Chow Dog

6x6 watercolor and ink sketch on Masters paper, a dog pet portrait done in August, of a cute red chow chow with his mouth open.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Hallie Cat in the Studio

6x6 Pigma Micron 01 pen sketch with watercolor washes of my rescue kitty Hallie (Halloween).  She sat on my movie star table surrounded by fake calla lilies, a zebra chair, and other plants.  As a black and orange tortoiseshell I thought her mixed patterns would fit right in that artistic environment.  This was my daily painting yesterday.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Happy Bulldog Wishes You a Happy Thanksgiving!

6.5x9 watercolor of a white bulldog with a grin on his face for everyone to have a Happy Thanksgiving day! Painted yesterday on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, this image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Reindeer

11x7.5 watercolor of a lone caribou waiting and anticipating Santa.  This was painted the end of November 2011.  This work is
SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2011 Kay Smith.

Palomino Mare

10x7 mixed media on Canson Mixed Media XL paper (Dr Ph Martin's ink, watercolor, and gouache) of a lovely palomino mare whose mane is long and flowing.  This was started yesterday and completed today.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Chuy Cat on Bird Mat

 11x8.5 watercolor added over ink sketch as seen below, done yesterday of our grey tabby Chuy outside on the patio. He loves to lay on the green coir mat that has orange and yellow birds on it.  Occasionally he will slaughter a dove or pigeon just to prove he still can hunt!

Ink sketch done using Faber Castell Pitt grey brush pen on Masters sketchbook paper, 70 lbs, a nice soft paper that holds light watermedia washes. 
Images COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Plein Air Downtown Plano

11x7.5 watercolor and ink plein air sketch done in downtown Plano, TX during David Savellano's workshop there.  We had less than an hour to complete two full works, and this was my second one.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Shoreline Kitty Hawk NC

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb paper, done today BRUSH ONLY no pencil of the Kitty Hawk beach in North Carolina, a place that was magical.  I cropped out the waterfront houses and stretched out the shoreline in this vertical landscape, so appropriate to paint on a day of icy sleet and cold north wind.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2013.

Hunting Dog

 

6x6 watercolor and ink (Pigma Micron 01) on Masters paper, painted this afternoon during our ice storm.  Our outdoors looked this way yesterday, warm with falling leaves and temps close to 80 degrees F.  Ink sketch is below of this English setter hunting dog scene.  Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Plano Town Square Clock - plein air

11x6.5 watercolor over Staedtler Lumocolor ink on location sketch in Plano, Texas last Thursday.  This was to be more ink drawing than paint, our instructor said so more practice for me.  But in less than 30 minutes it is not too shabby.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Tiger Cub

6x4.5 watercolor of a young tiger cub up in a tree, surveying his world from a lofty perch.  This was done a few days ago and was my wild animal challenge painting on WetCanvas!
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Sailboats

8x5.5 watercolor and Staedtler ink pen on Strathmore Visual Journal for watercolor 140 lb, done in last week's class.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Abyssinian Cat

6x6 watercolor over ink sketch with Pigma Micron 01 pen of such a lovely Abyssinian cat I photographed while visiting England.  The soft reddish glow of a rich warm sable coat of the cat captivated me.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Beach Bums

11x15 watercolor completed yesterday having begun in David Savellano's Dallas workshop on Nov.12-14.  With this scene, we had to only use 3 shapes:  Sky, land mass, sea and beach.  Figures were made with tiny bits of torn masking tape stuck to dry paper before pigments added.  All was done within 30 minutes, an imaginary scene that is calming to look at.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Bearded Man

8x5.5 on Strathmore Visual Journal mixed media paper.  I drew him today with Pigma Micron 01 pen then added watercolor wet on dry.  A photo of an unknown European bust was the reference; our WetCanvas challenge was to make him appear human.  The bust had long wavy hair and full beard.  He looks like he just found out his health insurance was cancelled.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Tabby Cat and Flower Pots

11x15 watercolor of a former pretty tabby cat, Jack, nestled in our garden potted plants.  This work is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Smelling the Flowers cat art

 

6x6 ink sketch using Micron 01 Pigma pen on Masters paper in lower image, and watercolor application in top image, done this past weekend.  This white cat is seemingly in heaven sniffing the spring blossoms. 

Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

 



Groomer cat

6x6 watercolor and Micron 01 in sketch done last week of an unknown past cat grooming himself quietly.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Disappearing Act - cat art

11x15 watercolor on Canson paper of black and white cat with his head stuck in a paper bag as cats do! Painted last week, this work demonstrates the inquisitive nature of our furry friends.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Stan's Shadow - dog portrait

6x6 watercolor over Micron 01 pen sketch drawing on Masters paper of a friend Stan's dog Shadow done last week.  She is part Border Collie and the two are inseparable.  This work is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Batik Cosmos and Hummingbird

11x15 watercolor on rice paper with wax resist to resemble batik done this afternoon featuring cosmos and a male hummingbird.  This is my second attempt; first was with orange lilies and the hummer but I cracked the wax too much and ruined it.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Mermaid

8.5x6.25 watercolor on Daler Rowney 140 lb Langton paper, drawn and painted today.  This beach babe is a friend of Valri's, another WetCanvas! artist.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Hot Hats - Mexican Redhat wildflowers finished

7.5x11 watercolor wildflowers, prairie coneflowers or Mexican redhats, a work in progress is finished today.  I had to trim one inch off the top as I laid its damp edge next to large manila envelope, and you guessed it! Glued itself to the envelope, LOL! Wildflowers are such fun with their vivid splash of color in an otherwise boring landscape.  It is a bit different from the first one that sold quickly.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

WIP Mexican Redhats wildflowers continued

8.5x11 watercolor and ink work in progress (WIP) continued with last night's drawing more blooms and painting today about 1.5 hours. Tomorrow I'll fill in foreground tall skinny leaves and do a wash over the background.  Some values have to be adjusted before it is done, so do stay tuned! I looked this plant up with its many variations in Neil Sperry's Texas Gardening book, and it is quite fascinating.  Seed companies also sell many types to directly plant yourself if you don't want to trust Mother Nature.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

WIP - Mexican Redhats wildflowers

8.5x11 watercolor over Micron 01 pen drawing on Masters paper, a work in progress begun today.  I decided to do another one of these Texas wildflowers as a WIP to show the stages and progression.  I do direct painting, so what is seen here is the first and final application.  I want the value to be the strength and vibrancy when dry as watercolor dries 40% lighter than your initial wash.  Photo images were taken a few years ago when we had enough rain for the wild beauties to bloom; this spring the wildflower crop was a scarce display. Redhats are also called prairie coneflower.  I've put a watermark COPYRIGHT KAY SMITH 2013 across my afternoon's work in progress even though it is not finished.  Too many images stolen already this year!

Snake and Waterlilies

15x11 watercolor on cold press paper of waterlilies, lotus blossom and a ribbon snake in a pond.  It is such a challenge to paint water and the life within its ecosystem.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Hallie Cat Resting

6x6 watercolor and ink drawing painted back in June but not yet posted here.  This is Hallie again, short for Halloween.  I usually post all pet portraits to the Tumblr blog Bowwows and Meows that you can visit HEREImage COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Comfy Kitty

6x6 watercolor over Micron 01 ink line drawing on Masters paper painted recently.  This comfy calico kitty is almost camouflaged in her giraffe pet bed.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Male Hummer

12x6 watercolor of a male hummingbird perched and watching his surroundings.  Background underpainting done with limited palette of arylide yellow, manganese blue, and permanent rose, and when dry the bird and the foliage was painted.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith

Handlebar Moustache Cowboy

10.25x15 watercolor on hot press 140 lb paper, an imaginary funky cowboy with gigantic moustache almost as wide as his hat.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.