Cheng-Khee Chee Workshop ~ Day 1 ~ Rooster

"Rooster"
Watercolor on half sheet
15" x 22"

The first day of the Cheng-Khee Chee workshop was using the traditional watercolor technique. I chose a safe rooster reference and used a half sheet instead of the full sheet and he said just plan on using the palette we brought without mixing the colors in the muffin tins. Whew! There are just so many things to consider the first day this was indeed a welcome break.

Creative Catalyst carries his DVD's that follow along with these techniques if you can't get to a workshop. I've been trying to cram the night before to anticipate reference material and techniques.
"The Intimidator"
I have to have this brush before my next workshop. This 6" brush just screams "Watch out. Move over. I know what I'm doing." (whether you do or not) Chee usess it to wet his paper front and back and it does a super job but the "coolness" factor is over the top. It won't even go in the largest 3 lb. coffee can water holder without being turned sideways. Yep, next order for sure - maybe not the 6" but maybe the 4" or 5". I just try to remember for each days project - It's not the product, it's the process and all of us are working hard to understand the process and having a lot of fun and fellowship.

Roosters ~ Sister Chicks ~ Iron Horse Inn ~ Granbury, TX

Rooster #1 (there's more on the way)
9" x 11" Watercolor on 140 lb. paper

Six "sister chicks" of Canvas by Canvas have been on a weekend painting retreat at the Iron Horse Inn in Granbury. At one of the last paint outs at the Lake House I took lots of good "fowl" pictures and decided this was the time to experiment. It was a cold, rainy time but Cindy, Karen, Maryann, Barbara, Connie and I did not care what the weather was about once we got unloaded and set up in Theresa's and Paul's Artistic retreat studio. Theresa is Irish and it was fun to hear the owners talk about their travels and Theresa is also a fellow blogger. We enjoyed wonderful breakfasts and met a young couple, Dr. Jason Moore and his wife, Amanda, who are doctors. See their photo in the slide show below and chickens, and more chickens. We ate at Babe's Chicken on Friday evening and there were chickens in the rafters and we were supposed to be celebrating the two members' (who didn't come) birthdays. But that has never bothered us with a birthday celebration so we had our very own proxy birthday girl, Maryann to do the chicken dance and blow out the candle. We had great food at Babe's and a whole bunch of fun. Betty and Margie sorry you missed your birthday celebrations.

Art Journal Page 73
Not one of my better days with clear beverages and a tooth crown, and a "procedure", a trip to Strawn to eat at Mary's Cafe where she serves chicken fried steaks that hang off large white platters with lots of white gravy, the brick smoke stack at Thurber. I got a note from Fealing Lin saying that she's going to be having a workshop in Dallas soon. I painted with her in a Tuscany workshop with Ted Nuttall. You will enjoy looking at Fealing's and Ted's watercolors on their sites. I needed a new travel brush.

Art Journal Page 74
A blog joke about early bloggers, a joke about big arms and email checking, (I relate to both of them), Myrna mentioned the Precise Pen in a post and I also like that pen for a pen sketch before adding some watercolor and it gives some diluted lines and interesting color. I have the "smaller laptop" bug, and Granbury packing taking some journaling supplies and next post I'll show some slides from the Tony Saladino critique.
Myrna also wrote a nice tribute to artist Al Zerries.

Mouse over for the slide show captions.