Heehaw Donkeys

12x9 watercolor on Bristol 300 series 100 lb paper done last month, another donkey painting in my series using my older photos from a farm south of town. They seem to be saying HeeHaw! as loud as possible and are such clowns of the animal world. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Donkey Profile

8.5x5.5 watercolor using White Nights paints done a couple weeks ago while on a trip. For this WetCanvas online challenge I used my Masters Touch sketchbook with 70 lb. paper that takes watermedia very well. I cropped the reference to focus on the donkey's head and neck. COPYRIGHT 2023 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

Bashful Burro

8.25x5.25 mixed media in my junk journal done a few days ago using no reference.  With brown and black Tombow brush pens the outline was sketched onto an already watercolor and ink (India and walnut) marked page. The book was published in 1950.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Drowsy Donkey

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper that is today's work.  Since doing the cactus yesterday and another recent donkey in a hot southwestern setting I am still in the mood. My photo was black and white so did not follow local color for the animal's markings which were dark, medium, light brown, white, touch of black.  Background of hay was eliminated, substituting an imaginary southwestern building with tile roof and a flat raw sienna color dirt for the middle ground.  Now the hot sun can be imagined baking all that sits underneath, making the pinto donkey drowsy.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Donkey Dreams

12x9 watercolor that was drawn with Pigma Micron 01 pen first on Canson 140 lb cold press paper.  I worked on it this weekend for our Watermedia forum challenge on WetCanvas! Photo courtesy of host Kara.  The background was eliminated and I put a very hot southwestern siesta type feel.  The donkey is dozing in the afternoon sun.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Dandy Donkey

5.5x4 watercolor and ink on a magazine card insert from People.  Drawn with black Tombow brush pen, I added more black ink inside his ears and blended with water.  Watercolors of quin burnt orange and ultramarine blue make up the browns while background is arylide yellow, green gold, and indigo blue.  When dry it was stamped using tiny bubble wrap scrap.  This fellow lives on a farm next to my mother's mailbox.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Bashful Burro

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line with Micron 01 pen on Masters paper done a few days ago.  This one was placed on WetCanvas Southwest/Western forum and photo courtesy Jenna.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Burro

7.25x6.5 watercolor of a small burro I photographed last year on another New Mexico trip.  This fellow was in an area with another almost identical animal.  I added red trim to his halter but the flowery weeds were pink.  They were very friendly and walked up to be petted.  This is painted on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper with Daniel Smith pigments and is a daily painting.