End of November

6x9 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals on Masters 140 lb cold press paper done today using a spatula type palette knife along with matboard pieces to make lines and marks. In this imaginary scene, some of summer's colors remain in the landscape such as green, yellow, and yellow green while autumn's golden colors sneak into it. Brusho used at the base of the trees and brush for texture. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Burrowing Owl Vignette

8.5x5.5 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals on Masters sketchbook paper done last week over a pencil sketch. For the most part I used a #1 rigger/script liner brush for a looser effect with this imaginary wildlife owl. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Frozen Twisted Trees

5x8 mixed media on Canson 140 lb. cold press paper done today, an imaginary scene I could experiment on with different combinations. For this I did a pencil sketch first, then used white crayon over various tree parts, ground, and water. I used both black and white Brusho crystals next over a partially spritzed paper. I made a small amount of black Brusho mixed with water for a darker hue and used that to create more than one value. Diluted amounts of black and white Brusho made the sky and foreground. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Green Truck of Cheer

8.5x5.5 watercolor in Masters sketchbook on 70 lb paper, an old green truck decked out with gifts and all things Christmas cheer. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

November Cardinal in Snow

5.25x8.25 mixed media of watercolor and acrylic in junk journal done today, a tribute to the November cardinals outside our windows. I applied white acrylic paint with an old credit card for the snow areas. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Lonesome Spruce and a Happy Thanksgiving Day

8x5 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals on Winsor Newton Cotman 140 lb cold press paper painted yesterday, an imaginary tree to get the holidays going. Happy Thanksgiving to all! COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Euphorbia Crown of Thorns

12x12 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals on Masters 140 lb cold press paper recently painted for an online contest; photo courtesy Dewi Saputra of Thailand. (Wikipedia states that Euphorbia milii, the crown of thorns, Christ plant, or Christ thorn, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821). The plant grows in Zone 10 here in the USA and is an indoor or outdoor specimen. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Winter Trees in Snow

4x6 acrylic, gouache, and ink on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday, an imaginary winter snow scene complete with evergreen trees. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Snowman in Knit Cap

6x4 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago from some of my snowmen photos. This guy looks like he is getting ready for Christmas with his red knit wool cap and long knit scarf. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Owl Wisdom

4x6 watercolor over abstract mixed media background, sketched in pencil, for a wise old owl painting of a great horned one. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Basket Bouquet

15x22 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper painted last month for the second time, an imaginary bunch of flowers in a basket, mostly calla lilies and tulips. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Crazy Pink Chihuahua

8.5x6 watercolor and Pigma Micron 01 pen of a crazy chihuahua, painted wildly one weekend on Color Sketch paper. No reference used and a different color palette, not local color. This one reminds me of one of the two chihuahuas I had growing up. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Winter Trees in Snow

4x6 acrylic, gouache, and ink on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday, an imaginary winter snow scene complete with evergreen trees. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Mini Pearl Resting

8.5x6 watercolor on Color-Sketch colored 140 lb CP paper over pencil sketch of new studio kitty done today. I used the last page in the Color-Sketch book of paper purchased from artist Judi Betts. The paper is a pale yellow tint. Pearl was resting on my leopard covered studio ottoman and her white fur was a nice contrast against that pattern and the shag rug diagonal design. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Sunsplashed Hollyhock

10.5x8 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done over last weekend using White Nights paints. I featured my photo reference on this month's Watermedia forum challenge on WetCanvas. The pink hollyhocks amongst other colors were grown in my studio backyard. Light values indicate strong sunshine on its leaves and darker values are present for cast shadows. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Steller's Bluejay in Winter

6x4 watercolor on 140 lb Grumbacher paper cold press done over the weekend from photos of this pretty blue jay with snow around him for an abstract background. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Two Story White House

8x6 watercolor on paper done yesterday over a pencil sketch for a timed online weekend drawing event on WetCanvas. I have not done a house portrait in awhile so this was fun (no ruler). Unknown paper was difficult to work with from an unused sketchbook gift. Autumn had begun according to the reference as a pile of leaves was seen by front porch. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Deer in Meadow

5.5x5.5 watercolor in Arteza 110 lb CP paper sketched and painted yesterday for this month's southwest/western challenge on WetCanvas. Photo courtesy Jo Castillo/Texas. I cropped the photo to edit out most of the doe's body to focus on her head and part of the background. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Peony Power

8x8 watercolor on Masters Premium wc paper 140 lb CP done over last weekend for a WetCanvas weekend drawing event challenge. I enjoy the analogus reds, pinks, and oranges in its petals. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Sunflower Fantasy

9x12 watercolor imaginary sunflower floral using plastic wrap pressed onto wet paint and let dry. Negative painting was done for this unusual design. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Persimmons Shadows

9x12 watercolor on Grumbacher 140 lb cold press paper completed today. These Asian persimmons were given to me so they were placed on decorated textiles that have sequins, tiny pearls, ribbon, soutache, etc., then photographed. I liked the cast shadows over the mostly secondary color palette. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

White Open Tulips

12x16 watercolor on Italia block 140 lb cold press paper done over the past weekend using White Nights paints. The word 'open' was a prompt during #inktober2021 and I did an ink sketch first, then a watercolor over that small one and now a larger version of the open tulips. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Kinky Sunflower

12x9 watercolor and ink on Canson for mixed media paper done over last week from a previous version, intensifying color value, and line design elements. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Tree Connection

18x12 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper done last week, a glimpse of an imaginary forest, rocks, stream and trees in this landscape. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Sleepy Baby Burro

20.25x26.25 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done as a demo for the Fredericksburg, TX art group Die Kunstler on Thursday night. This was the second time to paint this little burro and they gave me 2 hours to do it but I finished in 1 hour. A limited palette of quinacridone burnt orange, quinacridone gold, and ultramarine blue (Daniel Smith) was used plus an opaque Coastal Fog (American Journey). The opaque can give a soft texture for an animal's fur/hair. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Slither Snake

5.5x8.5 watercolor, Brusho, acrylics and ink in Masters sketchbook, first done in ink for #Inktober2021 last week and color added later for this snake. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Bullfinch

5.5x5.5 watercolor on Arteza 110 lb CP paper last weekend for another online challenge hosted by WetCanvas. I had not painted a bullfinch before but was aware of the bird and its unusual color. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Pumpkins for Sale

12x10.5 watercolor and ink line (Pigma Micron 05 pen) on Daler Rowney Langton 140 lb cold press paper done for a past #InkTober. I photographed this fat pumpkin on top of others in a huge box at the Ruidoso WalMart store in 2016. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Open Tulips

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line done week before last, or the sketch was for #Inktober2021 and I added color later using White Nights paints. I think the tulip composition I ended up with was charming. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Methodist Church

7.5x5.5 Tombow black ink brush pen on Bristol board 400 series plate paper of a local Big Spring church building. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith