Friday, March 29, 2024
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Daily Sketch Reprise: Colorful Kelly

watercolor pencil drawing of tortoiseshell cat
“Colorful Kelly”, watercolor pencils © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

This sketch totally surprised me—I’d never done a thing like it before. Inspired by Kelly awaking from a nap on my desk I’d been about to try out these watercolor pencils while she was sleeping. I discovered that what I thought was black was navy blue and decided to go ahead. I’m so glad I did. It captures Kelly in a very special way.

So pretend the blue is black, as I discovered the set does not have a black pencil, but here is tortie Kelly sleeping on my desk. I don’t mind the blue because it’s a complement of orange, the other tortie color, even though the orange here looks like a dark red. But as long as she has the round green eyes and the big rounded ears, she’s my Kelly, and it’s a bonus that she has the little hind paw with the toes spread and the front paw curled so she can bathe it.

This is watercolor pencil again, more fun each time…if only my scanner had a better eye for blue.

The next morning…

I was unhappy with the colors in this—the blue was too purple and the orange was just too dark, no one was really seeing what I was seeing so as soon as the sun was bright enough I too the little painting outside to photograph in natural daylight. Compare for yourself and see if you can find the differences.

watercolor of tortoiseshell cat
Colorful Kelly (same painting, photographed instead of scanned), watercolor pencil © B.E. Kazmarski

Watercolor is difficult because it’s transparent and when scanning, and even photographing, the light shines through it to the nearest opaque surface, which is the paper. Everything from ambient light in the room to anything else that’s in the shot or in the scan can influence the color balance.

And even with this, the sunlight was still too “warm” that early and the whites were a little shadowed; I could photograph it again later this afternoon and it would be different again.

Yikes! Sometimes I spend more time trying to get a good image of my little sketches than I spend actually creating them, but it’s all worth it. Colorful Kelly was very much worth all the effort since she was popular no matter the color balance, and I can see a lot of potential for her!

. . . . . . .

"Colorful Kelly" orignal matted and framed.
“Colorful Kelly” orignal matted and framed.
Find the Artwork

I have sold the original but made certain to have a set of accurate prints made first.

This signed digital print is 5″ X 7″ made on matte-finish letter-size acid-free 100 lb. digital paper. Prints are $15.00 each in my Etsy shop.

keepsake box with cat
Colorful Kelly Keepsake Box

I have a print framed like the original with white top mat and cobalt blue second mat and 1.5″ flat painted white frame in my Etsy shop for $50.00. Please ask if you are interested.

“Colorful Kelly” has also been popular as a wood-mounted print and as a keepsake box. I will be preparing more of these as spring arrives. You can always search my Etsy shop for “Colorful Kelly” to see what’s available or send me an email to request a custom product.


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Click here to see other daily sketches.

For a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit my Etsy shop in the “Cat Art and Prints” section.

Read about the reason for the daily sketches in Two Years of Daily Sketches.

And download your free desktop wallpaper calendar for computer or mobile, usually based on a daily sketch.

"Interior With Cat" desktop calendar for wide and HD monitors.
“Interior With Cat” desktop calendar for wide and HD monitors.

"Feline Style Sampler" book of sketches and portraits.
“Feline Style Sampler” cover.

 

A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

Feline Style Sampler

Daily sketches, illustrations, commissioned portraits all in a small coil-bound gift book.

Click here or on the image to read more

or find this book in my Etsy shop.


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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

2 thoughts on “Daily Sketch Reprise: Colorful Kelly

  • Whoa!! That is quite startling! The second image is lighter and lost some definition I think. Difficult to see having to scroll up and down lol. The original looks absolutely stunning framed!

    Reply
    • I think so too–I really like the original scan, even though it isn’t quite accurate either, the blue is a little too purple, but that’s okay.

      Reply

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