Birds Flocked Together

12x18 watercolor over gessoed matboard completed yesterday.  Some of the birds were sketched in colored pencil.  There are 9 total with a blue parakeet in flight.  This imaginary scene was previously done in other colors so all were lifted out and repainted using cardinals, robin, bluejays, etc.  Negative painting also for branches and leaves.
COPYRIGHT 2020 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.