Lovely Lorikeet

22 1/4x 15 1/4 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done today of another artist, Susan's lorikeet in a tree.  As a timed exercise for the weekend drawing event works had to be done within 2 hours and this one was 1 hour/45 minutes.  The foliage actually took the longest.  Her bird was next to a grey stucco wall but I've made it into clouds here.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Pepsi Generation

22x26 watercolor on medium weight Yupo of two teenagers relaxing on a warm Saturday afternoon. I shot the photo during a flower market event in Odessa, TX.  A cruciform design was used and I left their shirts the white of the paper.  I liked the garden bench and added heart shapes to reflect young love.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Gull Stare

2.5x3.5 mixed media on book page adhered to sketchbook paper completed today from one of many seagull photos.  Sketched in charcoal I also added small amounts of ink with Micron 01 pen.  Watercolor and gouache added for color.  Actual size and sketch below.

Miniature ACEO (art card edition original)

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Iris Buds in Brusho

15x11 Brusho watermedia (watercolor crystals) on 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday, some purple irises budding out ready to bloom.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Mysterious Pear

12x9 Brusho watermedia painted today, modeled after my October pear done in acrylics while in Bob Burridge's class.  The more I play with Brusho (watercolor crystals) the more I admire its qualities and properties.  For the most part, it paints itself with a little guidance from water and a large brush.  Look closely to see color nuances; most was applied using black Brusho.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Blue Barn Hen

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line on Masters sketchbook done yesterday for another WetCanvas event for the weekend hosted by Kay M.  We had 2 hours to complete a painting; mine was done in about 1 hour. I used Lictin .10 pen in black.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Plight of the Circus Elephant

26.25x22.25 acrylics on gessoed failed painting of a birdcage on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press wc paper done yesterday.  The birdcage's horizontal lines seems to encase the massive animal where he cannot escape.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Windblown Purple Parrot Tulip

4x3.5 gouache on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper sketched from life today and painted with Turner gouache.  It does resemble watercolor but is a bit more opaque and I've thinned it a lot.  I used a red and white silk faux tulip to sketch this but had no reference for the purple hues that were mixed reds and pinks with 2-3 blue shades.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Sparkling Violetear Hummingbird ACEO

2.5x3.5 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper painted today of this tropical hummer common to the Andes mountains, according to the reference of birds and blooms.  His ear is violet hence the name. This is an art card edition original or ACEO and actual size is shown below.

Actual miniature painting.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Purple Poppies

9x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today, my third in a mixed purple hue series, from some of my poppy photos.  I challenged everyone in the Florals forum of WetCanvas to not only choose a purple subject but to mix this secondary color using various blues and reds.  With this, I used Prussian blue + quinacridone violet and got a wide range.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.
 

Purple Parrot Tulips

3.5x3 watercolor on Langton 140 lb cold press paper done this evening, a miniature painted using brush only very quickly.  This pair of parrot tulips are imaginary and are a mix of ultramarine blue plus quinacridone red.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Spring Secrets tulips

12x6 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper done this afternoon quickly with a large brush on dry paper.  For the loose purple tulips this first day of Spring, I mixed indigo with quinacridone magenta. I only had 20 minutes to paint and this was the result.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Baby Bluebird

7x5.5 alcohol inks on Yupo, a baby bird on an abstract background I'd created earlier but was unsure what to do with it.  The old saying in the art world is, if you are unsure, just "add a bird to it".  Bird ref courtesy of Penny/WetCanvas.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Ten Penguins

6x8 watercolor over ink line (Pitt pen XS) in Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook finished today, about 1 hour, then yesterday's sketch as seen below was 20 minutes.  This was for a WetCanvas weekend drawing event, a timed exercise giving participants 2 hours to complete a painting or sketch.  Ref courtesy sundiver (Wendy).

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Eye of the Hummingbird ~ torn paper collage

12x12 paper on canvas, today's work done for my torn paper collage class.  Using a previous watercolor of a hummer for reference, the bird was sketched in pencil on canvas, then a black marker over that.  His eye is actually a watch face and beak is a red umbrella.  Hope everyone had a great time.  Our next class will be in April, tentative date 21st.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Zebra Finch

5x4 watercolor done yesterday, a colorful head and breast pose of this gorgeous finch.  It is one of two birds belonging to another artist.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Cherry Cocktail ~ Brusho

6x4 Brusho watercolor crystals on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done Monday afternoon, a quickie still life vignette of a cocktail made with cherries and spirits.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Almost Spring

Almost Spring! Next week it will be and you may see rabbits hopping along. Pray for rain!
This watercolor image is Copyright Kay Smith.

Hummer Happiness

4.5x4 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper from one of my many hummingbird photos done yesterday, a head shot of this happy fellow planning where to fly and find nectar next.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Junk Store

5x7 watercolor and ink line (Micron 01 pen) on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done this weekend as part of the Miniatures forum March challenge on WetCanvas.  Ref courtesy of Virginia.  Who doesn't love antiquing!? See how many items you can identify.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Ibis Shore

9x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday as part of the current Weekend Drawing Event on WetCanvas! as hosted by Tanya.  This flock of ibis shore birds and a few gulls was sketched on paper I'd used under smaller works to catch drips, hence the multi-marked surface.  I thought it was perfect for the overcast day, water, shore, shells and debris.  A boat can be seen in the distance closer to opposite shore.  As a 2 hour timed event, I completed this in one hour.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Radishes

13x6 watercolor, an earlier work, of a bunch of fresh radishes inspired by a trip to the local HEB grocery store.  This complementary color scheme of pairing red with green prompted a touch here and there of turquoise and of course white tipped roots.  No masking was used with this painting.
COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Buffalo Rock

6x10 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago as part of the Southwest/Western forum online with WetCanvas; reference courtesy ref image library. I've added aspens to the scene and used a black & white copy to paint from, not a colored image, so all colors are imaginary.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Owl Afternoon

5x4 watercolor over charcoal sketch done yesterday of a great horned owl on a discarded book page.  The varied blue background sky was applied first using American Journey Periwinkle and Blue Bice.  When dry splatters were added then it was adhered to watercolor paper using a brayer.  Note the end of the text where it is written "The name was Byrd."
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Baltimore Oriole

4.25x3 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday from one of my bird photos, a close up of an oriole with leaves in the background forming an abstract pattern. 
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Hummingbird and Coneflower ACEO

2.5x3.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on old book page done yesterday.  After painting was dry, it was securely adhered to watercolor paper with an archival adhesive.  This is part of a monthly challenge on WetCanvas hosted by Christel; ref courtesy Blackhorse.  Actual size is posted below.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Actual size, Art Card Edition & Original.

Sandhill Crane Head

3x3 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper painted yesterday from one of many crane photos taken here in town over by Big John's.  This miniature is also seen below in real life size smaller file.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Actual size for comparison.

Mini Cabernet

7.5x5.5 acrylics on gessoed watercolor paper done this weekend along with a much larger version similar to a wine still life I've done before.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Home Interiors

30x22 watercolor of an interior scene divided into five sections.  I took my photo then cut it, rearranging vertical parts so none of the original ones were side by side.  There are my favorites in this composition: birdhouses, tulips, a tulip mirror, a window, plants and furniture depicted here.  Just in time for Spring to come.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

On Stage

12x6 India ink on Fabriano 140 lb cold press watercolor paper done today.  I first sketched the singer with one of my new black waterproff Lictin pens (Micron substitute) .03, available in a pack of 7 pens from Amazon for $9.99.  Next I used black Higgins ink and a #8 round brush to paint her and the crazy background.  Photo courtesy WetCanvas weekend drawing event, host Harry Hamlin, UK.  In this 2 hour timed event participants must select an image then execute it or photograph what they got done at the time mark.  This one took me one hour.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Warbler ACEO

2.5x3.5 miniature mixed media bird portrait on a book page done today.  I used a black charcoal pencil to sketch, then watercolor for the warbler's body and highlighting with Conte' pastels.  When dry I mounted it on 140 lb Kilimanjaro cold press watercolor paper.  This is an ACEO (Artist Card Edition & Original) and is Copyright 2018 Kay Smith.

Actual size: