Day 2086 D Day Invasion

June 6, 2019June 7, 2019Leave a comment

When we went to France we went to The Normandy Invasion Sites. Aka Operation Overlord aka D Day.

The French in Normandy seriously love Americans because they know we saved them. This is a sketch of one of the Canadian cemeteries at Birn Sur Mer. We were there on Veterans Day and many of the people on the tour had uncles buried there leaving roses on their graves. The Canadian DDay Museum a fascinating place that looks like a maple leaf from above. It’s made with aluminum sheathing that glows in the light.

Arrowmanche which still has implacements from the invasion in their harbor. I almost got left behind by the bus while I was drawing this sketch. 🤣 We suffer for our art.

Ranville. The first city the Allies freed in Normandy also a site of another allied cemetery. The church is still pockmarked with canon shell holes.

Mushrooms outside another museum we visited. Pegasus Bridge Museum where the British paratroopers landed BEFORE the D Day invasion. Out of the 600 that parachuted in only 165 survived the nights shooting.

Another page I just dug up. The leader of the British paratroopers.

The invasion maps. – The la song sites -Utah Omaha Gold Juno and Sword Beaches – among rh coast of Normandy near Bayeux home of the famous tapestry and Areowmanches where the Bristish established Mulberry harbor a temporary port for the allies. Remnants of it can still be seen today.

Memorial at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach.

More Omaha beach pictures. One thing you can say about France sunny one minute cloudy and raining the next.

The bravery of these men was amazing and we and the French will all be forever grateful. The stories of them abound still in Normandie.

Oh bytw several shows on tonite on the National Geographic channel with actual footage from the invasions tonite. Have my dvr set.

Margaret getting ready to eat her chicken noodle soup. Xoxoxo

Day 2084 – the kid

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019Leave a comment

At this point. The Kid 15×22″‘hp Fluid. Forgot to ask his name yesterday when he modeled for us.

Started without a drawing. Drawing large shapes Like oil painters do.

Both light and dark. WHERE are his glasses?!! Took til almost second break before I notice oh wait I can’t see his eye because he has on glasses. Duh.

Started adding

And adding. How did I not notice his mouth was too small too forward?! 🤪

More shadows but that mouth. I am an idiot? The things you don’t notice when you have a live model. And YES I got up and walked off and looked at it.

Finally his mouth is where it belongs. Sigh.

When I went to bed last night.

And the way he looks right now. I moved his right eye up and widened it.
Burnt sienna cerulean cobalt burnt umber hematite burnt scarlet or other. Vlads neutral tint. White Gouache mixed w cad yw light. Ultramarine
Andrews blue Alizarin dioxzine violet vandyke brown indigo

Hmm is that all of them.

Paper is 140# hot press fluid which has stayed oh so flat despite my repeated drenchings of the paper. Love this stuff. Need to order MOH from amazon. AND you can even lift on it which never happens on hot press. Once it’s there it’s there on most hot press.

Margaret who just got a new grand baby today David Christoper 8.8 lb. A BIG boy just like his dad whose birthday was today. Super birthday present for my son Ben.

Xoxoxoxo

Day 2080 Drawing like

June 1, 20192 Comments

A crazed person

Deadline for Georgia Watercolor Show is June 10. It will be here soon.

Looking toward St Mcclou in Rouen Normandy France. Half sheet rough Fabriano 300#

This one took quite a while and still needs some people added to it. Remember you can add anyone if their heads line up with the dark dot which is the vanishing point on the horizon line. A tall guy could be a little higher but a shorter lady on that horizon line. By doing this you can add anyone into a painting even if they were never there.

Ps remember adding odd numbers of people is better than even. And assorted sizes would be more interesting.

Looking toward Van Goghs blue church in Auvers sur Oise France the town Van Gogh died in. Half sheet Fabriano rough 300#

Also where he’s buried just to the right of this church. Near the wheat field with all the crows that he painted. Too bad we didn’t make his funeral. His brother Theo gave everyone there one of his paintings if you wanted one! Not six months later Theo died and was buried next to Vincent.

All those wobbly 900 year old medieval buildings made it Difficult to sketch this. Add in all the gothic spires on St Maclou – well shoot me. So I gridded the photograph and the sketch. I used a light grey watercolor pencil on the drawing so hopefully it will melt away when I paint it tomorrow.

I also have to move the girl in the foreground either right or left. Broke one of the Dean of watercolor painters rules by sticking her in the middle. Never do that either. Drop in one or two more people and I am ready to painting this one too.

And I started the day off drawing at the dealership while I waited for my Prius’ check up. I am too lazy to get up and take a pic of those.

Stay tuned. Manana!

My evening visitor. Zoe did NOT like him a bit. I think he or she is kinda cute. Just a little small young raccoon.

Margaret putting her feet up for a well deserved rest Xoxoxoxo

Day 2075 Back at the Museum

May 28, 2019Leave a comment

I loved these slightly primitive statues. So old.

Sketch in Deartrementis Brown with my Twisbee. The inks almost gone so next I will be using a Noodler Brown recommenced by Brenda Swenson.

Hahnemuhle journal yellow ochre cerulean cad red light cobalt burnt sienna ultramarine and a dab of quin gold.

I used a 2B pencil to write the info from the museum all over the background of this page to add texture and lightly erased it before I painted it.

Margaret who is book club tonite. Xoxoxo

Day 2074 Rue de Gros Horlage part deux

May 28, 2019Leave a comment

Been working on this all day today. Takes a while in between washes to dry.

Rue de Gros Horlage in Rouen Normandy France. Thinking maybe it’s done or close?! Now to stare at it a while. It will tell me one way or the other. rough 300# fabriano

adding more darks to windows and doors and people.

Wash on wash.

First wash

The sketch.

Now Officially too tahred to type more

Margaret staring at the painting

Day 2070 Problems Problems

May 23, 20192 Comments

Decided to add this lady to my sketchbook as a memory page.

She meets me at the back sliding door and peers thru the glass this way and that as if to say are you there. Where’s my breakfast??? It’s very funny.

Hahnemuhle Journal twisbee pen Charles Reid palette colors and Vlads neutral tint which is dioxzine purple indigo and burnt sienna.

Advantage of using his neutral tint or making your own is that you can shift it to blue purple or brown maki g it a flexible grey that Vlad never paints without it on his palette.

Miss squirrel earlier added some ground under her feet with the neutral tint so the nice highlights on them would show. And splattered it a bit with the neutral tint.

wouldn’t let me upload these pics yesterday. 😵😵😵

Seems I have run out of storage on WordPress. I either have to Del a lot of old photos which is oh so difficult to do or pay $200 more a year for unlimited storage. Groan.

wouldn’t let me upload this one either so added it today.

So while I am deciding I Del a lot of my friends nudes and I bet the pages look like Swiss cheese. Sorry friends and dear readers. I still love you.

Here’s the final painting again. Do wish I had left the metal strip on the side.

That freed up a little space.

wondering why I didn’t do this one but I think I will maybe on the opposite page.

Oh. Went to see Anne Hathaway’s new movie The Hustle. Funny well only occasionally. Best part was the French Riviera scenery the French music and Anne’s fabulous clothes.

Skip it and go see Poms. Much funnier.

Margaret In p189 of Redemption. Only 200+ pages to go.

Ttyl. Xoxoxo

Day 2054 Strancone, Italy done!!! Onward!!!

April 30, 2019May 1, 20192 Comments

At least for the monenbt. You never know. It’s subject to change right?! Until it’s framed.

At the end of class. Pallet colors same as Vld said to use. Mostly neutral tint cad red light cad yellow and cobalt today.

Thinking tomorrow or Thursday will try the beach scene we did the sepia sketch of. Lost my focal point but I can fix it in the final one. Should have been in the middle.

Like this one. Sigh.

Think I will draw the scene while I listen to tv. Lol. Can’t watch and draw right.

Spent half the day looking for paint. How can I be out of cobalt van dyke brown AND dioxzine purple. This method of painting uses shovel loads of paint. Need to buy the BIG tubes not the 16″5 oz. shoulda added to my Blick order. Sigh.

I ordered these during class Sunday and here they are already.

I did get a set of Escoda perla brushes from amazon because I could NOT get my black velvets to dry brush. They split.

Escoda perla 8,10,12 from top to bottom

If the perlas are good enough for Vlad, Iain Stewart and Joseph Zbukiv they are good enough for me. Suppose to make great calligraphic marks as well as do sweeping dry brush effects. Not a bad deal $30 for and 8 10 and a 12 travel brush Escoda perla Joseph Zbukiv Brand.

Homework from class. I couldn’t stand the tension of watching the battle this week in Game of Thrones. Eyes on paper. Eeekkk. Glad that episode is over.

Line practice

More homework from class. Supposedly if u draw two dots keep your pencil on left for eye on right dot you should get straight lines. Thinking not something to do during game of thrones or after four cups of high caffeine tea. Lol.

Margaret who has to make her clean bed first before she draws the scene so I can practice trees with my new brushes. Bet they will work on rocks too. Xoxoxo

Day 2030 A few bits and bobs

March 30, 20192 Comments

The divine Miss Kate from last week. I added some

Darks to the stool and under her feet. A bit more dark purple to her silk drape.

Hot press fluid 140 lb

Isa Belle from Dr Sketchys last month. She has not gotten quite finished in the 30 Minutes we had to draw her. 10×15″ Canson artboard

And a bit more torture for Miss Macy. Shortened a foot added some Drapery. Just played with the sketch some more. Added some lead drawing pencil down watercolor pencil.

And I tried to lift that horrible blue drip. Half sheet fluid hot press. 140 lb

Margaret putting her feet up. The pollen definitely playing havoc with my lungs. Xoxoxoxo

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Day 1893 BrEaKfaST

February 21, 2019Leave a comment

At New Moon. I know. Not my usual page but it’s fun. And I like it. That’s what counts right? It’s actually a journal page. My friend Tom and I blundered into the 10th Annual Hoofbeat Parade in downtown Aiken.

Only Aiken would have a horse parade with costumes.

I drew my late lunch at New Moon. Yummm. Their Downton mess Aiken style is sooo good. Pimento cheese which I always hated as a kid and grits and ham. Yummmy.

Anyway not what I intended to post. Been a crazy day.

Bought a new sofa at laZy boy to go with my chair. This sofa is one I actually thought about buying when I bought my current den sofa. Oopsey. Should have saved the $$$ and bought it.

I was going to draw at lazy boy but no wait time. Oh well. Lots of interesting things to draw in that place.

And old furniture listed on Facebook and Craigslist so hopefully gone soon. Fielding inquiries. It’s priced to move it out ASAP.

Margaret Xoxoxoxo putting her feet up and coloring in her book.

Day 1742 Inktober

October 4, 2018Leave a comment

I have been doing inktober aka 31 ink sketches. Question is do you make it to the finish line of one ink drawing a day?!!!

I threw one of those strips in my purse before I went to Costco. Sat down at the restaurant area and put my satchel purse up on the table to hide behind. Parking yourself somewhere with a good site line to streams of people is always a good idea when doing these.

Started drawing with my Namiki Fude pen-love it’s thick thin lines. I tried to finish it at Lowe’s today BUT huge trucks thought they needed to be close to the door and blocked my view. 🤨

Pretty soon I had a whole strip done. I ended up at the Walmart grocery store because they always have a good flow of people going in and out.