Monday is portrait class over in Aiken. Can’t remember our models name. She has. A few issues. Forehead too high. The dent to the left of her eye is too deep but maybe her cheeks too fat. And the right shoulder needs some definition.
First break. She looks like a ghost. NO PENCIL sketch. Eeek. Always makes me nervous. But it can be done. Onward and upward.
Second break. That ghost is still there. I do t seem to make much progress drawing the beginning with paint. And it definitely stresses me out that I can’t erase it.
Third break. I get tired of poking about and slap the paint on.
I lifted bits of white to the left of her left eye but think it may be a bit too much. So I will stare at her a while and decide.
Colors used. Charles Reid palette. Used a lot of opera pink since she had a rosey glow with a mix of cad red light and cad yw light for flesh. Cerulean cobalt peacock blue burnt sienna on the face
Hair is a wash of cad yellow light first. Then yellow ochre burnt sienna cerulean mixed with burnt umber and finally cobalt mixed w Burnt umber. Her hair like a lot of blondes has a lot of greys in it cerulean makes a great grey.
Oh and that black dot on her right cheek is NOT a mole but where I touched it w my dirty pinky knuckle. Sigh.
Top is yellow ochre burnt umber alizarin and cad yellow light.
Margaret who has a headache from stressing over the painting. What we do for fun. But the sinister grunge seems to be gone. Hurrah. Xoxoxox
I draw better birds now. All these were drawn while watching the birds.
Parrot rescue in Pigeon Forge 
Drawing pelicans before we eat at Key Largo – Buzzards Roost. May be there soon hurrah.
At the High Art Museum in Atlanta is fantastic. Each painting a jewel.
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. 
Snuff jars from the museum. Hmm I wonder if they sell them on eBay. One could hope. Like rows of tiny gems. Two inches tall at most.
Before I darkened the sky to make St Maclou pop. I also added a red orange mix – cad red light and cad yellow light – to the church door to demand your attention. Aka focus your eye. 
Still needs a lot of work on the left building but thinking right buildings may be done. 
Adding the people. I used Cheap Joes Andrews Turquiose and cad red which are opaque colors to make the jackets stand out all of which I dry brushed on taking advantage of the opaque color. 
adding details and detail washes on buildings. 
detailing buildings 
Dumped my photo into waterlogue to see if it would have a clue or two on how to paint. Love the red building but it would detract from my focus the church. 
Have always thought this could make a great painting. Rouen Cathedral in waterlogue. A free ap that turns your photos into watercolors. Sometimes doing s great job sometimes NOT. 
The sketch which took forever. Drawing on rough paper is NOT easy. especially when you want alot of straight lines.
Another artist painted St Maclou back in the 1890s. He turned the square in front into a fairytale story book like setting.
When we went to France we went to The Normandy Invasion Sites. Aka Operation Overlord aka D Day.
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. 
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. 
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.
Memorial at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach. 
Not six months later Theo died and was buried next to Vincent.
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 McCarthy Hunt Art 