Odorless Onions

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, an assortment of different onion varieties in a vignette format.  This cheap savory vegetable won't make your eyes water or will it impart an aroma or smell as it is only a painting.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Doves

6x6 watercolor and ink line wash on Masters paper drawn early yesterday morning and painted quickly in the afternoon of a pair of mourning doves huddled together to stay warm.  This is more work done in neutral tones such as the palm fan leaves in sepia a few days ago.  Sepia, Coastal Fog, and a bit of indigo blue was used with this composition.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Contemporary Chickadee

5x7 acrylic on board, another in my chickadee series.  For this background I used a section of another painting which featured my grey tabby cat sitting on rich brocade pillows.  With this view there are actually two pillow patterns used.  In designing this third bird it took about 2 days; colors are vivid flat shapes with little if any shading.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Tree Line Snow

5x7 watercolor of an imaginary snowy landscape with a tree line in distant background and one lone trunk in the foreground.
This painting is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Palm Fronds in Sepia

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, an monochromatic exercise in values using American Journey sepia paint, drawn and done today in an hour.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Sunflower Sizzlers

22x15 watercolor on Arches 140 lb cold press paper, completed yesterday afternoon. The steps to this WIP can be seen on my blog if anyone wants to look HERE. Years ago I painted this sunflower floral, sold it, and so wanted to do it again.  I like the lost edge in the glass vase.  It was a fun one!
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Sunflower Sizzlers WIP

 Now you can get a close up detail view of the top uppermost bloom and the one to its immediate right which will be more yellow tones.

With this view most of the upper half is done and along the right side.  I'll need to emphasize the right largest sunflower bloom and make it more red so as to stand out from the rest of the crowd.  Stay tuned for more work in progress in which I will post the finished vases and tablecloth.
Images COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Sunflower Sizzlers - WIP

 22x15 watercolor beginning stage yesterday of a work in progress, a group of red and yellow sunflowers in a glass vase I first painted awhile ago.  This is on Arches 140 lb cold press paper,  On dry paper, I first laid down my darkest darks for their centers (quinacridone burnt orange, ultramarine blue, carbazole violet, quin gold, violet) and let the paint mix and mingle.

 I lightly wet the top background area with most of the same colors plus olive green and blue bice (American Journey); those areas are soft and out of focus and could be flower shapes, stems, or leaves.  Since I don't have my original photo reference I'm using the original painting.

In this view, I've added a couple of petals with top sunflower and the very large leaf front and center using UB, quin gold, arylide yellow, alizarin crimson, sap green, being careful with any tube greens being too harsh so I add a touch of any red.  I wet the leaf with my 1" flat brush first then lightly blotted it.  Fully loaded with two colors I quickly laid in the different pigments.  These steps show my direct method of painting wet on dry watercolor.

Red Metroplex abstract

30x22 acrylic on hot press 140 lb paper, an abstraction of primary colors painted wet in wet.  I am using small sections of it for my abstract bird backgrounds.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Chickadee Carol

6.75x9.75 acrylic on board, another in my chickadee series.  The abstract background is seen in image below.

For abstract backgrounds, I am using a 5x7 mat and placing it here and there on a full sheet (22x30) acrylic abstract painting done several years ago.  Then after taping the mat to an interesting section, I copy the isolated design onto prepared acid free mat board, then decide what bird to place on it as the center of interest, a realistic subject on a randomly painted support.  This bottom image was taken with my iPhone and its colors are not as vivid as the scanned finished blackcapped chickadee version.  An easier way to do the subject would be to simply take a pair of scissors and cut out an interesting rectangle, then paint the bird on top.  But I did not want to destroy the original painting.
Images are COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Kitten in a Pot

 6x6 watercolor and ink line wash on Masters paper done a few days ago of a cute orange tabby kitten in a pink plaid pot.  Ink sketch is shown below.  Images are COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Chickadee Color

7x8 acrylic on board, a bright cheery blackcapped chickadee on an abstract background.  This was drawn with brush only, no pencil or marker.
Image COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

White Horse

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb paper, done yesterday, a realistic subject on an abstract background.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Mirror Image (Image Miroir)

5.5x8 watercolor of dark grey and brown tabby cat looking at himself in a makeup mirror and it makes you wonder what is he thinking? How handsome he is or are there new grey hairs and perhaps a little dimming of the almond shaped eyes...
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

White Capped Noddy birds

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, finished today, after drawing yesterday and beginning putting darks in first as seen below.  Fellow artist Christine in Australia provided a larger photo which I cropped down to position the mother bird looking out of her nest to unseen dangers.  Little baby white capped noddy is covered by her protective wing.  Branches and twigs were negatively painted within a multicolored natural background.

At the 2 hour mark today; this is as far as I got after taking so long to draw the scene.  I submitted the final version to our weekend drawing event on WetCanvas! tonight.  Christine provided 16 images for participants.  After selection is made, you have 2 hours to complete, and if not done, take a photo of your progress when time's up.  With all the tree limbs, branches, twigs, and leaves I had to add another hour.  White capped noddy birds are seabirds of the tern family.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Kerrville Workshop Demo: Petunia pig

15x22 watercolor, gouache, collage and ink AFTER version of Petunia Patch below.  This was my demo for the Guadalupe Watercolor Group at Kerr Arts and Cultural Center for our workshop program on Wednesday, 15 January 2014.

Members and guest artists attending my Kerrville program on marketing tips and watercolor demo on Tuesday, 14 January 2014.  There were about 40 or so people who came.

BEFORE version, titled Petunia Patch 2012, watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, of a large pink petunia with other flowers, a floral that just did not quite work for me and earned its reputation as an 'old dog' painting.  I'd selected it, then put a line drawing of a pig over it, traced the outline, then developed a new composition as seen in the top image.  The only part I really liked was the upper left red petunias and leaves.
Images COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

O'Donnell Shack w/ Yucca - Demo Kerr Arts & Cultural Center

11x15 watercolor on Arches 140 lb rough paper, a demo done Tuesday in Kerrville, TX at the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center for the Guadalupe Watercolor Group.  Using an old photograph of a rundown shack on Hwy 87 in O'Donnell, TX that I've painted before, I painted wet on dry this west Texas rural scene.  I actually used a black and white photo, flipped it, and added my own color choices of mostly neutrals and browns.  Since the original photo had a windmill, that was put in when the sky had dried.  A new color by American Journey was used for the sky, Blue Bice, that is made by Cheap Joe's Art Stuff.  Tomorrow I'll post the next day's workshop on reworked watercolors using a pink petunia and making a pig out of the design.  Stay tuned.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

HRH Minerva cat

8x5.5 watercolor and Micron 01 ink drawing on Strathmore Visual Journal mixed media paper done last weekend.  Her Royal Highness Minerva kitty belongs to a friend's relative and she has the same facial markings as my Halloween kitty "Hallie".
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Royal Velvet Red Amaryllis

6x6 watercolor and ink line wash of pretty red amaryllis plants in a sunny window.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Cuddling Cats

6x6 watercolor and ink on paper done a few days ago of two young kittens cuddling in their blankets; value version is posted below in grayscale.  Images COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Seaweed

15x15 acrylic detail of seaweed and its many abstract plankton forms underwater, on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Dairy Farm Cows

6x6 watercolor and Micron 01 ink drawing on Masters paper, drawn this morning then painted later on for my daily work.  Love any black and white animals; such fun to paint high contrast, and these imaginary Holsteins are no exception.  For the sky, I'm using a new paint Cheap Joe's makes, Blue Bice, American Journey brand that I just got and sure do like its cool shades.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Winter Nap kitty

6x6 watercolor and Micron 01 pen sketch on Masters paper of kitty Chester taking his winter nap.  Of course we had sunny skies and almost 70 F. today, so this outside frosty glow is just imaginary.  Below is my initial sketch.  Images are COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Hairless Chihuahua

6x6 watercolor and Micron 01 ink sketch of a hairless chihuahua, a cute fellow just waiting for his dog pet portrait.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Crazy Horse in Color

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, a vivid loose color version of my earlier grayscale horse, finished yesterday.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Chintzy Cat

6x6 watercolor with Micron 01 pen line drawing on Masters paper done last week, of a fat orange tabby sitting on a chintz chair.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Dying Sunflower

6x6 mixed media, yesterday's work of this dying sunflower that I photographed in my studio garden before it breathed its last. After ink sketching in its raggedy petals, I color sanded watersoluble pencils into wet watercolor, then used the pencils again here and there.  I was experimenting with combinations of greys for the background rather than always having a blue sky.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Crazy Horse - WIP finished

12x9 ink with water work in progress on Bristol board 100 lb, finished, with darks blended to form grey tones in this white horse.
Tombow brush pen used for darks.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Crazy Horse WIP

Here's yesterday's work in progress (WIP) using black Tombow brush pen on Bristol board 100 lb, size 9x12, putting only the darkest darks in. Not all are in for the background. I'll add only water to these areas and try to blend overall; grey tones will appear for a 3 value piece.  So stay tuned.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Red Riot Poppies

6x6 watercolor on Masters paper, a group of red poppies drawn today with Pigma Micron 01 ink.  It is fun to do imaginary scenes with abstract backgrounds.
Image is COPYRIGHT 1-4-14 Kay Smith.

Dog Tired

5.5x8 watercolor on Strathmore Visual Journal for watercolor, drawn in pencil and painted this afternoon in under 2 hours for a WetCanvas weekend drawing event.  Dogs are the pets of Susan, who hosted the WDE, in which participants have a 2 hour time limit.  Susan had returned from a long trip, and Lu and Emmy looked dejected and tired of waiting.  Anyone who owns dogs or cats knows how they can pout and sulk.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Desert Donkeys

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday of two friends I put in a southwestern setting.  I used quinacridone gold as a mother color in this composition while employing other warms such as quinacridones magenta, violet, and burnt orange. Cool accent colors of blues manganese, indigo, prussian and ultramarine helped support a hot, dry, sunny day theme.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

WIP Finished - Abstract Horses "Day and Night"

30x40 acrylics on canvas finished work in progress by largely identifying two horse shapes then working on background and foreground. A cross appeared on Day, the white horse, so I left it alone, thinking how appropriate it was while Night has none on him.
Two shades of turquoise blue were added while orange red was put close to the center of interest. Just a fun change of pace picking something out of nothing and watching it develop. Now back to watercolor again. This afternoon worked on a donkey painting. I hope you all like it and have a Happy New Year! Today marks 8 years I made a resolution to paint or draw every day and it sure has been interesting!
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.