The male cardinal has made his appearance. Fun stuff slopping paint on with the sword brush. same colors as yesterday.
Loving the abstract quality of these.
Margaret whose off to bed as soon as Zoe comes in. Xoxoxox
Tag: Strathmore 500 Mixed Media
Day 2086 D Day Invasion
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 2075 Back at the Museum
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 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 1056 – the View at BreakfastÂ
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!!
Day 1055 -It’s Saturday!!Â
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?
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 – PoliticsÂ
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.
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 