Seems to be a trend lately. And reading books.
Margaret who almost forgot to post. Off to hot lanna tomorrow. Xoxoxo
Tag: stillman and birn
Day 2089 Chelsea
15×22″ Spent two and a half hours chasing Chelsea as she would turn from full frontal to the right. As soon as she relaxed a little she would loose the pose because she was twisted in her seat.
First break. NO pencil. 😵😵😵Rough block in on Co fluid watercolor paper. 140#. The paper is really a bargain for great paper. Six full sheets for $24 on amazon. Always dries just about flat no matter how soppy wet I get it. 
Second break not making a lot of progress. Adding more darks and the blouse. Lack of progress I think that was due to the continually rotating head. No excuse for that left eye. But an easy fix on this hp. Most hot press would not let you move it at all. One shot and you are done. 
Last break. That left eye shoot me. But I brought it around. Add more darks to the hair which was ultramarine and burnt umber or van dyke brown. Also I didn’t want to get the shadows dark since that would age her. She has quite a very young face. Deep shadows age people in portraits especially babies. For now. I have a to do to her list. May or may not do them. BYTW her blouse was painted in two shots with my size 16 Cheap Joes sable. First was a glaze of very watery cerulean and burnt sienna. Then after it was dry lines of the black hair mix.
Colors used Quin gold French yellow ochre burnt sienna burnt umber ultramarine cerulean vandyke brown. A hint ifocad red light
Margaret ready for a nap. Xoxoxox
Day 2070 Problems Problems
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 2068 got carried away
Watching out takes from Game of Thrones on YouTube – Game of thrones – funny moments part 11. There are at least 14 of them and most are very funny. 
I think I fixed Zoe. More or less. Hahnemuhle art journal burnt sienna alizarin mixed neutral tint of dioxzine purple burnt sienna and ultramarine. 
A big of cerulean shadows on fur. 
on her comfy throne 
A few Zoe pics. She always wears eye liner.
Margaret who has one more episode of out takes and am ready for bed. Xoxoxox
Day 1893 BrEaKfaST
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 1061 -how many more?! And a beach party!!
Still quite a few!!! 🤗
We have no shortage of talking heads in this country. They offer great drawing practice. 
If you can pause your tv it even takes the pressure off of trying to draw them quickly. 
And all they do is talk. And talk and talk. 
And pass a lot of laws that half the country don’t like no matter which side you are on making the other half is unhappy!
The Decatur Businesses Beach Party in downtown Decatur on the square. Ponce de Leon became a giant beach!! Free beach buckets, beach balls and balloons oh and washable tattoos for all!!
An amazing stilt walker. The kids had no idea how he could be that tall! Several people on top of each other was their best guess.
And there he goes legging it down the block or should I say stilting down the block?!
And a rare shot of the old Decatur Courthouse with sun on its face. It usually sits in the shade. Bytw this is now an art gallery.
Off to play with my grandkids. Hugs!!
Day 1058 – 12 Drawings in one sitting
For a while I have been drawing the talking heads and writing down what they say at least some of it. I remember who’s up to what In this Russian hunt. And sometimes I draw them like today. I guess I should have drawn them in a sketchbook but they are in a notebook I bought for 10 cents at target a couple of years ago.
Co chair warner
Sen Collins NOT zone of my better sketches.
Sen Heinrich he worked hard to pin sessions down
Blount just loves Seesions. BFF
KIng Nailed him down
Manchin
Sen Harris. You don’t ever want to be questioned by this tough woman.
Sen Reed held Sessions toes to the fire over what he had previously said about Comey. He used to think he was great til DT told him he wasn’t.
Sen McCain very concerned about the Russians in our country. Much better job Han the other day.
Try Margaret xoxoxo think I might get out my Prismacolor art sticks and color these. #ussenate #sessionshearings #sessions #kamalaharris #warner #ink #sketching #dailydrawing #lamysafari #rubio #wyden #warner #ussenate
Day 1057 – Those Sta Wet sponges – A Cheaper Way!?
If you have a sta wet palette I bet you have one of those EXPENSIVE yellow sponges in them.
Occasionally my palette gets infested with mold. Yuck. And I need a change. I clean it out with bleach to kill the molds but then I reuse that same old sponge.
UPDATE: After I posted this I reposed you could sanitize sponges in the microwave just like you do for your kitchen sponge. Hopefully it would kill mold. Or maybe freezing it would. Of course at the cost of these sponges vs the coast of paint might as well toss it if mold grows and start fresh.
Today I realized that my Trader Joe’s sponges would work just as well and be cheaper at 2 for $2.59. They are 10×14 instead of $6.80 for one 12x 18″ Sta Wet sponge. Math is in favor of Trader Joe’s sponges.
Sta wet on left Trader Joe’s on right
I love these for wiping up counters, dripped watercolor. I usually have one on the floor and one on the sink. AND you can throw them in the washing machine or the dishwasher to clean them.
Bytw the Trader Joe’s sponge is slightly thicker too so would hold more moisture.
Going to be buying a couple more packs when I go to Atlanta this weekend. LOVE Trader Joe’s.
Margaret xoxox who loves saving $ on art supplies. Leaves more $$ for when I can’t save it on art supplies.
Day 1056 – the View at Breakfast
We always stay at the Country Inn and suites when we take a class at Cheap Joes. The people are lovely even if the breakfast is not so great. The view from the breakfast area and the staff make up for the lack of the great food. After class Mike and I frequently go prop our feet up and rock the afternoon away drinking a glass of wine and looking at this view of Howard’s Knob the mountain in the painting. 
Of course on a good morning we got to share our breakfast with Charles and the ever adorable Judy Reid. 
Always a morning treat. They are so lovely! Judy will regale is with stories of the adventures of Chuck and Judy.
There are quite a few after 60 plus years of marriage. Like the time they almost were lost at sea helping a friend sails 50 foot Chesapeake bug eye catch when a storm hit them off of Charleston. Judy and Charles were the only ones who knew anything about sailing. So glad they survived!!
Painted with Charles Reid’s palette.
Off to hem those long overdue curtains. Wonder if my sewing machine still works?! Margaret xoxoxox
Day 1057 Mike
Finally getting around to posting my friend Mike. Been crazy busy cleaning house and pitching junk out – stuff not even worth good will donation.
We had a draw off at Cracker Barrel one Saturday or Sunday morning when we were in Boone. Here’s Mike drawing me. Eeek!!
Ttyl Margaret who had to go shower and get rid of the dust!!
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 