Daily Sketch: Mewsette Watercolors, 2014

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 Bernadette

watercolor of sleeping cat — “Mewsette Watercolors”, watercolor, 6″ x 9″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Who said black cats had to be painted in black? What a wonderful gift these silhouettes gave me, letting me let go of representational color and pattern and rendering them intuitively. Mewsette is a happy, warm kitty on a cold winter day, toasting herself in front of the furnace vent, and this is how I felt about it.

From 2014:

I thought I might not have a sketch at all today—I’m so scattered by the holidays mid-week for two weeks, I have no idea what day it is, and I really never know what time it is so it’s hard to focus. In my studio, I stood up to go and do something, I don’t remember what, looked down to see Mewsette’s wonderful shape relaxing by the furnace vent.

Perhaps that’s where the colors came from, because rather than grab the obvious choice of charcoal pencil, always handy, and sketchbook, I felt movement and wide strokes and a brush in my hand. Sounds like a watercolor to me, I thought, picturing two of my brushes applying a wash of paint in the shape of her paw and another bringing out the curve of her back. I stood a moment longer to let the visual develop and felt blue, purple, yellow, green? red? All the colors in the palette? I knew I wanted the blends, started with a base of yellow and worked the highlights and shadows on her fur in all the colors I saw. I did not want her against a plain white background, so I began with a few speckles and went from there. Fun!

One other thing about watercolors is that I need a container or two of water, and upstairs that usually comes from the bathroom sink. That’s a little more complicated now than usual with Bert and Ernie in there, the door closed, the baby gate. Getting in and out of there with containers of water can be tricky, and it’s also distracting to my model who, by the time I get into and out of the bathroom with sliding bi-fold doors and stepping in and talking to Bert and Ernie and the thought of treats and food they have and by the time I get back out with my water and collect my brushes and paints and watercolor pad, my model is usually up and about and no longer in the inspiring pose. I’ve been keeping a couple of containers of water in the studio, one for drinking and one for painting, so I hope to do a few more watercolors upcoming.

Some things never change, the warm kitty by the furnace vent, the need to watercolor, and the foster kitty in the bathroom!

Where to find this artwork

This painting is not listed on my site, but I know I’ll be making gift items with it, and the original is for sale with 25% off—please ask if you are interested!

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ink sketch of two cats — In Afternoon Sun, ink brush pen, watercolor © B.E. Kazmarski

Mimi enjoys her daily sunbath while Mewsette watches the birds from my studio window on the second floor.

Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals 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.