The bottom watercolor painting is Brooster who always stands tall and has attitude to spare. This was a demo I gave in my college watercolor class about 2 or 3 years ago. My favorite part is Brooster's tail done with an aggressive dry brush stroke...ya gotta have attitude when painting in watercolor!
The top watercolor painting is of Brooster's Chinese cousin. I am somewhat reluctant to post it because his cousin's name is Fook Yu. "Fook Yu" translated into English means "Have a great day" and anytime a watercolor painting goes well, you are having a great day!
Excellent birds. My attitude when painting with watercolor is mostly depression at the results.
ReplyDeleteLove the freshness of both and the beautiful color. It's nice how demo's don't get overworked.
ReplyDeleteBrooster is on my wall here at work, where I admire him daily. As a fan of poultry (I show chickens), watercolor, and Lobenberg, he makes my day. And also gives other people the impression that I have good taste. Jan James
ReplyDeleteThanks Onpainting. Yep, yep... h2o painting has a tendency to do that. It can be a real rascal of a medium and with my style of doing it, you can run but not hide. And if you blow it, oh well, tear your effort into itty bitty pieces, walk away and come back later to start a new painting.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct Myrna... demos don't get overworked, because you are too busy communicating with your students and not mulling over what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteGreat brush stroke at the tail's end!! See, when I come up with such a stroke, I look at it, think "that is so cool - let me improve it a bit!", mess it completel and join OnPainting's mood.
ReplyDeleteSo, let me see if I got that right: what you're sayin' here is that if I went up to someone and wished them "Fook Yu" - they would be happy that I am full of good intentions towards their day?
Dave I must admit to temptation to write a Fook Yu treatise here, but alas, I must demure. I don't wish to be famous for the wrong reasons :p)
ReplyDeleteI will step out here, however, and say you are making too much of watercolor. There are myriads of corrective measures that can be taken if errors arise . . .and they ALWAYS do . . .
These roosters are delightful! I especially like the chinese cousin . . . .I can almost FEEL the hand as the artist bent back the bristles to the heel of the brush and deliverd the tail in a flourish! Wow!
Nava: If you can't speak a lick of Chinese, and the person you are speaking to can't speak a lick either, then fine and dandy...give him or her a hearty "Fook Yu!" (followed immediately with my translation). Now if the person speaks Chinese and those words come out of your mouth, I'd run like hell on fire!
ReplyDeleteMike: I think when it comes to watercolor painting, I can get a tad iconoclastic. I grew up studying old master Asian painters who devoted their lives mastering brush and stroke. So I only speak from my perspective. Watercolor evolves. There are many paths to follow.
ReplyDeleteFook Yu!, you wonderful watercolor artist you!
a mighty fine looking rooster.
ReplyDeletepaz
Fook Yu, Paz. Hope you read the Chinese translation!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, these are great. I love the strong value contrast and attitude of the Chinese cousin, David.
ReplyDeleteFaye
Thanks Faye. Yea, its fun to just work with a few high contrasting values. As they say in the watercolor world, "save your whites!"
ReplyDeleteLove these roosters!.....like you said you have to have attitude when painting with watercolors, and especially when painting roosters in watercolor!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I like Mike's comments. See it's okay to tweek. However, Brooster is definitely strutting and proud. Makes me not give up on a painting. Slow and steady as a turtle as I learn the intricacy of watercolor. It's always full of surprises. I like the unpredictability of it.
ReplyDeleteHi, David! I found Fook Yu via a Google image search several months ago, and he's now planning to be the color study for a resin chicken that I bought recently... http://curvesnangles.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/spot-the-beginning/
ReplyDeleteThank you! He's beautiful!
Karen
curvesangles, Fook Yu is honored!
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