Mewsette’s Indigo Nap watercolor is 5 x 7 on textured watercolor paper, available as a print on canvas or paper.

“Purple Nap”, indigo watercolor on watercolor paper, 6″ x 4.25″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

ABOUT THE ART

“Mewsette’s Blue Nap” is a loose watercolor I painted in indigo blue and is printed on textured paper. When I paint them I cover the paper in more or less her silhouette, leaving little gaps of white and adding heavier coverage where there are shadows. Then I work into the silhouette while wet for the mid range tones, let it dry until it is still damp, them add the darkest areas. Sometimes I’ll use a wet brush with just water to pull the lightest areas out if they’ve accidentally been covered over, but I like to let the water flow where it will and not force it around too much.

You can see a little more of the story of Mewsette and her brothers and a few other sketches I did at the same time on The Creative Cat.

Also available as a note card.

“Mewsette’s Blue Nap” note card.

DAILY SKETCHES

I endeavor to do at least a small sketch each day as a warm-up to my aesthetic senses, so I have a small pouch of art materials and a few various sized sketchbooks available in the house and out. Usually, these are done in pencil, my first and favorite medium, though sometimes it’s charcoal, ink, colored pencil, ink and brush, whatever strikes my fancy at the moment, the greatest challenge to keep it quick and not get caught up in details, let the idea flow onto the paper.

Most often, the subjects are my cats because they are such willing models, though sometimes I’ll also wander afield, literally, and sketch in my yard or anywhere I go for errands. Medium and especially style vary just so I get a chance to do something new.

Every once in a while, they are meant for framing, and I’ve designed a series of notecards, notepaper and notepads using other daily sketches. Often I use them as illustrations for graphics projects I’m designing.