Poppy Shades

5.5x8.5 watercolor on Masters sketchbook paper done today. I first laid Abstract Rosette stencil by StencilGirl Products on the paper then colored in shades of yellows, flipped the stencil and put in gamboge and more orange. When dry, poppy flowers were sketched in pencil, colored centers and shadows, then the background added. A different approach for a change of pace. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

White Tree Poppies

7x5 watercolor on Masters premium paper 140 lb cold press done today as it has been awhile since I've painted poppies. With this composition I was able to do more negative painting by first putting a light transparent wash in different colors over the background, then coming back in with darker values to carve out leaves and stems. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

White Prickly Poppies

15x22 watercolor collage on 140 lb Saunders Waterford paper painted previously. Reference photos were combinations of white wild poppies I had taken but never used; a big clump of these paper thin flowers grow along roadsides and vacant lots everywhere.  I put small amounts of white tissue onto the paper using matte medium then drew the flowers when dry. Poppy centers contain latex and can be deadly and quite thorny to unsuspecting people or animals.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2010.