Day 1055 -It’s Saturday!!

June 10, 2017June 10, 2017Leave a comment

It’s Saturday and Miss Emily is our model.

Slathering the paint on like cake icing. Lots of impasto. A little hippy and busty?! I moved that right arm at least three times. Scrapped it off and started over again and again and again.

At the first break. 4o minutes in.

Kathe playing with my caran dache neocolor ii and some charcoal.

Not sure who drew this.

Fred Mr Mondigliani Baker. A Fred funny today. Asked Dr Fred what do you call a liar a sociopath?! He said a Billionaire re our president. Thought that was great.

Jeremy’s. Gorgeousness

Al Beyer’s huge oil

Coaches great charcoal.

And that’s all folks. Still contemplating St comeys halo.

Ttyl Margaret. Xoxoxo

Day 1054 St Comey? WIP?

June 9, 2017June 9, 2017Leave a comment

Should have stuck to the hot press fabriano I started to draw this on. HOWEVER a I have more Bristol Board than Hotpress so opted for Bristol. NOT next time. And I may redraw.

I could not loose an edge to save my life on this paper. And it took forever dry. Maybe I should have put it on Stonehenge. I do have some of that. Next time. Or maybe hat Fabriano. Fabriano hot press is the loveliest paper and I know Cheap Joes has more and so does Dick Blick.

Inked with my Lamy Safari and Lamy Fine point.

WIP because I may do it over and also may add a bit of mixed media like what about a gold paint pen halo edge!? Could be fun.

These ideas pop into my head and I keep a list of them on my cell phone. Check back by or check my Instagram feed MaggieinSc for an update because Rachel Maddow is on soon and it’s time for a shower so I am ready.

Wonder what she will unloose tonite. an ongoing spy novel.

Ttyl Margaret xoxoxo

Day 1053 – Politics

June 8, 2017Leave a comment

Hard to avoid it today. It’s all over the tv the radio Facebook twitter. I don’t know about you but the last few days have been riveting. THIS IS WATERGATE!! 14×20 Mixed Media

Enough to get Rachel Maddow back from her sick bed where she had been for almost two weeks.

I got the brilliant idea to do this one on arches #140 cold press. BIG a mistake. Hard to write on with any ink pen or marker I had.

I finally picked up a Japanese brush pen I thought had permanent ink. I tested it on a scrap of paper. It didn’t run.

Fast forward to all the heavy lines in this sketch are done with that brush pen especially on Dan Coats.

When I started painting him he turned into a gray runny mess. This was supposed to be a watercolor. EEEKKKK.

I dug into my mixed media art supply grove. Caran d’ache Neocolor ii to the rescue. I started coloring. I lightened him up. The only person that didn’t have some runs was Comey. 😳

A lot of the letters ran. The names!! Eeeekkk. On this rough paper there was no clean edge. Tried a grease pencil which works great in my sketchbooks. NOPE TOO rough.

Got out a white gel pen on the letters. Better!! Got out a paint pen. Even better. More outlining with the Lamy Safari.

Done. Whew. Not what I had in mind BUT finally pleased with it.

Margaret planning another but it will be on hot press paper. Xoxoxo the news is calling.

Day 507 – Life Modeling

November 29, 2015November 29, 2015Leave a comment

Home again home again. Laundry and nap not necessarily in that order.

Materials used Neocolor II Caran d’Ache and #140 Fabriano Artistico

Today was life drawing at USA Aiken and the lovely Elena was our model.

She’s been thru quite a few stages. This is where she is now though thinking of lightening her right eye. I think it’s still a little dark.

Here’s how she looked after the first twenty minute break. That lemon yellow caran d’ache had been calling my name and saying use me use me!!!

TIP I take pics while I am working on it so I can see how it looks from a distance. You can really see your mistakes when you do this. And they are handy for a WIP work in progress blog post!!👍

My friend Ruth said she didn’t like the yellow and could I make her peachier. Ruth is usually right so I did. I also needed to lighten the shadows on her face which was making her look too old.

I lifted the shadows with a good stuff hogbristle oil paint brush and blotted off with a bounty towel. That#140 Fabriano Artistico is tough paper. Always amazes how you can wipe off the Fabriano.

I also had to narrow her right shoulder and lift both of them up a bit on either side of her neck. I love that hogbristle brush. It lets you do the lifting of color a smidge at a time.

Thanks for looking.

Margaret xxx

Day 471 -What a day

October 24, 2015October 24, 2015Leave a comment

WIP – Ilenia – 30″x 18″

Acrylic on board

I have had…or should I say 24 hours?? ALL my iphoto pics disappeared around 11 pm last nite and my iphone died today…supicious I have a virus…guess I will download some antivirus…but in the meantime its day 471 and I have to post a blog dont I??? As you know its Saturday…which means life modeling at USC Aiken….I had originally intended to go urban sketching downtown but did not feel up to it with the bronchitis I have had…hmmm do you think my computer caught it???

Tom offered to drive me and I said yes…I think I may have turned the corner finally!! HALLELUJAH!! BUT back to life modeling..you arent here to hear me natter on about all my viruses lol…

HARD BOARD – what is it? My friend Drew cut up a sheet of hard board for me. It is sold near the peg board at big box stores at $14 a 4×8′ sheet. Hardboard is what we used to call masonite…slap some gesso or house paint on it and you are good to go for acrylic and two layers of gesso for oil. ALOT of board for the price…try matching canvas with that cost! NOT happening. Like plastic bags it will be here long after we are all gone. If you drop it on the corners it tends to chip but otherwise great stuff…I have some that I painted on in collage that still is in great shape years later.

Brushes were 1/2 hog bristle and a 1/3″ filbert and a cheap house painting brush for the background. THe house paint brush is the kind that sheds hair…you get about 8 of them for a few dollars at michaels or lowes…great fun to paint with.

SO how did I paint Ilenia?? Colors used cerulean, Golden Nickel Azo gold, titanium white and pyrrole red with a dab of ultramarine blue…thats it..nothing else. I made the flesh by mixing the white with pyrrole red and Nickle Azo Gold. Cerulean was used to make the greys and lavenders as was ultramarine blue. The black and dark browns are ultramarine blue and pyrrole red.

I drew her first with the Nickel Azo Gold with the smaller filbert. Measured her and she stands 7 heads tall…her legs and feet could use more work…maybe tomorrow or maybe never lol..

I drew her head first..then marked the seven heads noting where each head length ended. I also dropped imaginary plumb lines off of her chin to see where her body lined up…also horizontal lines to check on her arms..I had one elbow much too low for a while….I also checked the negative spaces between the arms and how the one leg hit the chair, where the chair seat lined up with the right leg.

So what more is there to do…her feet could use some work. The background needs to be darkened…probably ultramarine to make her pop. Today I was into having fun with the paint…trying to be accurate but if I wasnt I didnt care…

11 days till we leave for Paris!!

THanks for reading!!!

Margaret xxx

Day 300 – 300 Consecutive Days of Drawing and Posting

May 4, 2015May 5, 20154 Comments

The Man from Shanghai.

Based on an old photo of Dads taken in pre WW2 Shanghai. Lots left to do. But I am pleased with him so far .

This is an old photograph from my dad’s Marine Corp album. He and other Marines aboard the USS Henderson were evacuating Marines from China before WW2 because they knew the Japanese were coming. The Marines guarded the embassies and consulates. Before returning to Honolulu the ship dropped the Marines off at the Phillipines never realizing that it too would shortly be overrun by the Japanese.

Taking a class from Fealing Lin at Cheap Joes. The sweetest lady and her paintings are beautiful. Fealing is a great teacher, very thorough, knowledgeable diligent and so talented!

The paintings are done with many layers of glazing. Glazing is sheer transparent color that allows more layers of the same transparent color on it. She often does three to four layers of colors.

The Man from Shanghai

Layer 1. This isn’t the best example of a first layer wash because I was in a hurry to finish and painted it out of order. I should have started at the top and let it drip downward. I didnt use enough water and I kept going back into the already laid down colors!! OPPPS!!!

Kenyatta

Layer 1 -This layer is all wet in wet very watery glazes allowed to run down the board and drip.

Kenyatta

Layer 2- Hard edge on her right cheek and right forehead is a NO NO…another oops!

Kenyatta

Layer 3

Kenyatta
This is after layer three but the hair should have been included in layer 3. Still trying to keep the edges and colors loose. Oh so difficult…at least for me!!

Thanks for reading!!

Maggie XX

Day 211- a New Beginning or Trials and Tribulations!!

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to start over.
A new sheet of paper a new sketch. I went with the plumbline approach. Trying to be sure that eveything was in line! I started drawing her by trying to matching up the angle of the neck. Then I drew an oval for her head and her shoulder line.I also tried to check the negative space that her chin, neck, and shoulder form.

Making progress. A little Jawy still. Colors used DS Quinacridone Coral with a touch of cad yellow light for skin. Cerulean and burnt umber plus piemonite and cobalt for shadows. Hair is quinacridone sienna for highlights and ultramarine blue mixed with burnt umber for darks.

Calling her done at least for the moment. I think she’s much improved. Especially her hair! Background piemonite and cobalt.

Thanks for looking!!

Day 211- a New Beginning or Trials and Tribulations!!

February 1, 2015Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to start over.
A new sheet of paper a new sketch.

Making progress.

Calling her done at least for the moment. I think she’s much improved. Especially her hair! But darn naked and no hair too!! Please models wear your lovely hair down!!

Henry time aka off to play with my grandson.

Thanks for looking!!

Day 197 – Downton Time!!! Or how to draw those characters!!

January 18, 2015January 18, 20152 Comments

Being of the impatient sort I used to read the Downton wikis to see what would happen next on Downton. They have already been shown in England before Christmas. We get them months later. This year I am resisting the urge to peak and “read the end of the book”.

Instead I journal about Downton drawing the characters and writing snippets of their lines that I find funny. I had to watch the first episode twice because I was so intent on sketching I missed half the show. Thank goodness for dvrs!!

I started trying to draw them when they were on screen for a lengthy period. Difficult difficult!!!

Aha moment. I realized I could pause my tv during the show. They would stay there as long as I wanted them too.

Your tv won’t do that?
The idea to drawing these character sketches is either photographing them off the tv or stopping the Dvr and drawing them.

Photographing with your phone has the added benefit of letting you watch the show while you draw. You can have your cake and eat it too!!!

The background of the large words. When I tried to paint it I had lettered it already. The Noodlers bulletproof black ran. Gre. I added some white Winsor Newton Gouache to Cerulean and repainted the background after it dried.