Dairy Cow

Dairy Cow 6x6 watercolor on handmade rough 140 lb cold press paper, done last week from several dairy farm photos. Focusing on the Holstein's head I've also shown a portion of her hay feeding trough. COPYRIGHT 2025 Kay Smith

Curled up Calf

6x6 watercolor and ink using 0.5 STA Lictin pen on Masters Touch 80 lb paper done over the weekend for another WetCanvas weekend drawing event. We have 2 hour to select an image then paint it; image courtesy Kat. Her reference had two other cows so they were cropped out to focus on the youngest who was curled up by a bucket. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Resting Cow

5.5x8 watercolor on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media sketched in pencil and painted last night as part of an online challenge.  Ref courtesy WetCanvas.  This Brahman cow looks at peace with herself as she rests on the grass.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Painted Calf

7x4 watercolor done this past weekend for a WetCanvas event.  Paper I used was a backing sheet portion put under smaller works, hence the drips and dabs marks.  The markings on this little Holstein fellow were too attractive to pass up.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Charlotte the Cow

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done this afternoon.  Part of a timed WetCanvas event, participants have 2 hours to choose a subject from their photos then paint it.  This sweet Charlotte cow took me one hour.  Starting with Koh-i-Noor Magic multicolored pencil, I lightly sketched the scene, then with black Tombow brush pen put in darkest darks of her eyes and the left side of her head.  This blended well with wet watercolor added next and throughout the composition.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Brahmans

9x12 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Canson paper of two Brahman cows done today in a 2 hour timed weekend event online with WetCanvas.  Host was Li Newton who shot this pair at a fair.  We never raised this breed of cattle growing up but my husband's family did.  I love their long floppy ears and almost goat-like faces and heads.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Cheesy Cow

6.5x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press done yesterday.  Back to cows being weird.  I used transparent pyrrol orange (Daniel Smith) line over a paper used for putting behind other watermedia.  The greens and yellows went well with a cow I thought and made a nice abstract.  Probably I'd never think to do this if I'd not taken 3 semesters of Sketchbook Skool.  They encourage you to stretch and try to get outside your comfort zone.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Keep Cows Weird

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Pigma Micron 01 pen) on Masters Touch sketch book done last night, one of two painted while out of town for the weekend.  Drawn from life, I used a small figurine cow then made up the flowers in this contemporary cow vignette art.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.