Long-eared Owl in Intaglio Dry Point

7x5 with 4x3 artwork on Strathmore printing paper using watercolor with ink. In an Intaglio dry point process this owl was created. Last night I prepared him by creating with a sharp tool, lines on plastic, coating with ink to fill the lines, rubbing off, then running thru a Sizzix embossing machine that acts as a printer. Two prints were made and this one is the second, or ghost print. Using a #1 rigger or script liner brush, colors were added wet on dry today. Ref photo was from Birds and Blooms magazine. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Spring Aspens

9.5x7 watercolor done today in Ecosystem sketchbook over a pencil sketch of aspen trees and branches seen on our last trip to the mountains. I mixed Coastal Fog and Titanium White gouache with other yellows and blues, even black, to get the various green shades. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Fruit Plate

22x15 watercolor on hot press 140 lb paper that I first coated with white gouache, then painted. This gives a nice softness to the colors in the fruit still life of pears, strawberries and blueberry muffins on antique china plates. Before the pear paint dried, I color-sanded colored pencil into it using fine grit sandpaper. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Chickadee and Forsythia

3.75x6.25 watercolor and gouache on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper sketched yesterday then painted today from my chickadee photos. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Parrot Tulip Petals

11x15 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press block painted last week. I used every red and pink plus magenta and violet and did mix some. Muted mixed greens for the abstract background. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Pink Owl

9x6 watercolor and ink line using STA Lictin .05 pen on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today; an abstract background made by using a marked backing sheet I put under smaller works. First I sketched in pencil then went over the lines with ink followed by paint. Lots of marks and other colors already on the paper led to the loose design. Yellow green added in spots for maximum contrast. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Abandoned New Mexico Structure

11x15 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on Strathmore 140 lb cold press block done last week. It took quite a long time to do the stippling marks in ink before applying paint, but this old building with its sun dried clay bricks mixed with grass (for strength) deserved some attention. As was the habit with these structures, they were mud-mortared then covered with mud and have stood the test of time. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith