How cute is this Downey?

Margaret back to her knitting. Xoxoxo