Winding Icy Stream

7x9 mixed media in Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done a few days ago using white wax crayon and Rosa watercolors, an imaginary frozen winter landscape. In this scene I've tried to show how water freezes as it winds its way down amongst the various trees and bushes. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Cold Water Creek

3x7 watercolor and white crayon on 140 lb Canson paper done last week in anticipation of painting a larger version of this mountain creek in deep icy winter conditions. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Arctic Air

9x6 watercolor and white crayon quick demo done yesterday for our Monday class; no reference used, only placing crayon marks onto dry Grumbacher 140 lb cold press paper then adding paint. Some negative painting for a few trees and branches was added. Cool colors Prussian blue, mixed brown, cerulean blue were used. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Frosty Morning Cabin

12x9 watercolor that is a previous scene. All the trees and end of log cabin are imaginary and were drawn loosely first. I put in pale washes diagonally across the sky using Prussian blue as it is a cool blue unlike others.  Background trees had to be softer and out of focus. Aspens and other foreground trees painted last as was the frozen water in immediate foreground.  By trial and error I did stumble upon a neat trick to painting masses of leaves that works better than anything.  Just lay your rigger (script liner) brush fully loaded across damp or dry paper and twist it; don't use its pointed tip.  It will be horizontal, almost flat.  This is painted on Canson 140 lb cold press paper.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Frozen Scene

6x9 watercolor and white wax crayon on Canson 140 lb cold press paper begun yesterday with our cooler temps then finished today with even colder air.  Tomorrow heralds our first freeze of the year which hopefully will last only one day.  In this imaginary scene frozen water, river banks, and trees embrace a frigid sky.  Some negative painting was done around the trees.  No pencil drawing or reference was used.  This is another in my frozen imaginary landscape series.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Frozen Trees

7.5x5.5 watercolor and white wax crayon on 140 lb Arches paper done today using no reference and no pencil (brush only).  I first applied white crayon at random on dry paper then did a light wash of raw umber and Prussian blue over most areas.  While still wet I used a wadded up facial tissue to blot at the top and over small area of the water.  As it dried too light I added more washes using carbazole violet and sepia; when dry I used the same colors to do negative painting for tree trunks, limbs, and branches.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.