Inquisitive Sparrows ~ #World Wildlife Day 2022

5.5x8.5 watercolor over pencil sketch of three sparrows discussing that today, March 3, is #World Wildlife Day. White Nights paints were used for this one done last week in Masters Touch sketchbook. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Barnyard Brawl

15x22 watercolor and ink on 140 lb cold press paper, an imaginary scene done several years ago that is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2015.

Parking Lot Birds

7.5x5 watercolor with Moleskine sketchbook done in February while out of town.  It was part of a week assignment during Sketchbook Skool so I selected the ordinary black birds so prevalent in all areas, especially parking lots.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Chickadee Trio

6.5x4.5 watercolor on Langton 140 lb cold press paper done today.  I was in a mood to continue with another imaginary blackcapped chickadee painting in my series.  Right now I have too many series going on! The cows, the chefs, the wild women, the food, you name it.  Besides, I've not done any chickadees in awhile.  Tomorrow the plan is to start one of the little birds in a torn paper collage and probably finish that later.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Crows and Cardinal in Snow WIP

These series of steps taken today outline a work in progress or WIP, beginning with thumbnail sketches in colored pencils.  This scene is a commission and has been SOLD.

Each of these is about 3x4 inches to just get a feel for the subject.  My client saw a similar scene of black crows with one red male cardinal years ago, and wanted the vivid imagery translated by an artist to keep the memory alive.  So I hope I can do it justice.  I will be using watercolors on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper.  Paints are:  Quinacridone burnt orange, shadow violet, ultramarine blue, midnight blue, quin magenta, gamboge, Grumbacher true red, permanent red, and alizarin crimson.  All black is mixed with these colors.

First step was to draw an odd number of crows and place them in the middle ground, as the cardinal will be in foreground, lower right, and he'll be the automatic center of interest due to his bright plumage.  Crows are a mix of first 5 pigments listed above; small areas of the birds were wet then color applied one hue next to the other and let blend.  You can see an old white fence in the back as a high horizon line.

Next step is a pale wash of UB and QBO, I painted the areas between white pickets and splashed more in foreground; cardinal will be almost last.  Fence texture will be done with drybrush.

Step 3 is the addition of the cardinal and in this detail you can see weathered back fence and inbetween.  I've added small dark seeds as they are foraging in winter and are quite hungry.  The cardinal doesn't have any seeds to eat and is venturing towards the big guys hoping to peck out a few morsels.

Final step! Quite tricky making sure the crows were larger than the cardinal and a different stance on each one.  Slight snow shadows added to ground the birds, and when dry, I splattered a dark mix of paint for tiny seeds.  I hope this reads right and that the customer is pleased, as this one was a joy to plan and paint.  Crows and Cardinal in Snow 11x15 watercolor, copyright Kay Smith 2013.

Birds Flocked Together

12x18 watercolor on gessoed Crescent white matboard, drawn yesterday with Magic multicolored pencils then painted today.  First the birds were painted as the most realistic shapes, then a loose abstract background with same hues.  Allowing for surprises in this high key work, I searched for suggestions that could be leaves or flowers.  Bird colors are not real. Tree branches and twigs however, are all positive lines.  It was a bright sunny day here and birds were singing, saying that Spring is just around the corner!

Bluejay in the Backyard

11x15 watercolor of one of the most colorful birds flying thru the backyard; cardinals live in the side yard. This was painted on 140 lb cold press paper.

Nesters - Birds in Broken Clay Pot

15x22 watercolor on Lanaquarelle 140 lb hot press paper of two birds nesting inside broken clay pot.  I had first painted this close up of tiny items a few years ago then took the painting and redid its main areas.  The tiny birds and pot nestle inside a larger clay pot holding a topiary from a florist.  With my camera I shot a macro view for art purposes; the birds are actually made of mushrooms so I had to make them appear realistic.