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 Birdhouse

5.5x8.5 watercolor on Canson 117 lb cold press paper, an imaginary garden bird, the red male cardinal, by his birdhouse in the backyard. This was painted with White Nights paints the last day of November. 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

Quiet Cardinal 1

6x8.5 watercolor and ink (Uniball elite pen) on pink tinted Color-Sketch paper done in 2015 as a Sketchbook Skool exercise. They sent an email with instructions. 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 was done almost identically but you're allowed three quick glances and that bird has been sold. 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 endeavor! I'm pretty sure my favorite will be this one as it was sketched so much looser. COPYRIGHT 2015 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

November Cardinal in Snow

5.25x8.25 mixed media of watercolor and acrylic in junk journal done today, a tribute to the November cardinals outside our windows. I applied white acrylic paint with an old credit card for the snow areas. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Cardinal Craze

6x6 acrylics on gessoed 140 lb cold press Saunders Waterford wc paper completed yesterday using a small resin cardinal figurine I've had for years. Love to paint these birds and lucky to see them every day flying about. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Cardinal Perch

12x6 acrylics on board begun yesterday and finished today, an imaginary male cardinal perched on his branch. I used Liquitex brand paints. 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

Chilly Cardinal

3.5x2.5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Kilimanjaro paper done today, another cardinal out in the chilly snowy landscape.  This fellow seems to be searching for some red berries to eat or for his mate.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Li's Cardinal

4.5x6 watercolor on Bristol 400 series paper completed for the current weekend drawing event on WetCanvas.com (photo courtesy of host Li Newton).  I've winterized the scene instead of how it was and added snowflakes with white gouache when dry.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith         Email:   1971ks@att.net to purchase via PayPal

Fluffy Female Cardinal

11.75x8.5 watercolor on matboard done this afternoon with no pre-drawing or reference used, only a brush and my imagination.  I have been watching hummingbirds and cardinals outside and when I found an used piece of mat already prepared with gesso the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Image COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

Cardinal Courtship

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper drawn and painted today of two cardinal lovebirds.  He is trying to woo her to his way of thinking as a potential mate.  Several cardinals are seen frequently in our side and backyards year round; so this is not necessarily a Christmas themed piece.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Cherry Tree and Red Bird

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, an imaginary fantasy scene.  I used another scrap sheet I place under watermedia to catch drips and brushstrokes as an abstract background.  The symbolic tree, leaves and round flat ones were added next then the bird shape last.  Already there were some of those shapes.  I liked the pink and pale green colors behind the drips and runs.
Image is 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.