Big Red (hibiscus)

10.5x7 watercolor on Yupo, drawn today with a brush only, then painted from one of my red hibiscus blooms. After doing so many neutral toned animals, I was ready for a bright splash of hot color! At least the hibiscus are still blooming like crazy in this 102 F.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Where's the Beef?

Here's yesterday's work, a half sheet (22x15) watercolor painted on handmade rough paper.  I edited out the other cows that were behind her, hence the title.  When dry, black India ink was used in small amounts to enhance overall effect of a dusty, grassy outdoors.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

More Art on Checks from Check Advantage

Another watercolor of zebras, as reproduced on Check Advantage artistic designed checks and address labels.  More selections are now online with this Wisconsin company who does amazing reproductions! To see other exciting printed art visit this link:
http://new.checkadvantage.com/kay-smith-checks
All my check designs are copyright Kay Smith 2013.

Pug dog pet portrait

6x6 watercolor with Pigma Micron 01 pen on Masters paper, drawn before work then painted after work today of this cute pug dog on his owner’s bed.
*Check out Pugs Home HERE
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Special Delivery storks

22x15 watercolor on Langton 140 lb cold press paper/Daniel Smith paints, done wet on dry today.  Look closely and you can see a baby stork in the unusual nest.  This bird painting is featured in our WetCanvas weekend drawing event where participants have 2 hours to draw and paint their choice of references.  I cropped the original reference and moved the large stork closer to its edge that shows only the left uppermost nest corner.  (Courtesy photo Connie van Winssen, Netherlands)
Image is copyright 2013 Kay Smith.

Cats and Old Fence

6x8.5 watercolor done last week while on travel in my hotel room.  Probably strays, these two were watchful and yet indifferent, just being cats.  Photo reference featured on WetCanvas.com last month for 5-7 July Weekend Drawing Event.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Birds on Wires

Here is my one hour demo lesson done yesterday morning for the West TX Art Guild in Colorado City, Texas.  I used two photos of birds on phone line wires right outside my studio door. It is painted on Kilimanjaro watercolor 140 lb paper and is 15x22.  WTAG had a very nice turnout and I did sell a small scarlet macaw parrot painting.  My demo was held at Carolyn Walker's studio next door to Leada Wood's Studio Twenty, off Interstate 20.  This was my first time to paint insulators; one could get quite creative with the large sky!
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Worker Bee

8.5x6 watercolor painted this week while on travel out of state for my job.  Painted on Strathmore Visual Journal paper, this was drawn in pencil using composite photos and Daniel Smith paints.  The worker bee will be featured on our current Watermedia forum on WetCanvas "Creature Feature".  This bee was busy with  pale lavender/pink blossoms down the street.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Krazy Koi

6x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Italia paper, painted a few years ago in a loose, splashy direct manner which is my style.  I lay in the darkest dark hues first, then middle tones, then lights (including the white of the paper).  Now this sinister looking fellow remains one of my favorite fish paintings which do sell well.  This work has been SOLD.

Image is COPYRIGHT 2009 Kay Smith.

Mountain Lake

18x12 watercolor of a serene scene complete with distant rocky bluffs and cool clear water.  Logs and branches can be seen floating in the foreground in this imaginary landscape.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Blanca cat and Blankets

15x22 watercolor of a white cat on black and white southwestern style blankets.  This is an older work where I was experimenting with using only black watercolor on Strathmore Gemini 140 lb hot press paper (we use the white of the paper instead of white paint with watercolor).
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Yarn's for Kittens

6x6 watercolor with Pigma Micron 01 pen on Masters paper, drawn last night and painted this afternoon from old black and white photo of Roger, an orange tabby with white markings. I rescued him and loved him so much but he was so friendly he disappeared, probably into someone's house or car.
Copyright 2013 Kay Smith.

Crazy Pink Chihuahua

8.5x6 watercolor and Pigma Micron 01 pen of a crazy chihuahua, painted wildly this past weekend on Color Sketch paper.  I'd seen a very small chihuahua in a girl's purse on Friday at the hospital where I work, and he looked a lot like one I had growing up named Peanut.  That fellow was given away after he "christened" my new Barbie doll and her house and Corvette...In this work, he seems to be saying "I'm baaaaaacck!"
Image copyright 2013 Kay Smith.

Boss of the Barnyard chickens

15x22 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb hot press paper, drawn and painted this afternoon in a loose, splashy manner.  This old rooster is hurrying the innocent young hen inside the chicken coop to show her who's boss of the barnyard.  There are a few touches of black India ink on the birds, plus spattering at the end when all was dry.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Oty's Cat

8.5x6 watercolor on Color Sketch oatmeal wc paper, drawn in pencil and painted last night. My artist friend in Greece, Otilia or “Oty”, shared this pretty calico cat with us on WetCanvas this weekend. Our challenge was to show the subject in sunlight.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Cat on the Hunt

6x6 watercolor and ink (Pigma Micron 01) on Masters paper, painted yesterday of our old cat Bootsie who is no longer amongst us.  He was on the hunt in this scene, maybe chasing grasshoppers or moths, who knows? It is a cat's world so anything goes.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith

Fall Inspiration still life

22x15 transparent watercolor on Daler Rowney Langton Prestige 140 lb cold press paper, done this week and finished today.  It has been a looooong time since I painted a still life and these old apothecary bottles too interesting to pass up.  A branch of turning red orange leaves completes the vertical composition.  This was painted wet on dry using Daniel Smith paints:  Quinacridone burnt orange and gold, new gamboge, green gold, UB, transparent pyrrol orange, undersea green, raw sienna, cobalt teal blue, Prussian blue, manganese blue, along with Winsor Newton lemon yellow.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2013.

Children Portraits: Jimmy and Jan

11x15 watercolor from my client's memory, a twilight scene with fireflies in east Texas one hot summer. They were 5 years old and he placed a lightning bug (firefly) ring upon her finger. I tried to show the innocence of children having a private moment she would cherish and remember from the mid 1950s. Getting the light just right, plus all the rest, was a real challenge! I don't have kids and had no references, so it was even more difficult to depict "Jimmy and Jan", and hope I did it justice.  This painting is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

WIP children portraits details

In these two details you can see the negatively painted background trees with masking fluid removed to show fireflies or lightning bugs.

WIP - Children continued

In this detail of the little girl you can see where I've laid in negative shaped trees in the background.

Now all across are beginning to be a cohesive group of twilight trees.  I've left a spot on both their heads for bright light and may or may not leave that alone.

More glazes added for skin tones using quinacridone burnt orange, burnt sienna, cadmium orange, and cobalt violet.  I have more images coming so do stay tuned.

WIP - Children

Here I've begun laying a neutral background set up for the negative shape trees, leaving the misket or frisket fireflies intact.  I used what paint there was on the palette plus yellow green.  Next was the boy Jimmy's blue jeans painted with ultramarine blue.  His shirt will be white.  Another wash was done on the children's faces.  Added darks to foreground green foliage.  Stay tuned.

More WIP - Children and fireflies

More was done on the boy, Jimmy, by adding colors for his brown hair.  Jan's yellow dress is about done with quin gold highlights added to her hair.  For the grassy background I let various mixes of blues and yellows form the grass.  Main background will be negatively painted trees over the miskit dots (fireflies).

Airhead dog

6x6 watercolor over ink drawing of a happy golden retriever sniffing the breeze as his car goes down the highway. Painted today using Daniel Smith paints on Masters paper.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Dinnertime dog

8.5x6 watercolor of a small reddish brown and white shorthaired dog who seems to be asking “What’s for dinner?” Painted last night, this pet portrait is drawn with graphite and rendered with Daniel Smith pigments.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

WIP boy and girl children portrait

I began painting the girl's hair, wet on dry watercolor using quinacridone gold and raw sienna for blond highlights.  Her yellow dress colors are Winsor yellow and quin gold.  His hair is light brown using quin burnt orange, carbazole violet and ultramarine blue; her hair has touches of the blue as well.  Masking dots are places where fireflies, or lightning bugs are.  He is placing a firefly "ring" upon her finger and the setting is twilight.  Flesh colors are burnt sienna and cadmium orange and the time setting is in the mid 1950s.  Stay tuned for more to follow later.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Work in Progress - double portrait children

Pencil drawing on sketchbook paper in the top image of two young children.  Bottom image is on watercolor paper, Langton 140 lb cold press by Daler Rowney.  This work in progress took a couple of days and is totally imaginary, a commission that will be a real challenge.  I am two double portrait commissions behind, having put all on hold to work on illustrations.  After this one will be easier as I'll have photos of a newly married couple dressed in  Indian attire.

Boxer Walking - dog pet portrait

6x6 ink drawing with watercolor washes on Masters paper, painted last night. I used Pigma Micron 01 pen and Daniel Smith paints.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Mane Impression - contemporary horse painting

22x30 watercolor with a small amount black India ink, drawn and painted yesterday using a design I flipped facing to the right (previously had the horse facing left and did a small version that did sell and another large this size).  Kilimanjaro 140 lb paper cold press and Daniel Smith paints used along with #38 round brush only.  Initially I'd thought to make him all black but color won out.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Toilet Terror kitty

6x6 watercolor and Pigma Micron 01 black ink on Masters paper, drawn last night and painted today. This is Chester, minus his mittens, who just trashed the hall bathroom, unrolling the toilet paper then sitting so innocently during a scolding.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Centerpiece Cat

6x6 watercolor painted today of a kitty who thinks he belongs in the center of the dining room table. Pink chair and purple collar notwithstanding, he is the boss of the house and will sit anywhere he is the centerpiece. Move over, floral arrangements! I drew this with a Pigma Micron 01 pen on Masters paper.  This work is posted simultaneouly on our new dog and cat Tumblr blog, Bowwows and Meows.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Hanging Out to Dry

5.75x8.5 watercolor on Saunders Waterford 300 lb cold press paper withWinsor Newton paints, a hotel room painting done during a long trip.  This work is SOLD.Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2008.

Girl Friday dog - red golden retriever

6.25x8.5 watercolor on Langton 140 lb cold press paper and Daniel Smith paints: Quinacridone burnt orange and gold, UB, carbazole violet. It took 10-15 minutes to draw and 45 to paint wet on dry using 1/2" sable flat brush today for my daily painting. Friday was her name and she belonged to Jeanne on WetCanvas (image courtesy Jeanne); she was a red golden retriever and passed away in 2009.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Lap it up, kitty

6x6 watercolor and Pigma Micron 01 black ink pen on Masters paper from my sketch yesterday.  I worked from a black and white photo so all orange tabby colors are imaginary.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.