Merry Christmas Cardinal

6x4 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done at first of December, a cheery male cardinal from my many bird photos. This painting was a gift today at the Big Spring Art Association party hosted at the Heritage Museum. Linda Rupard Irvin was the lucky recipient of this cardinal art. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Mid December Cardinal

10x8 paper collage on wrapped canvas, an exciting bird art created by adding paper pieces with glue then an overall varnish. Done last week, I was on a small series of cardinals. We are lucky to see them outside mingling with other birds for berries, nuts, and suet. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Cardinal in the Cold

6x4 gouache on off white Crescent matboard done for my Monday class. They did their cardinals today. This fellow was braving a fresh new snow as seen on the tree branches behind him. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Northern Cardinal on Icy Branches

6x6 watercolor on 80 lb Masters Touch paper in sketchbook, done in pencil last week then painted with Daniel Smith and American Journey paints. Cardinals are still outside in the berry bushes here. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Virginia's Cardinal

Virginia's Cardinal 9x9 watercolor on 140 lb Canson paper done last week from WetCanvas online animal challenge for the month; ref courtesy Virginia Spencer. In her photo, the cardinal was perched on a metal gate with a cardinal bird cut out motif, but in my painting I have cropped part of that to focus on the bird. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Cardinal at the Feeder

8x8 watercolor using White Nights paints on 140 lb cold press Masters Touch premium paper sketched in pencil done last week. Love the inquisitive look in the bird's eyes as he stared at me. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Comical Cardinal

4.25x4.25 acrylics on gessoed watercolor paper of an imaginary male cardinal. It was fun to put all the reds and oranges I had into its feathers. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Cardinal in Snowy Branches

16x20 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done right before the first of December using multiple photos and imagination. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

February Cardinal

5.5x5.5 watercolor on Arteza 110 lb. cold press paper done over the weekend from one of my male cardinal photos. This guy is one of two I've seen in the backyard and more often now I'm scattering seed for them all. Too cold to hunt for ordinary food. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Crimson Cardinal

11x11 mixed media on cardboard begun yesterday and finished today. First I sketched the cardinal with Micron 03 pen, then used watercolor and gouache along with colored markers. This will be sprayed with a protectant varnish. The first was an owl I did over the weekend so will post it tomorrow. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

November Snowy Cardinal in Brusho

7x9 watermedia using Brusho crystals on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today. This cardinal was photographed outside our windows but we have no snow. I used grey Brusho for the background leaving some white on the branches; bird was painted using crimson, vermillion, and red Brusho crystals. Black Brusho for his mask and gamboge Brusho for the beak. When dry snow splatters using white gouache were added. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Cardinal Pair

8x8 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago using White Nights paints. It was snowing where we were in the mountains so easy to imagine this pair of lovebird cardinals watching out for each other nestled into a snowy pine tree.
COPYRIGHT 2019 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.