Fruit Pickles

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Faber Castell Pitt pen) done today, a work on paper practicing the Sketchbook Skool style of illustrated journaling. With this, you can see a recipe for brine to make quick pickles, whether using fresh fruit or vegetables, to place in canning jars. COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith

Beach Beauty

12x9 mixed media on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done this week for another Sketchbook Skool assignment in the Polishing series of lessons with Nelleke Verhoeff instructor.  In this figure I've used cutout triangle for bikini bottom, striped bikini bra, eyes of a magazine model and hair cut from dark grey tile advertisement.  Watercolor used for ocean or sea behind and sandy beach.  Lots of different combinations can be created from use of ink line, watercolor, and collage elements.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Cat Problems

8.5x5.5 mixed media collage on Bienfang for mixed media sketchbook done this week for a Sketchbook Skool assignment in the Polishing lesson.  Instructions were to use part of a figure, item of clothing, or animal along with sketching in ink and adding watercolor or other media.  Here I used watercolor pencils, Uniball pen, and cutout green tee shirt on the woman and parts of cat bodies.  A fun exercise that can take your imagination and creativity to new heights.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

The Gwins

8.5x5.5 mixed media on Bienfang sketchbook finished today.  This is Linda Gwin and her husband Myron sketched with black Tombow pen.  Greys were simply water added to the black ink.  I used Montana acrylic markers on her black sweater and for the hot orange background; watercolor used to paint her colorful blouse.  They attended the Art on the Llano Estacado show I was in last week. I love his wild tropical Hawaiian shirt.  Since I needed a couple to draw for Sketchbook Skool the Gwins were selected.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Union Street House

12x9 watercolor and ink (Pigma Micron 01 pen) done today on accounting paper, a sketch done for Sketchbook Skool, on location for Polishing course.  This old white stucco house is on Union Street here in town and has been abandoned many years.  I love the old crumbling roof shingles above the rusty screen door.  From boarded up windows to its sagging front the only life now to be seen are passing birds and an occasional car.  The old accounting book or ledger paper or is actually from our union so it was most appropriate for this subject.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith

Cocky Rooster

15x11 mixed media on 140 lb cold press Canson paper (watercolor, India ink) done last week after receiving instructions on Sketchbook Skool in the Expressing series.  Make a drawing on paper and trace that onto tracing paper.  Color in the shape on paper with watercolor and let dry.  Tape your traced line drawing on top.  Lift up and add small lines or dots of India ink, then immediately lay the tracing paper down over the image and press with your fingers to transfer ink onto the watercolor image.  A different look for sure and it was fun.  My paper had been used as a backing sheet under larger pieces, hence all the little marks of paint.  I had an old sketch so reversed it.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Fat Cop

5.5x8 ink sketch on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done today.  A Sketchbook Skool assignment from Expressing, Sabine Wisman gave us this second homework assignment which was adding text and telling a story.  She finds very old photos of people online then sketches them and makes up a story.  This Victorian policeman was really this large in the photo I saw so quickly got his likeness using a black Tombow brush pen.  Donuts seemed to be the theme and went with his round size perfectly.
Image COPYRIGT 2016 Kay Smith.

Accordion Book

4.5x12 watercolor on Bristol paper; accordion book as taught by Sketchbook Skool.COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith. COVER is below.

Cheesy Cow

6.5x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press done yesterday.  Back to cows being weird.  I used transparent pyrrol orange (Daniel Smith) line over a paper used for putting behind other watermedia.  The greens and yellows went well with a cow I thought and made a nice abstract.  Probably I'd never think to do this if I'd not taken 3 semesters of Sketchbook Skool.  They encourage you to stretch and try to get outside your comfort zone.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Bike sketch

11x8.5 ink sketch with Micron 05 pen on sketchbook as part of last month's Sketchbook Skool homework.  We were instructed to find an object with wheels and do that plus include crosshatching and other marks to show value changes.  I selected a bicycle as am quite fond of including them in my art and think this one turned out nicely, a cropped version only showing the front and handlebars.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Pomegranate Parts

8x5.5 mixed media (watercolor, colored pencils, watercolor colored pencils, and Derwent Inktense) on Strathmore Visual Journal done today from a partly opened pomegranate.  I did not sketch the other half but chose to include several of its seeds spilling out.  A warm yellow watercolor wash on white paper began the work then red CPs used to do outline.  Several colors were layered and its red complement, green, was put in throughout and over the bottom left shadow.  This was a homework assignment for the Bootkamp course in Sketchbook Skool.  If participants have completed 3 semesters of SBS, they are invited to do Bootkamp, a free compilation of previous lessons but different exercises.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith

Fruit Pickles

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Faber Castell Pitt pen) done today, a work on paper practicing the Sketchbook Skool style of illustrated journaling.  With this, you can see a recipe for brine to make quick pickles, whether using fresh fruit or vegetables, to place in canning jars.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith

Bust of a Woman

 7.5x5 watercolor/ink line on Moleskine done today as Sketchbook Skool homework.  In this exercise we were told to do careful drawing of any object, then with no looking at it, do it from memory on another paper.  I selected an old antique plaster bust to do from life that's been in my studio for years.  With this view here you can see I've extended her Victorian hair across the page and up.

 

Ink sketch with Micron 01 pen

 

With the figurine out of sight this is what was the result on lined paper, a semblance of the woman but not as exact as the first sketch. In fact I have her left shoulder exposed as she's about to lose her gown.  A fun experience in the Stretching module of SBS; instructions by Fabio.
Images COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Two Apples sketch

5x7.5 mixed media on Moleskine sketchbook done today.  In Sketchbook Skool part of the Fabio's assignment homework was to depict an object from life but draw with both hands.  With a fresh red apple, I used a Micron 01 pen, then colored pencils around the tops.  The right apple was first followed by the lefthanded drawn one.  A bite was taken out for interest and because I was hungry.  Watercolor was next using Grumbacher red, alizarin crimson, transparent pyrrol orange, gamboge, quinacridones gold an violet.  Text applied last then splatters.  It wasn't too difficult to draw and paint lefthanded as I'm ambidextrous anyway.  The righthanded apple is fatter, though.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Parking Lot Birds

7.5x5 watercolor with Moleskine sketchbook done in February while out of town.  It was part of a week assignment during Sketchbook Skool so I selected the ordinary black birds so prevalent in all areas, especially parking lots.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Quiet Cardinal 4 - torn paper collage

6x8.5 watercolor, Uniball pen ink and torn paper collage on blue tinted Color-Sketch paper drawn Friday and done today, the fourth cardinal in a series of four birds. I was answering a free lesson #sketchbookskool #art4all in which you look at a subject and draw it by not looking at it. With this final exercise they must've felt sorry for participants and allowed 10 quick glances plus an extra bonus of 2 more minutes for details in the initial drawing.  Total time today about 2 hours.  From his polkadot tail feathers to golden polkadot beak and cultured pearl for an eye, this red guy is singing.  An umbrella is serving as his top wing feathers.  This was a fun little series of drawing the same object then making art with each so different.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Quiet Cardinal 3

6x8.5 watercolor, Uniball pen ink, and Caran D'Ache watersoluble wax pastels on pink tinted Color-Sketch paper drawn Friday and done today, the third in a series of four birds. I was answering a free lesson #sketchbookskool #art4all in which you look at a subject and draw it by not looking at it. With this, they cut you some slack and allowed 5 quick glances. Mid-tone underpainting done first with
acrylics then followed by multiple pastels.  It is now possible to go in with a small brush and blend the very vivid pastels since they literally melt once water touches them.  I like this look so it stays for now.  This third cardinal was fatter than the first two.  Tomorrow will be the last bird and will be on blue tinted paper.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Quiet Cardinal 2

6x8.5 watercolor, Uniball pen ink, and Caran D'Ache watersoluble wax pencil on pink tinted Color-Sketch paper drawn yesterday and done today, the second in a series of four birds.  I was answering a free lesson #sketchbookskool #art4all in which you look at a subject and draw it by not looking at it.  With this, they cut you some slack and allowed 3 quick glances.  Mid-tone underpainting done first with arylide yellow, Prussian blue, and permanent rose. Colors were more pink-dominant with strong magenta and violet along with permanent rose.  Yesterday's cardinal had more reds.  Background colors applied very wet with constant dropping in of different ones and drips encouraged.  Not many branches this time.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Quiet Cardinal 1

6x8.5 watercolor and ink (Uniball elite pen) on pink tinted Color-Sketch paper drawn yesterday and painted today.  Sketchbook Skool sent an email with instructions to play.  You select an object and first draw it without looking at your paper.  I used a photo of one of our backyard male cardinals.  I got his back too high where it hits his crown and right foot is unattached to his body.  Background is made up abstract forms and colors.  We were asked to post our results on social media afterwards.  Second bird will be done almost identically but you're allowed three quick glances.  Third bird gets five quick glances.  Fourth bird you can have ten quick glances and are given two more minutes on details (that one is on blue tinted paper as I ran out of pink).  A fun exercise! I'm pretty sure my favorite will be this one as it was sketched so much looser.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Earrings Sketches

5.5x8 ballpoint pen ink on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done at end of February during Sketchbook Skool assignment.  The instructions were to draw with a pen a collection you have and I do have lots of different earrings.  I drew them life size.  The bottom left wooden one has a giraffe handpainted on and was brought to me as a souvenir from South Africa.  The owl is the newest and Brighton scalloped hoop one of my oldest as is the heart bottom center.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.