Joya Steps up

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Edited with Waterlogue

Our model was late so Joya nimbly volunteered to model for our gesture sketch session.

The one minute poses. We tried to get her to pole dance but she said NOPE!!

More 1 min poses. She really did some interesting poses.

Three minute poses. We all loved drawing someone with clothes on. Especially the folds and wrinkles in them.

Five minute. I gave my sheaf of drawings to our model Joya. She quipped if I had known you were going to do that I would have given you( aka me) real paper(aka not newsprint).

Charcoal pencil.

Another one dumped into Waterlogue. Such athleticism!! The best she could do in the pole dancing category. 🤗

Margaret giggling at Young Sheldon. Xoxoxo

Turner watercolors

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Been reading this great book called Turners Apprentice by Tony Smibert who has studied Turner for years.

Great book with lots of tips from this master watercolor painter.

A lot on how Turner achieved his stunning watercolor effects.

A wealth of Turners to drill over.

And how to achieve some of these same effects.

The brushes NOPE Not your good sables. Said one brush is from the kitchen and it looks suspiciously like my basting brush. The round one at top right.

I do know Cheap Joes sells a similar one that is Jamie Wyeth favorite to wear out. Then Joe replaces it free under their warranty. Hmm or was that Skip Lawrence?! Joe has the returned one framed in their art gallery in the shop in Boone NC.

Combining colors. Smibert leaves no stone unturned.

The drawings and adding color to them. Those ethereal colors are to die for.

Color manipulations. I do love juicy transparent color.

A screen shot from his website. I am pretty sure I have been there. Haven’t you?!

Then I discovered his student Scott Swinson on YouTube. He shares a lot of the wet on wet techniques in his great videos. You can also follow Scott on Instagram.

Another Scott painting.

Crazy man uses 3m scotch tape to tape his paper down. Who knew. And releases it with a hair dryer when it’s trying to stick to the painting. Betting the tape is cheaper than masking tape.

Margaret whose missing her YouTube video. Xoxoxo

Neither rain nor sleet nor hail

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will keep us from gathering at USC Aiken to paint. The weather predicted today was terrible (tornadoes and torrential rain) but we soldiered on.

First break. An all over wash of quin gold some burnt sienna alizarin a touch of mineral violet.

Coming along more of the same colors.

When I left Aiken

Now. I keep losing the edge across her arm and thigh where the drippy background meets the body but really liking the background. I can lift the burnt umber off the skin.

I also lifted her shoulder about 1/2″ to make her body more in proportion with her head which is a touch too big.

Added some more darks to her face especially around the eyes and the chin.

Really like the background which is a combo of all the colors used plus cobalt. Nice swirly look made mostly by splattering wet on wet.

Will post her again after I lift the spillover on her body. Have to let it dry first.

Highlights mostly lifted out now.

My favorite bit. Andrews turquoise and yellow ochre stripes. Or was it burnt sienna

Margaret watching the Super Tuesday returns. Xoxoxo

Life modeling at USC Aiken

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After my Saturday disaster I really didn’t want to make the drive to Aiken but I got a nice painting so am glad I did.

First break. Funny how washed out she looks.

So how did I paint her?? The big question I got yesterday.

Most of the painting was done with a two inch flat black velvet. Finishing with my 10 Charles Reid da Vinci.

First up a wash of quin gold all over her. It just gives a nice glow to African Americans.

Then I judiciously started adding burnt sienna and burnt umber for shadows. A swish of cad orange on highlights on her back. Piling on Andrews turquoise as well as a small dab of ultramarine toward the end for shadows and cad red light on the highlights – ears, the tip of the nose and on the elbow.

The hair is burnt umber and ultramarine. Not sure why I left the divot on top of her head but will fix that sooner or later.

The cloth she is sitting on is burnt sienna and cad red light.

Margaret relieved she can still draw after Saturday.

Every Once in A While I amaze myself.

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Gypsy got in the Transparent Watercolor Show which is a National Show in Kenosha Wisconsin in June. Who cares if she wins?? Feel like I won the lottery with her just getting into the show. So excited got zero sleep last night.

The show is ranked with The American Watercolor Show and the National Watercolor Show.

The difference in the shows in TWS your painting has to be all transparent watercolor. Lots of things disqualify it. Too much pencil. Gouache. Not lifting all the masking fluid. All these things don’t disqualify you from the other two shows.

If the judges Kathleen Conover and Herman Pikel decide I get one of those nice juicy checks I will be heading to Wisconsin don’t you know. Lol.

I actually had to look on the map last nite to see where Kenosha was. Due north of Chicago. Should be lovely in June. We shall see.

Margaret whose in charge of book club tonite. Eeekk Xoxoxox

Rainy days =

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Lazy days. And today it’s a cold rainy drizzly day almost sleet of it were cold enough.

I had fun redrawing this with my Namike fude pen today. It’s a calligraphy pen that makes the most interesting lines. I let it dry before painting and didn’t quite get around to the painting.

I did journal all over the background. We had a lot of fun hanging out at the Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West Bight enjoying the breezes the boats and the chickens accompanied by drinks and Caribbean music. What better way to spend a hot day in Key West?!

It looked similar to this before I used the fude on it.

Hmm maybe this one is next.

Margaret who has decided to trash her Saturday painting g of Emily. Xoxoxox

It’s a very busy Saturday

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Emily a work in progress. Posting late because I went the the Fort Gordon Dinner Theater unexpectedly tonite. I had already started working on Em when I got the invite.

Going to add some yellow ochre to dull the red and maybe some turquoise and mineral violet for shadows. We shall see.

Emily when I left painting. Way to red in the face. I lifted all that red with a damp Kleenex and a flat soft acrylic flat brush -a Robert Simmons sapphire that never seems to rough up the surface as a lot of scrubbers including mr clean will do.

I also removed part of Emily’s chin. Hers doesn’t stick out at all but slopes slightly away from her nose.

Will post more tomorrow. Right now I am exhausted from a busy 12 hour day.

Margaret xoxoxo

Key West Dreaming

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All this drizzly rain is making the thought of steaming hot Key West wonderful right now though I will say NO more trips to Two Friends. First time we went it was wonderful. Second time worst food I have eaten anywhere. Fried shrimp lost in thick nasty batter. To add insult to injury the two chickens got on another table to scavenge leftover food. Understandable when they roam freely and are protected BUT what wasn’t good was the table was not wiped down before the next couple sat down. Yuckkkk.

The chickens also raced around the restaurant vying for a piece of lettuce. Who knew it was so tasty?!!

Now I meant to chronicle our trials on the background of this page but right now liking the painting so much might want to leave it alone.

Fealin Lin PaLeTTe colors in a Stillman and Birn Zeta. Lamy Joy pen with Noodlers eelskin Ink.

Margaret settling in for a midwinters nap before she finishes her sock. One more inch!! Xoxoxo

Spent quite a while

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messing around with the background. Adding layers and letting them dry adding more layers. Splattering. Wiping out the splatters and on and on.

I also tried to emphasize the top to distract from the right foot. Now she’s going to sit around a while and tell me if she’s done. Maybe ?!

Background is Andrews turquoise alizarin yellow ochre and mineral violet. Oh and a smidge of cobalt. Layers and layers and layers – all watery and transparent.

This is an art quilt I did a few years ago. Hmm 12 years or so ago! 😳

And here’s a close up. All fabric and thread painting except the drawing which is oil pastel. Thread painting is done by using thread on a machine like a colored pencil. Lots and lots of stitches.

Margaret on the second foot of a pair of snarky red socks. Temps going down so want to finish it ASAP to wear. Nite nite. Xoxoxoxo

Sketching in the rain

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For some reason the power company decided to recalibrate our electricity today so I got up at the crack of dawn and fled the house or my car would have been Moored in the garage. Inner Bean was my friend all this am – a warm cozy haven on a wet drizzly miserable day.

Hot tea was moi this am.

Namike Fude pen Noodler eelskin Ink

Margaret about ready for bed and it’s still raining. Xoxoxox