Day 57. Well it was sooo Busy

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First I did Drawingisfree_org on IG. 13 Drawings in an hour. Two had TWO people in them😵😵😵. i got so lost in drawing i didn’t realize when time was up. As the last time they got better and better.

#1 Chloe our fearless leader not my fav alot to draw in 2 1/2 min.

#2 mother daughter duo but seriously TWO people in Five Minutes???!

#3 she had one eye closed. Alrighty then. And in and out of shade.
#4 much better. An older lady who moved alot but…still like her.
#5 Now we are rocking.
#6 interesting woman w a huge head band.
#7 like this one
#8 another good one. words are from the music being played.
#9 a dont mess with me lady! alot to draw in a couple of minutes.
Actually think this one was 8 but a crazy pose. My peast fav eyes and mouth wide open.
#11 Joe or was it Bill. One of my favs.
#12 A South African bundled up because its winter there. And i thought he was an elf. Lol
#13 An Irish lass w pink hair. Really wanted to color it but thought i would mess her up since this is done w water soluble graphite.
Some of the pencils i have been using.
Lots of water soluble graphite and lead.
Day 57. Was not wild abt her but hated not to show up. Did not like her fake nails aka daggers of her glued on looking eyebrows. The red hair was fun.
And she was done. Might Not be the actual one i posted because i for once deleted them ALL.
Last but not least a commission I am working on. A Sweet little girl so cute.
Yesterdays. Day 56 #jyportraitchallenge. Bacchus or Dionysus – God of Wine! Interpreted by @modbodadrian

All i can say about todays paint is never make the head smaller than four inches according to the wisdom of Charles Reid. Oh he also said don’t paint what you can’t see!! Could not see the right eye or the where the nose was no matter how hard I tried!

M Graham watercolor and a few Daniel Smith. 11×14” Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook

Painted w a Mary Whyte fav paint M Graham and her fav brush a cats paw, @davinci_northamerica #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes and paint at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”.

Margaret ready for bed. I guess u know why now. Xoxoxox

Tomorrow! Be there!! Day 56!

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LIVE from Paris! Drawing is Free at Noon EST on Zoom!! NO Nudity. Just drawing heads. GREAT practice

Day 54- My fav painting so far.

Keeping it fresh i hope and not overworked. I used Mary Whytes fav flesh combo M Graham raw sienna and quin pink for the flesh tones. Works well for all skin tones just varying the amounts of raw sienna and water to lighten or darken the mix. Its the only combo she uses for skin tones. Sweet face w her fun two tone hair. Fun painting her curly hair again today. While i remembered to do the hair wet on wet it ran too much. Thicker paint next time.
Lots of great lost edges in this painting

Day 55 #jyportraitchallenge. Definitely a TOUGH paint. All that shadow and the pic is black and white so what to do with the background?! Lots of dark blue since its the compliment of peach/orange and makes her skin sing. The blue also let me loose her left side in the shadows.

My fav part is where her left hip meets the background.
Day 54 #jyportraitchallenge. Another crazy busy day so i just did our lovely model in profile. Hmm got the ear too far foreward otherwise fun painting her hair and the lovely lights on her chest.
I used a big cheap chinese brush and a Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose for her quin gold and quin burnt sienna tendrils. The Cheap Joes Scroogys Loose Goose is a very long very skinny saver brush that is almost impossible to control. You have to trust it it will make perfect curls.
Day 52 #jyportraitchallenge. Love her eyes. Fun painting her curly hair. Forgot to soften the hairs edges by painting into the background wet on wet. Hopefully next time. Works so well w fluffy curly hair. Drawing went well. Done quickly.
Day 51 #jyportraitchallenge.
Miranda. So many details to paint. Need i say more!? Drawing went well. Done quickly. Painting wasnt bad either just too many things to paint. Note to self. Do not tape the corners. Duh!
DAY 50!!! of the #jyportraitchallenge. Did not ever think that i would get this far. David @gotsix2 flew off my pencil and brush. Glad he’s done. Beard could use some more grizzle in it but hey done is good.

M Graham and a few Daniel Smith quins – gold burnt sienna and scarlet.

11×14” Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook OR Meeden cp 140. Or Fluid cp 140.


Painted w a Mary Whyte fav paint M Graham and her fav brush a cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes and paint at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”

Maggie who wanted to be sure to post today. Xoxoxox

Day 48!! #jyportraitchallenge

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Lori @rubysshoes1

Popped out of bed at 7 am when I saw this sweet face. But 1st I got KOW-FEE as Al would say.

Otherwise no time for art today. Hmm she could go pinker.

Color is somewhere between the multiple pics. Annoying iphone camera messes w ths color.

Sorry forgot to take pics!!

TIP: Bytw i found out u can erase watercolor pencil and smear it to get rid of the pencil lines. Who knew?

Watercolor pencil in my stillman and birn alpha Thanks! Judith and Lori @rubysshoes1

Day 47- Elaina of the lovely red hair!!

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Day 47 of the #jyportraitchallenge.Another watercolor I like. Getting to be a pattern. Hurrah!! She actually said she was done today.

Arches cold press 9×12”

Forgot to take process pics again. Too busy painting. Sorry!!

The photo

Quin scarlet and azo orange w dabs of the purple color background (why not spread the joy around?!) used for her hair otherwise Mary Whytes palette colors.

The pencil sketch Always a relief when the model shows up on the paper.

The purple on the background is a combo of ultramarine and perylene maroon a lovely combo. Painted w a Mary Whyte fav a cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable (both brushes at Cityart in Columbia, SC @cityartsc ) and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat, arches 140 cp 9×12”.

Thanks! Judith and Eliana@exorquidea

Margaret now tahred xoxoxo

Giaio(Joy)!! Portrait Challenge Day 45!

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Giaio an Italian Artist @florentinogiaio on arches 140# cp 9×12”
The photo

Her name Giaio means Joy. Finally a watercolor I like. I managed to jeep it really loose.

The sketch- yes i did one.
First washes. Love her sweater.

Used a moltow masking pen to leave the white hair wisps. Painted w a silver brush cats paw, #10 Charles Reid kolinsky sable and 1/2” Robert Simons synthetic flat.

Shadows added w ultramarine aka the big scary (an ultramarine wash in the shadows) and the flesh tone injected into the ultramarine. I
Just about done. Have to remove the masking fluid. love the Moltow masking pen but next time will buy a pebeo one. The Moltow masking is tougher to remove but it was so nice being able to make the lines fast w no messing w a dead paint brush full of masking.

Mary Whyte palette colors.

Thanks! Judith and @fiorentinogiaio

Gorgeous morning.
Pansies still flourishing which is unusual for this time of the year. Usually long dead and gone but its been 66 here.
More pansies and nasturtiums which are coming on like gangbusters.

Margaret putting her feet up. Xoxoxoxox

That portrait challenge Day 44

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Trinidad Day 441/4 sheet cp fluid. Mixed media #jyportraitchallenge on ig

My friend Ruth and I keep each other going. You can see her posts @britpeach on ig. When one flags the other says where’s your post today?!
Our #jyportraitchallenge photo from IG. Judith Yaws is an Asheville NC area based artist who holds lifemodeling zoom sessions several times a month. Her models are world class and have kindly donated their photos to Judith for the challenge.
Almost forgot to take pics. The beginning.
Something is off. Omg and i can not lift on this piece of fluid. That’s a pickle to say the least. Her mouth is far too low which means everything from there down is too low!! 😵😵😵
Trying to lift/move that mouth and getting into big trouble because quin pink is staining. And whats with the cross eyes?!
For better or worse i moved it. The paper really was terrible. There were dots all over below her nose on her chin like there was no sizing on it. Did i say this was the back of the cp fluid 140?!
Luckily she had a heavy shadow under her lip which helped disguise that I loved her mouth. Well i hope it did.

I added a lot of white gouache to her top w a 1/2” flat to give it texture. Lots of fun. Think i may need to do some acrylics again.

Anyway here she is done as she will get.
Off the back deck this am. Gorgeous day on River Bend. Margaret xoxoxoxo

@drawingisfree_org

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Thanks Chloe @drawingisfree_org We were live from Paris sketching!! The Zoom link is at the top of this page. What a great FREE opportunity!!

A marvelous face on this old man sitting almost in the dark en Paris. My Fav sketch! All of these were done in my superaquabee 10×14” sketchbook with two Derwent sketching pencils a lightwash and a 4B I got at Blick Atlanta. Lovely dark soft pencils with a thick lead. Love them.

These are all two and a half -3:14 minute poses. The length of the great music she played. Different song for each pose mostly Francais, mais oui!

In case u r wondering where I have been now on day 43 of the #jyportraitchallenge on IG. Check them out at @maggieinsc.

This is a totally FREE drawing session. His first time attending and she asked him to pose😵😵😵. His glasses really were crooked.
Every Monday @drawingisfree_org has two sessions at 4 am EST and noon EST. Short 2-3 minute poses w different attendees being called on for a quick pose. So fun. Great music for each pose.
Her 80th coming up but shes still drawing! Hopes to spend it in Paris sketching. I
Lots of hands to practice on. A challenge when the pose is two and a half minutes. Great spikey hair and yellow glasses which i didn’t get to.
Loved her hair!

Despite a Zoom collapse which was a total reboot and a power outage right before the end best fun i have had sketching since BC Before covid.

Used two Derwent sketch pencils a 4B and a lightwash which had been languishing in my pencil box. Yes I have a PINK pencil box. Lol. Actually i have several to store my watercolors in my color.
Not my best but only two and a half minutes. 🙃Grwar curly red hair.
Chloe our fearless leader. Started is off posing to some great French music. When in France do as the Francai do, n’est-ce pas??

A Bientot! Margaret xoxoxo whose gotta go paint. #jyportraitchallenge

Going to a Garden Party

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Day 23 #jyportraitcsllenge Loved Lyn @lynaylwardart Loved her big hat. To me she looks like shes heading to a garden party in her hat. Fluid 140# cp M Graham watercolor
The background was fun. I did it FIRST by wetting it down w a two inch flat then dabbying in pure thick color into the background-sap green, ultramarine and yellow. Then u just let it flow. DO NOT touch it. Hard to resist i know.
The photo
And i sketched. Too low too small
And i sketched. I got the head angle wrong and the eyes. Well i just done know. Sigh.
And i sketched
The final sketch. A little masking for the holes in the straw. Finally she arrived. Or I gave up.
The hat was also done all at once adding in hair color so it would melt into the brim. you have to use paint right out of the tube when you do that. Burnt sienna and quin gold with some mineral violet.
Close to done. The skin got too pink but not as pink as this. I used quin coral, light yellow permanent and mineral violet. The dress was done like the background wetting it down but adding in mixed and water downed colors.
Added a few more shadows and tried to lighten the pink. Not easy to lighten quin coral its staining. Mostly happy with her just wish she weren’t so pink

Margarer xoxoxoxo

How did i ever work?!

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Most days around here are so busy I wonder.

Day 22 of 30 day portrait challenge. #jyportraitchallenge Jaxxon @hisarmystudiosA pirate? Well maybe. Still not happy with the skin tone but too late tonite to add burnt umber. Tried raw sienna and burnt Sienna and quin burnt orange plus some mineral violet and cobalt teal. Also need to soften a few edges but not tonite. Mgraham watercolor.
Photo
The sketch on fluid 140cp
Then i forgot to take pics. This one is the skin is raw sienna, burnt sienna and a dab of quin pink. I think hes too yellow and too light. Also gets lost in the background. Looks a little too cut out.
So I began the game of change his skin tone, the background and softening edges. Lost the back wdge of his head. Always makes them sit on the page better.
Colors off but he’s done for the moment. BYTW Jaxxon is doing the thirty day challenge too. Margaret xoxoxox

Oy Vey what a Day

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Hope i spelled that right.

Day 21. Looks easy right??! Mar @marcastenada_model #jyportraitchallenge Cute Audrey Hepburn look. Love Audrey.
The sketch. Just didnt look quite right. I should have fixed it then but NOPE. Fluid 140#cp
So far so good
Cobalt was much better but three coats on the background. 1 teal 2 cobalt. 😵‍💫 Nothing easy today. Her face does not look right.
Better. I had a laundry list of tweaks. Her hairline lifted, her mouth got another quarter inch, i moved her right eye down , added some kore shadow under her left eye and softened some of the lines on her chest. I think thats it. Hmm. Anyway whether or not she’s right i quit.

Supper time Margaret xoxoxox