Finally, finally the sun has come out, and it feels like August again, it may only be for a day or 2 but I intend to make the most of it.
There's the hubby , harvesting a few more beans from the veg patch,
and the rubekias that weren't eaten by hungry rabbits are starting to do their thing.
After looking through and buying a few more brushes earlier this week I thought I had better come clean about my addiction...and I also thought some of you might enjoy my musings about which brushes I rate. This is by no means a definitive guide...
Ok I must now freely admit, I like brushes, I like owning a lot of brushes. Unfortunately they can be expensive, and yes I do have some I couldn't live without.
But here is a guide to what I think are the best
First you need a good round brush to lay down washes, this is a size 10 , and is sable series 7 winsor and newton brush costing around £300
but synthetic ones like this Daler one is around £12.50 and are just fine.
Better brushes will not magically make your watercolours better , but they are a joy to paint with, and decent brushes make you the best artist you can be
A flat brush like this is also useful for painting buildings and producing straight lines. This one is a winsor and newton series 603 1/4 " or 6mm and was around £20
A big 'mop' brush is great for those large washes.
A fan brush is good for foliage, and mark making , Cotman are a great 'student' range and this one was only £7 .
Then you need an range of smaller brushes to add the finer details.
If they come to a good point all the better. The smaller the brush , the less it costs so I would invest in a good smaller brush, so you can get those details right.
I keep old , worn out brushes to splash and splatter my white acrylic or my gold paint.
And never ever use a good brush to apply masking fluid, I use these sort of silicone colour shapers to apply mine or a paper clip .
You will find that you have your favourites, and ones that annoy because the bristles are out of shape.
Try to keep your brushes clean and in good order.
Finally there is nothing wrong with scouring thrift shops or auction sites for job lots of brushes. Sometimes an older artist who has passed away has left some brushes behind and I like to give them a new home
Then there is only one more thing to do , start painting !