Stag

18x24 watercolor on Canson 140 lb. cold press paper painted today in about an hour with a #14 round brush and a 1" flat sable.  I first spritzed the paper at random with water over my pencil drawing then did the darks first.  Antlers were done then the ears, nose, mouth. A very limited palette used of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue.  Just a touch of raw sienna and raw umber in minute amounts were used along with lots of water sprayed into wet paint, letting drips happen.  A final drip ran down from the background middle and onto the stag's back, creating a run into his back that looks like antler horn shadows.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Surrounded by Poppies

6.5x11 alcohol inks on white freezer paper done this afternoon just playing with the primary colors seeing what would result.  The reds are darker though.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Red Fox

14x11 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper drawn yesterday and finished today.  I was lucky and able to get photos of this wily colorful fellow as he visited neighbor's yard.  The snow however, is imaginary.  The red fox is the most common and widespread of their species, found in most all of the States.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Red Sunflower Fire

8.75x8 alcohol inks on white foamcore completed yesterday in a series of layers.  The areas I thought to be too dark were rewet with blending solution then soaked up with tissue or paper napkin.  Lastly small dots of blue and brown were added to its center.
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Purple Flower Center

7x7 alcohol inks on white freezer paper done yesterday.  With no reference, no preconceived idea and no tools other than a drinking straw I created this vibrant abstract floral.  I love the way the purple is divided when extender or blending fluid is added, causing pinks an blues to surface.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith

Coffee for Two

10.5x6.5 watercolor on gessoed matboard done today for another WetCanvas weekend drawing event.  I try to do these each week but don't always manage.  The challenge was to paint a black subject in honor of Black Friday so I chose my favorite beverage:  Coffee!
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Agave

4.75x7 alcohol inks painted this afternoon, an abstact version of my agave cactus leaves.  I only used two greens and one gold.  Lighter areas in background were put in first and some were lifted out using a cotton swab moistened with 91% alcohol.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Sleeping Bulldog

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on Masters sketchbook drawn over the weekend then painted today.  This imaginary sleeping bulldog looks so comfortable and content.  Background was palette mud made by mixing all colors together for a warm grey.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Red Abstract Floral

3.5x10.5 alcohol inks on paper done last week using only two colors.  The support or substrate size was just a scrap of freezer paper left over from the previous floral.  With this one I used a lot of extender to allow the pigmented ink to mix and mingle.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Blackhat Chef

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on Masters sketchbook drawn over the weekend then color added today.  This ref, courtesy Jess/WetCanvas, was one of the 16 featured on the current weekend drawing event on that site.  The photo had another chef with this guy so he was omitted to focus on this happy fellow.  Background color was a mix of palette mud neutral tones.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Butterball turkey ~ it is Thanksgiving week!

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line on Masters sketchbook done a few days ago; photo in Animals & Wildlife monthly WetCanvas challenge for November.  This fat fellow is waiting his turn out in the woods.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Yellow Weed floral

9x9 alcohol inks on freezer paper done a few days ago from imagination, remembering the small yellow flowers that bloom on weeds around west Texas.  I used 3 yellows and a gold plus tangerine orange and two different greens.  Wildflowers do have amazing little flowers!
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

French Village Street redo

8x6 watercolor and ink line sketch that I recently adjusted values and added color on; done in Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook for mixed media.  Pattern was added to foreground figure.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Marigold Party

9x9 alcohol inks on foamcore done a few days ago, an imaginary abstract design begun by applying blue drops and blending solution, then greens, and adding orange last.  The orange hues reminded me of marigolds hence the title.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Man at Art Show

8x6 gouache, watercolor, acrylic marker, ink a now colorful version of the ink sketch done during #InkTober last month.
This is on Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Winding Road

9x6.5 pastel using Conte brand on paper done recently of a winding country road flanked by trees.  A small wooden frame building sits mid upper right.  Autumn leaves line both sides of the roadway.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Land and Sky

8x8 alcohol inks on foamcore board done a few days ago using a fairly limited palette of browns and a couple of blues. I don't do many landscapes or portraits but was in the mood to do an imaginary scene showing mostly sky.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2016.

Cardinal Courtship

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper drawn and painted today of two cardinal lovebirds.  He is trying to woo her to his way of thinking as a potential mate.  Several cardinals are seen frequently in our side and backyards year round; so this is not necessarily a Christmas themed piece.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Golden Melon

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper with DaVinci/Daniel Smith paints. A collection of fall gourds cluster together in old iron urn. I particularly like their twisted stems, leaves, and vines.  This is an earlier work from 2012 that remains one of my favorites.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Veterans Day Rose

10x10 alcohol inks on white freezer paper done today in honor of Veterans Day, a November rose in every shade of pink.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Ring of Fire

8x10 alcohol inks on white freezer paper done today that reminded me of a ring of fire and Johnny Cash's song with same title.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Only Orchids

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today.  The plant belongs to fellow artist Joanne who featured its image on our last weekend drawing event on WetCanvas.  Participants have 2 hours to choose what to paint and do it.  It took me an hour and if a background had been put in it would've been longer.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Poppy Imagination

5.5x8 alcohol inks on gessoed matboard done yesterday, an imaginary floral resembling poppies somewhat loosely.  In an abstract manner I dropped large areas of yellow and red together over 91% alcohol wash.  Leaves were put in next by using black + yellow, then stamens were last with black.  For the frilly edges I blew on a drinking straw at at 90 degree angle straight down.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Red Petunias

5x7 alcohol inks on white foamcore painted yesterday.  With the reds and greens this sets up a nice complementary color combination; a bit of yellow gold is seen here and there.  This abstract reminded me of petunias hence the title.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Joyous Junco

9.75x6.75 alcohol inks on white foamcore lightly sketched in pencil first done today.  I've used the neutral inks such as Shadow Gray, White, Burro Brown, and black on the bird's body.  Greenery is Willow and Rainforest along with Ginger.  White snow is seen as the white of the substrate/support.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Pink Center Floral

6x9.25 alcohol inks on white freezer paper done today using Pinata and Adirondack brand of inks.  This one started out with purple ink dots on a spritzed surface with mister sprayer of 91% alcohol.  Pink Sherbet followed then greens and yellows.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Miss Kitty

5.5x8.5 watercolor on Masters sketchbook paper done last month but it had no ink so couldn't post during InkTober challenge.  This is fellow artist Floyd's cat Miss Kitty sprawled out napping on their garden bench.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Internal Flower ~ alcohol inks

8x8 alcohol inks on white foamcore done today.  Since the design was taking the shape of stamens and petals I decided it looked exactly like the inside center of a flower.  The inks are a bit more easily controlled when using foamcore as a substrate or support. Black center tiny shapes were added at the end very carefully.Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Five O'Clock Shadow

12x9 watercolor and gouache on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted today. This rugged handsome fellow's name is Hugh Hill, a WetCanvas artist/courtesy reference image library.  I don't do many portraits and wanted to use a fairly neutral limited palette.  Colors:  UB, quin burnt sienna, indigo, apricot, peachy keen, carbazole violet, halloween orange (last 4 by Cheap Joe's).  Background was left white of the paper. Nice to do watermedia again after a month of inks!
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

November Poppies in alcohol inks

12x9 alcohol inks on freezer paper shiny side done today using no references, so totally imaginary poppy shapes.  With the inks I began by using Sangria red and making an oval shape for the largest poppy, then blowing air to move ink across.  Other reds, pinks and yellows followed with yellow on background; a mixed blue was brushed on in spots and lime green along with willow was used.  I like the top almost centered poppy pod and the one on the left top that were accidents.  Stems were made by moistening a cotton swab with 91% alcohol then pulling down thru other colors and adding different greens.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.