African Grey Parrot

8x6 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals on toned grey Hahnemuhle sketchbook paper done last week or so for an online WetCanvas challenge. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Toucan Times

10.5x12 mixed media on corrugated paper board done recently. I sketched the bird in ink using STA Lictin 0.8 pen, then used watercolor and gouache. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Heron Profile

9x10.25 mixed media on paper from some of the Florida bird photos taken on the last trip in 2014.  Using Pigma Micron 01 pen I sketched the bird's profile.  Watercolor added next with white Montana marker used on its feathers.  Background was dark blue purple marker overlaid with mixed gouache of blues, greens, and violets.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Merry Macaw

6x6 watercolor with parrot drawn using Pigma Micron 01 ink pen on Masters paper.  It has been awhile since I've done any macaw parrots and did this fellow today in about an hour.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Scarlet Macaw

12x3.5 watercolor parrot, a scarlet macaw, I did last night for a short class demo.  Colors were put in wetly on dry 140 lb watercolor paper and allowed to mingle and mix.

Flaming Flamingo

22x30 watercolor on light weight Yupo synthetic paper, painted from another lovely bird photographed in my travels.  The slick surface of Yupo lets pigments sit on top as there is no tooth for the paint to sink into, thus they're more vibrant.  Fixative is sprayed to keep the work intact.

Polly Parrot

10 x 8 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper, painted wet on wet in my hotel room from one of my Puerto Rican parrot photos.
I used Prang watercolors.

New Flamingo

Now no one loves to paint these colorful tropical birds more than I do. It is a thrill when visiting Las Vegas to go by the Flamingo Hilton to the back of the hotel and watch them for hours around their koi pond, preening themselves as if performing in one of the stage shows. This painting is mixed media (colored pencil, watercolor, acrylics) on 8x11 gessoed matboard. It was a timed exercise on WetCanvas and took 5 minutes to draw and 55 to paint this weekend. Blades of grass were scratched out in semi-dry paint using bevel end of my 1" sable flat.