Bunch of Carrots

7x5 watercolor on 140 lb Fabriano hot press paper of a bunch of assorted carrots alive with pale yellow gold to hot orange and royal red.  Eat root vegetables such as carrots daily for your dose of vitamin A and good fiber.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Party Pods

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of lotus flower and seed pods having a party.  I started this a couple of years ago and it never really clicked, so this week it got a makeover, a redo.  Values were reestablished within lotus pads or lily pads, central white flower shading emphasized along with all shadows, and colors were enhanced with new hues on the market.  The central seed pod was lifted out and repainted.  I added additional tall slender grasses behind and left overall pale yellow background tint alone.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Lady Slipper Orchid

9x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done last weekend while in the mountains, a vignette with an abstract background.  Painted wet on dry using lots of water for the softer more out of focus leaves.  Daniel Smith paints.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Regal Redwinged Blackbird

10x7 watercolor on Daler Rowney 140 lb cold press paper done this past week while in the mountains.  I go to an area by White Mountain schools that has a marsh and cattails in order to spot them in their natural habitat there and in nearby trees.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2015.

Pink Coneflower with Black & Red Butterfly

7.5x5 watercolor and ink line with Micron 01 pen done this weekend while in the cool mountains.  Support used:  Moleskine sketchbook for watercolor with Daniel Smith paints.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2015.

Gladiolus Bouquet

22x15 watercolor of fresh red gladiolus, white and multicolored flowers painted from life wet int wet.  A careful pencil drawing was done first then paper was wet and painted with quick strokes.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Dominique Hen

11x15 watercolor of a setting Domnique hen from an old photograph and design used before.  With this one I changed the background including lines to indicate the chicken coop fence and colors on the bird.  This work is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Leopard Tree

5.75x6.5 watercolor and ink on wc paper, sketched some time ago, then never finished until now by adding color to the cat.  Up in his perch on a limb he watches for the next prey.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Table for Two

8.5x11 watercolor and ink on Strathmore sketchbook for mixed media; ink used was Lamy Safari with Noodler's grey ink.  Done a few days ago for a WetCanvas contest, the ref was provided by Bonnie, who shared her France trip.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Monet's Cat

4.25x5.75 mixed media on magazine card done today in 20 minutes. Drawn with black Tombow brush pen, I used colored markers in spots, then watercolor colored pencils, and broad chisel tip black marker for the bg. Then added water to the cat's body to blend wc CPs.  Its bowtie was left the white of the paper as was the ball fringe around the cushion.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

You Can Never Draw Enough Zebras

8x5 watercolor and ink on paper that is today's work.  Done quickly as I didn't have much time, a Micron 01 pen used to sketch from a small china figurine, very old.  Cool colors splashed on with a 1" flat brush of blues and greens finished the simple piece.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Tall Red Poppies

8x5 watercolor and ink over collaged novel page done today as I was in the mood for poppies.  I've not painted them in awhile and don't need reference photos anymore as their forms are memorized.  With the long curved stems bending in the wind just imagine them growing in your garden or on your wall.  The paper page was adhered to sketchbook sheet then drawn with Micron 01 pen when dry., pa
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Beverage Chef

11x15 mixed media on Canson 140 lb paper done today.  First I sketched him with multileaded colored pencil, then watercolor, and finally India ink when dry.  It is from a photo I took in Arizona of a chef figurine in a hotel breakfast buffet area.  Years ago I stayed at the same hotel and took photos of the little fat guy and painted a larger watercolor.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Butterfly and Coneflowers

8x5.5 watercolor and ink line on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media sketched yesterday and painted today.  I had planted echinacea (coneflowers) and here came the butterflies.  This mature monarch was especially striking with its black and white markings.  Look closely and you can see another bug to the right of the butterfly.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Owl Eye

4.25x7 watercolor and ink done today using Pigma Micron 01 pen on a magazine subscription card from Birds & Blooms.  The black horizontal bars beneath the postage area seem to fit right into his brownish black feather markings.  The wise one is seeing it all.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Calico Cat Resting

8x5 watercolor and ink on paper done yesterday.  Micron 01 pen used to sketch.  People have sent photos to me of their cats after I painted Glamour Puss, the chimera calico with  a checkerboard face of orange tabby and black with tortoiseshell body.  This one is really a cutie pie!
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Parakeet Poses and Reflections

5x8 colored pencils with ink line done last week, sketching from my lifesize bird figurine which looks so realistic.  The far left parakeet is looking into a round mirror at its reflection.  Center is a beak and foot with claw sketch.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Mama Kitty and Baby

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on paper sketched yesterday and painted today.  Who can resist a plump baby kitten playing with his mama in the grass?
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Koi Couple

18x24 watercolor started yesterday and finished today of two koi fish swimming.  I used Canson 140 lb cold press paper and a 1" flat brush.  The dark water with its yellow green reflections was a challenge.  This one will be featured on a monthly challenge on WetCanvas! in the Animal & Wildlife forum.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Fat Yellow Bird

5.5x4.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on paper done today.  An abstract background was done on this scrap piece which was put underneath other works to catch drips, etc.  I sketched the bird from a little figurine bought on eBay that was dark green.  This bird's coloring is entirely imaginary.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Stained Glass Tulips

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink done today by taking a photo reference, cropping into it to isolate two blooms, then sketching them with black Sharpie pen on paper.  An exercise on WetCanvas had a challenge to do an image in stained glass fashion so this is as close as I got with large shapes and black lines.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

At the Condos

8.5x5.5 watercolor, ink and colored pencils on paper done last week on our trip.  I was sitting inside a gazebo looking out at other condominium units and cars.  The huge pink and red petunia basket dwarfed the small gazebo.  Hummingbirds buzzed overhead by their feeders.  At 77 degrees it was a pretty cool day.  The black truck is ours.  This was an assignment for Sketchbook Skool's Boot Kamp.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Bike by the Bay

12x9 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper painted last week, a parked bicycle with full basket, and the water in distance.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Ancient Woman Statue

5.5x4.25 watercolor, white gel pen, and pencil on old bank statement paper done today.  This scan is darker than the original painting which is soft grey background.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Taos Truck

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) done this past week while in New Mexico.  Sunflowers were added for interest at edges.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Male Statue

5.75x8.25 acrylics on matboard done today in 20 minutes; drawn with black Staedtler LumoColor calligraphy marker.  This was part of a weekend drawing event which is timed on WetCanvas.  Ref courtesy Marie-Thomas.  Participants have 2 hours to paint a photo then post online.  Since I've spent years seeing men's rears and never tiring of it I thought this statue had quite nice gluteus maximus (glutes) and needed to be painted for sure.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Little Green Apples

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink done today.  As we were leaving to travel back to Texas I saw two fully loaded apple trees by our car at the cafe, so I grabbed a handful to sketch along the way.  They are very tiny.  Once back, I added watercolor.  It's doubtful they would be edible so small and green.  Illustrated journaling is always a fun challenge.Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith

Tulip Pot

12x9 watercolor drawn with a black colored pencil on a scrap sheet I use to put under other works in progress.  This is a combination painting and sketch and I like its simplicity.

Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Pigeon Pals

15x11 watercolor of two pigeons on a roof top. They are pests but I loved the dark and light blue feather colors.  

Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2015.

Callas

15x22 watercolor of imaginary calla lilies.  I used silk ones to draw images from then colored one dark pink.  This work is SOLD and is Copyright Kay Smith.

New Patio

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01) on Masters paper, drawn and sketched Saturday evening as an exercise for Sketchbook Skool's Boot Kamp.  This is my patio with new plants added and a whole lot of work over the weekend.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.