Birthday Hollyhocks

15x11 acrylic inks on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done yesterday over pencil drawing of red hollyhocks.  Since I make sure to paint a complete painting on my birthday each year this one won the challenge.  I used FW acrylic ink by Daler Rowney in a limited palette of red, yellow, and blue mixing them to obtain secondary colors, lights and darks.  This resembles watercolor but is harder to manage and is quite shiny when dry.
Image COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith     Email:  1971ks@att.net for more information

Chickenpox - today's mixed media demo

15x11 mixed media collage on 140 lb Canson wc paper done today, a demonstration for Odessa TX art association at the Ellen Noel museum.  I used paper doily and toilet seat cover tissue initially as seen upper left and lower right, adhered with Yes! paste and matte medium.  Initial sketch done with Staedtler LumoColor calligraphic pen. First I stamped white marker over a stencil upper left (see the whitish round spots, hence the chickenpox idea one of the members suggested).  For washes acrylic inks, Montana acrylic markers, liquid acrylics used along with sunflower from cocktail napkin, legs and feet from failed watercolor chicken, red polka dot giftwrap paper for comb and wattle, and oil pastels for accents.  Top right text torn from old discarded novel and collaged.  Leaf stencil was used around the sunflower, then edges softened with water.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Sunflower vignette

15x11 acrylic inks on 140 lb cold pressed Canson paper, brush only-no pencil, done this afternoon.  It is my first time to use FW brand; I only bought 3 primaries plus black.  This medium is pigmented and lightfast as well as water resistant.  Pens, dip pens, or brushes can be used as well as airbrushes.  The look resembles watercolor in its appearance on paper being transparent and translucent.  I do think they are more vibrant than watercolor.  Definitely will use them again.  With just the primaries I was able to get a full range of hues.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.