Diane's Art Essentials

Resin Art

Diane Marcotte — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 01:00:38 +0000

This painting was done on a 10″ x 10″ Gessoed Art Panel by DaVinci.

DaVinci Gessoed Art Panel

I taped the raised edges with masking tape that was well burnished to prevent any leakage of resin. The colours I chose were Metallic Copper acrylic paint and three colours of mica powder – “Deep Yellow”, “Bronze” and “Aztec Gold”. I wanted a fairly monochromatic painting.

Supplies

My go to resin is ArtResin. Check out their website here. My first step was to find out how much resin I needed. They have a nifty calculator at https://www.artresin.com/pages/calculator. Based on my surface being 10″ x 10″ the answer came to 3oz. That is, 1.5 oz of Hardener and 1.5 oz of Resin mixed together.

I thoroughly mixed the two substances together for a full 3 minutes taking care to scrape down the sides and bottom of the plastic container. I then poured a small amount of the resin into 4 small plastic containers (three for the mica powders and one of clear resin) and a larger container for the acrylic. I added a small amount of each pigment to the resin and mixed thoroughly. It is important that your mixture is well mixed.

Colours mixed with resin

I began by spreading the different colours in a circular motion. Then I tilted the panel to get the resin to move into the corners. Where I felt the colour was too intense I added some clear resin to break it up a bit.

Dribbling the various mixes

I used my heat gun to move the resin so that it rippled.

Creating a Rippled effect

I covered the finished painting with a cardboard box to prevent dust from falling on it and allowed the painting to cure for 24 hours. I then removed the masking tape. Here’s a close-up of the final cured painting. The photograph doesn’t do it justice I’m afraid.

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art that can be printed on canvas, clothing, etc.

If you are reading this blog as an email thanks for subscribing! If you are reading it on my website please consider subscribing so as to not miss a future posting.

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Rescuing a Failed Painting with ArtResin

Diane Marcotte — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 21:21:57 +0000

We all have them. A painting that just doesn’t cut it. It is just plain blah.

I thought I’d do a pour of acrylics onto a birch panel and hopefully get some cells. I love using blue and greens together. So what could go wrong? Judge for yourself.

Original Painting

Blah, right? That Lime Green just isn’t right. There are really no dark passages so the whole painting is mainly one value. So ArtResin to the rescue!

The Finished Resined Painting

Now for the steps from Old to New.

Back Taped with Sheathing Tape (Tuck Tape brand)

Warming Resin in Hot Water

The optimal temperature for ArtResin is 23 – 25 degrees Celcius (72 – 77 F) and my studio is around 21 degrees C. So I warmed the resin in an old plastic container that I filled 1/2 full of hot water from the tap. It took no more that 8 to 10 minutes to warm the resin. NOTE: Dry the bottles thoroughly after removing from the water. Your working time of 45 minutes will be lessened by 10 minutes or so.

Mica Colours I Used

I mixed up 5 ounces of ArtResin and poured a little into three small plastic cups. To each one I added some mica powder and mixed thoroughly. In addition to these three colours I also mixed some dark green acrylic paint into some resin. I made a mistake though. I didn’t mix it thoroughly enough as you will see. I also left about 2 ounces of clear resin in the original plastic container I used to mix the hardener and resin.

Mixed Colours

Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the resined painting. Because I hadn’t mixed the green acrylic thoroughly it didn’t flow properly on the painting and created divots that I couldn’t fix. Once the painting had cured I sanded it with 80 grit sandpaper. You can see what looks like potholes on the left-hand side. I couldn’t remove them completely with the sanding.

Sanded Painting

I then mixed up a new batch of ArtResin and poured a clear coat over the entire painting. I used a torch to remove the bubbles and covered the painting with a cardboard box to allow it to cure.

Covered with a Box

Here’s the Finished Painting Again

Close-up of Finished Painting

The divots are not noticeable at all. And the addition of a second coat of resin has increased the 3-D look to the finished painting. I like this one much better than the original!

Stay tuned for another blog posting of a new resin painting. No mistakes this time!

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art that can be printed on canvas, clothing, etc.

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Clear coat with ArtResin

Diane Marcotte — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 18:20:07 +0000

This is the first of a number of blog postings using ArtResin. Resin can be used as a protective coating over art done on tiles or other hard surfaces. It can also be mixed with colorants to produce abstract paintings.

The finished 6″ x 6″ tile painted with alcohol inks

In this case I had painted a 6″ x 6″ tile with alcohol inks. I sprinkled three colours of Ranger brand inks (one green and two yellows) randomly over the tile. Do NOT tilt or mix colours. Let ink set for about 15 seconds or so – will still be wet but not too runny. Scrunch a piece of cling wrap and place over painting. NOTE: The larger the piece of wrap the more you can crumple it. Move the wrap around to get a pleasing composition. Let painting (with wrap on it) dry completely – overnight is best. No peeking! Once dry, slowly remove cling wrap and discard.

Other items I’ll need

I’ll need a silicone measuring cup to measure the resin and the hardener (equal parts), a plastic cup to mix the resin & hardener together, a bulls-eye level, tape (I use Sheathing Tape by Tuck Tape), a block to raise the tile (an old adding machine roll) and a torch to remove air bubbles (mine is by the Artist’s Studio Torch by ArtResin.) ArtResin have some great tutorials online that explain all steps of the process. Check out their website at – https://www.artresin.com/ .

Art Resin – Resin and Hardener

I have tried other resins in the past but was always concerned about potentially toxic fumes and also whether the resin would yellow over time and thus ruin my artwork. ArtResin is totally safe, non-yellowing and easy to use.

Taped underside of tile

No matter how careful you are to wipe off any drips that form there will be a few. When you remove the tape, these drips will come off too leaving smooth edges.

I don’t have any photos of the me actually pouring on the resin, smoothing it out, and torching the bubbles. I’m afraid I was too engrossed in the process to remember to take photos! I wore protective gloves, ensured the tile was level, stirred the resin mix (with a wooden popsicle stick) for 3 minutes being careful to not stir too quickly (makes air bubbles) and ensuring I scraped the sides and bottom of the container as I mixed. Then I poured the resin starting in the middle of tile. It is self-leveling and needed just a little push here and there with the stick. I passed the torch over the resined tile by holding it a few inches above it. There is really no need to be nervous but I found that I had to move a little closer so that I could actually see the bubbles popping. A small piece of fluff had landed on the tile which I removed with a toothpick. You have a working time of about 45 minutes so don’t hurry this part as you want the finished product to be clear and free from blemishes.

Allow resined tile to cure

It is important to protect the resined tile from dust, etc as it cures. Cover with a container that has been raised slightly on each side to allow air to flow. (I used small plastic cups turned upside down.) Leave undisturbed for at least 24 hours. Leave 72 hours in total for a full cure before affixing to IKEA wood mirror tile.

IKEA Mirror Tile – 10″ x 10″

IKEA make these solid wood tiles in Black, White, Teal and Purple. There is a hole on the reverse to hang the tile over a large nail or screw. However it is recommended that you screw in D-rings and string wire between them. Do so BEFORE you affix your painted tile. Then center the painting over the mirror and glue it in place. I use E6000 Industrial Strength Adhesive.

Resined Tile affixed to IKEA Mirror Tile

Affix two D-rings on the reverse and thread a wire between them. Hang and enjoy!

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art that can be printed on canvas, clothing, etc.

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Alcohol Ink Abstract with holes!

Diane Marcotte — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 02:02:52 +0000

An alcohol inks artist put up a YouTube video recently on layering two pieces of painted Yupo, one atop the other, after burning holes in the upper layer. This intrigued me so I thought I’d try the technique.

As I wasn’t sure if my stencil cutter tool would burn through a piece of heavier weight Yupo that comes in 22″ x 30″ sheets, I decided to use a piece of lighter weight Yupo for the top layer (which I bought years ago from Dick Blick as part of a Sampler Pack.) I then cut an identical size (9″ x 12″) piece from a sheet of Yupo. I decided to use Ranger’s “Sunset Yellow”, “Sailboat Blue” & “Pesto” and I also wanted both pieces to be of the same colours. To make the bottom layer more ethereal looking I spritzed it with alcohol and let it run.

Background before spritzing

Background after spritzing

It is important to let your burning tool heat up according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Test the tool on piece of wood to make sure it is hot. (I used an old paint mixing stick.) Tape the painted piece that you want to be the top layer onto a glass plate. (I used the glass from an old frame with masking tape around the four sides.) With your hot tool in hand, begin drawing around any shape you see in the painted piece. Keep your hand moving and start & finish at the same point. Clean tip on damp paper towel as you go as ink will build up on it. Once all holes are completed you can pop them out. If needed, use sharp small scissors to snip any areas that remain attached.

Ready to cut

Holes burned but not popped out

I decided to add some bling by painting around each hole with Pinata “Rich Gold” alcohol ink. I put double-faced adhesive tape on the back of the piece with holes. I added another layer of this tape to build up some thickness, removed the paper backing on the tape, and then lightly pressed the top painted layer over the bottom one in what I felt was the most pleasing orientation.

Holes popped out – lying over blue mat

Holes outlined in gold ink

Double-faced tape on back

Layered painting

Things I’d do differently next time

I would make fewer holes in top layer. I really went overboard!
The two layers of double-faced tape were not sufficient to give enough height between the two layers. I’ll need to find an adhesive that is thicker.
I framed the finished piece with a mat under glass. I feel that the mat distracts from the art. Framing with spacers hidden beneath the frame (so that the glass doesn’t touch the art) would, I think, be more attractive and add to the 3D effect.

The YouTube video I referred to earlier is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7ySoomUYos&feature=share.

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art that can be printed on canvas, clothing, etc.

If you are reading this blog as an email thanks for subscribing! If you are reading it on my website please consider subscribing so as to not miss a future post.

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Kingfisher – Detailed Demonstration

Diane Marcotte — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 01:37:57 +0000

I was watching a YouTube video recently that showed how the artist layered coloured pencils over an alcohol ink base. It intrigued me as painting with alcohol inks and also with coloured pencils are two of the mediums I enjoy. When I came across a Kingfisher photo on http://wildlifereferencephotos.com/ I thought it would lend itself well to a painting done in these two mediums.

I took photos through-out the painting process in order to better explain the steps. I hope you are encouraged to try this method of combining both mediums. The substrate used is Yupo paper. I wanted the finished painting to be 11″ x 14″ so I used a piece of Yupo that was approximately 13″ x 16″. This would give me some leeway to crop the painting as often the edges of an inked background do not come out smoothly due to back-runs, concentration of ink, etc.

Reference Photo

Reference Photo

Tools and Alcohol Ink Markers Used

I used Touch and Spectrum Noir brand alcohol ink markers which had the colours I needed.

Masking Tools

Masking Pen and Marker Colours

The Masked Drawing

Large shapes are easier to mask with Frisket film. Ensure you have the edges securely pressed onto the paper otherwise ink may seep underneath. I used Incredible White Mask applied with a ruling pen and a colour shaper for the water bubbles beneath the bird. I tore pieces of paper towel and placed them on the painting where I did not want any bubbles. Then I coated the bristles of an old toothbrush with masking fluid and splattered it over the exposed painting. As the splattering caused some unsightly blobs I waited until the masking fluid was completely dry and then carefully lifted them off.

Splattering

Masked Drawing

Inked Background

I laid the paper on a large sheet of paper toweling and applied lots of Blending Solution over the entire painting. Then I generously dropped Ranger’s Adirondack “Caramel” ink with a smaller amount of “Sunshine Yellow” ink quickly over the entire paper. Picking up the paper toweling beneath the painting I rocked it back and forth until I had achieved a fairly smooth background. NOTE: Unfortunately the paper towel absorbed the ink run-off which was then transferred to the back of the painting on the right-hand side and was visible on the front. Fortunately I was able to crop most of it off but in hindsight it would have been better to pick the painting up by the edges instead (with gloved hands of course.)

Inked Background

All Masking Removed

You need to delicately remove the masking without scratching or otherwise damaging the background. Using a “Pick-up Rubber Tool” would definitely damage the background. I’ve found that tweezers are good for this and smaller pieces come off by pushing down on a mop brush. Don’t rush this part! After removing the masking I added more bubbles using a Fantastik Tool. You dip the point into some Blending Solution in a palette well and let the tool soak up the solution. Dab it on a paper towel and then quickly dab onto the background where you want a bubble to form. (You may want to practice first on an inked scrap piece!)

Fantastix, Tweezers & Mop Brush

Using Tweezers

Using a Mop Brush

All Masking Removed

Re-masking Highlights on Bird

As I wanted to get fine lines of masking fluid, and my ruling pen had stopped co-operating, I decided to try out a relatively new product – Pepeo Drawing Gum in a pen format. This product is tinted blue. Unfortunately it later proved very hard to remove and I actually damaged the Yupo paper in one spot. So I wouldn’t use it again on Yupo. Thankfully I was able to camouflage the area and it did not detract from the painting.

Masking Bird with Pepeo Pen

Underpainting with Alcohol Ink Markers

Underpainting with Markers

Removal of Masking on Bird

Removal of Mask from Body

Addition of Coloured Pencils

I used a variety of colours to bring out the detail of the feathers, etc. Prismacolor and Luminance pencils worked best. I slowly built up layers until satisfied.

Addition of Coloured Pencils

Further Coloured Pencil Shading

Finished Painting

Finished Kingfisher Painting

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art.

If you are reading this blog as an email thanks for subscribing! If you are reading it on my website please consider subscribing so as to not miss a future post.

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Cruelty-free Art Supplies

Diane Marcotte — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 22:10:13 +0000

Although I find it difficult to find art supplies that do not include some animal product or by-product I strive to use those that are produced without any animal suffering. Thankfully there are many brands of synthetic brushes on the market and I’ve written about them at http://dianemarcotte.com/blog/animal-friendly-brushes/. But brushes are a small part of our art. We use various substrates, paints, inks, tools, etc. Can we use quality items and still be sure that no animals are harmed in the process?

Companies are usually very good at answering our questions and I’ve found a recent online blog post that addresses this issue at https://doublecheckvegan.com/vegan-art-supplies/. If this is a topic that interests you please read their blog and check out the products you currently use.

Bone Black, and some Ivory Blacks, aren’t vegan and are often the only colour in a company’s range (along with greys, etc that contain it) that is non-vegan. Thankfully many companies have alternative blacks.

Unfortunately two very popular paper products have gelatin sizing – Canson Mi Teintes and Arches Watercolour Paper.

I use many Faber-Castell’s products and their answer as to whether their products are vegan is posted on their website and reads:

“Faber-Castell is not using animal based ingredients with the exception of Beeswax Crayons which

contain natural beeswax. The wax is harvested sustainably and the hive and bees are left unharmed.

Some of our Creativity for Kids craft kits contain naturally fallen feathers and naturally

abandoned sea shells – in other words empty shells.

Leather Products & Accessories are found in our Graf von Faber-Castell and Design Brands.

Common questions:

The binder for the PITT India ink is a plastic dispersion resin. We are not using shellac or gelatin.

We use inorganic and synthetic pigments to achieve the color of “sepia”.

“Carbon black” is based on oil, coal or wood. We are not using black pigments based from

animals (e. g. bones).

Please rest-assured, Faber-Castell does NOT test on animals!”

Other sites that address this issue are:

https://www.stepbystepart.co.uk/the-green-artist–vegan–environmental-friendly-product-information.html

https://www.derwentart.com/en/gb/4720/faqs

http://artonthefridge.com/animal-free-art-supplies/?i=1

If there is a cruelty-free alternative to any art product you use I encourage you to try it out. The animals thank you.

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art.

If you are reading this blog as an email thanks for subscribing! If you are reading it on my website please consider subscribing so as to not miss a future post.

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Leopard in Coloured Pencil on Black Paper

Diane Marcotte — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 19:36:05 +0000

Painting with coloured pencils is a recent medium that I love because you can get such fine detail – something I usually incorporate into my paintings. Often I will use OMS (odorless mineral spirits) to dissolve the pencil’s pigment. This makes the painting process a lot faster. This time I decided to paint a leopard on black paper (Strathmore’s Artagain). The paper even took care of the leopard’s spots!

The end result is different than my other coloured pencil paintings which were done on watercolour paper or pastel paper. First of all this paper wouldn’t take the OMS so the painting took longer than I had anticipated. Secondly it was difficult to achieve the brilliance of the fur due to the dark paper. Despite these two drawbacks I actually do like the finished result. It has a depth to it that is difficult to explain. Anyway I hope you like it and I’ve outlined my steps below.

What would I do differently next time? I’d make sure the white and grey layers fully covered the black before adding additional colours. And I wouldn’t have transferred the whiskers from my drawing as it made it difficult to follow the lines with the Derwent white pencil and/or a mixture of Brush and Pencil “Titanium White” mixed with some of their “Touch Up Texture” (applied with a rigger brush.)

I transferred the image to the black paper using white transfer paper. My reference photo was from Wildlife Reference Photos for Artists (http://wildlifereferencephotos.com/index.php) and I made a black & white copy of the original. Using this image I coloured in all areas, except for the spots and any other black sections, with a Luminance white pencil and a couple of Prismacolor greys. This step is necessary to ensure your colours have a white base and to identify just where the spots are!

Applying white & grey pencils

The next step was to add various shades of yellow to build up a base layer. At this stage I didn’t need to match the fur direction. I added some warm browns in the shadowed areas.

Leopard – adding yellows

I then deepened the shadow areas and went over the pure white fur with a Derwent Chinese White pencil. I didn’t use my Polychromos pencils in this painting as they are transparent and I needed more opaque colours to cover the black paper.

Leopard – refining colour

More refining of colours. This time I paid attention to the direction of the fur growth. I needed to go over, with a black pencil, any black spots on his face that had gotten lost. Lastly I gave a wash of bright orange to all the coloured areas of the face and neck (focused area) by gently adding a layer of colour.

Leopard – face

To ensure the black paper came out correctly I needed to scan the image. As it was larger than my scanner I had to take two scans and stitch them together using my photo editing software.

Leopard – finished painting

Please check out my Fine Art America website at – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-diane-marcotte.html?tab=artwork – to view my art.

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Alison C Board – Artist

Diane Marcotte — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 21:39:17 +0000

I first came across artist Alison C Board while searching for information on the medium Brusho – amazingly versatile watercolor ink crystals that can be used in a myriad of different ways. They can be used on paper, canvas or even wood. Sprinkle them directly on a wet substrate and watch intriguing organic patterns appear almost like magic. Or sprinkle on a wet brush, painting knife, or texture tool to create a variety of effects. You can dissolve them in water and apply them in a spray bottle, or add them to wax paste or gel mediums for body. The solid colour crystals split into a burst of different colours… how exciting! Stay tuned for a future blog on this amazing medium.

Watching Alison paint is a joy to behold. She has a quirky sense of humour and makes painting seem like such fun. She loves to combine media, collage pieces, found objects and whatnot into a painting. Here are some photos of her artwork:

Daisies

Mushrooms

Snowdrops

As her website states – “Alison’s ever-growing portfolio includes regular demonstrations and workshops for the Society for All Artists, a company who have produced a number of DVD and television tutorials with her. Alongside her digital tuition, Alison runs a comprehensive range of workshops, courses and painting weekends from her studio at Downend Farm, and can be booked to demonstrate for Art Societies or for private tuition. She has recently expanded internationally to include painting holidays.”

The following are three parts of a video of a Poppy Seed Head in Mixed Media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7G-qh2LiGk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox_HJzZojMM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyaUfUZQ4QI

Alison does live workshops at The Society for All Artists (SAA). Check out their listing here and find some of her previous workshops that can be watched online. Also sign up for their newsletters at https://www.saa.co.uk/ so you will be kept informed of new workshops that you can watch in real time for FREE!

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Mixed Media Semi-abstract Painting

Diane Marcotte — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 20:48:55 +0000

There are times when I just want to create a painting without the detail that I usually include in my art. Something fun and expressive. Something outside my comfort zone. Something that is quick and requires little forethought. Something loose and colourful. Do you share these thoughts sometimes?

Like many artists I have supplies that I seldom use and, horrors of horrors, often forget I even have them! So recently I thought to myself… what can I use to make a different style painting? Something totally different. It was actually fun to go through my stash of art supplies looking for anything that I might use in a mixed media painting. Here’s a list of what I decided to use:

12″ gallery-wrapped canvas
alcohol inks in five different reds plus a green
alcohol ink markers in shades of red & dark green
white Gesso
white soft pastel stick
red heavy-body acrylic paint
stencil of small round circles
leaf & branches stencil
Golden brand Molding Paste
Spray varnish (5 coats)

The first step was to prime the canvas by giving it two coats of Gesso. Then the fun began. I dropped ink onto the canvas, using five different reds in total – Ranger’s “Red Pepper”, “Watermelon”, “Poppyfield” and “Cranberry” along with Pinata’s “Santa Fe Red”.

Five Red Alcohol Inks

Drops of Red Alcohol Inks

Then I used rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip to move the inks around a bit and cover any white areas.

Spread inks with alcohol

I had in mind that I would try and identify any shapes that looked somewhat like a flower. Using a white pastel I drew an outline around each shape. Change your mind? Not a problem as the white pastel rubs right off.

Identify Flowers

I wanted the red flowers to stand out so I needed to remove colour from the background. Using Q-tips saturated with rubbing alcohol I scrubbed out the areas around the flowers. The inks were quite staining so I wasn’t able to remove a lot of colour with this method.

Removing some colour

So I painted this background area with a layer of Gesso. I found that Gesso was more opaque than the white acrylic paint I had on hand. Not wanting the whole background to be a flat pink I further applied coats of Gesso in some areas. It is fun and exhilarating to do a painting like this where you haven’t thought through exactly what the end result will be. It leaves you open to change your mind as you go along. Note that as this point I also decided to delete some of the flower shapes in the lower right.

Gesso over background

More Gesso in certain areas

Using a stencil with small circles and red heavy-body acrylic paint I applied the paint over the stencil using a palette knife. I felt the painting needed another colour. So I applied white Molding Paste through a leaf and stem stencil which I would later paint green with alcohol ink. This gave some texture to the painting as well.

Stenciling

Time for another change. I didn’t like that lone leaf shape. The Molding Paste takes a bit of time to dry… so off it came.

Removal of leaf shape

To tie in some green I sponged some green alcohol ink on to various areas using a piece of felt onto which I added drops of ink.

Hmm… some flowers were floating in space! Time to add some branches. For that I used a variety of alcohol-ink markers in dark red and dark green as the painting needed some deeper values. Then I got a bit whimsical and added white Gesso centres to some of the flowers and drew a design in a red alcohol-ink marker. The canvas edges were painted with white Gesso and the whole thing protected with five coats of gloss spray varnish.

Finished Painting

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Watercolour Tip #4 – Brushes

Diane Marcotte — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 14:05:32 +0000

As with choosing the right type of paper, it pays to buy the best brushes you can afford. This does not mean you need Kolinsky Sable brushes! In fact synthetic brushes are all you will ever need.

Type of Brush

For personal reasons I choose only synthetic brushes. To be considered artist-quality a brush must be strong, have a good ” spring” to it, and be able to retain its shape . It must also be able to hold a very fine point. The following brands meet all these requirements.

Recommended Brands (all brushes are synthetic)

Michael Wilcox – http://www.michaelwilcoxschoolofcolor.com/brushes/. I’ve used a selection of his brushes for at least five years and they remain in excellent shape. Michael Wilcox says “Few artists realize that the Kolinsky is on the endangered species list. They should! If you wouldn’t wear it, why paint with it? For this reason, and because of the method of killing, we will only ever offer synthetic brushes. To this end we spent many years searching for an alternative to the animal product. A recent break-through by a small UK company has given us what we feel is a synthetic brush that is as close as it gets to the most expensive ‘Kolinsky’”.

Sterling Edwards – http://sterlingedwards.com/workszoom/1450243. These brushes are amazing! Sterling Edwards says “These brushes reflect a lifetime of tinkering to find the best brush money can buy for easier blending and glazes. Most wash brushes hold lots of color but I wanted one that I could use on wet paper. The bristle hair holds a lot of paint but little water, so you can lay larger and bolder shapes into the wet paper. Cold Pressed and rough surfaces are lovely to work on but when I need to blend, I really need a brush that will work its way into the tooth of the paper. The stiffer bristles do this better than softer hairs. You’ll find them to be excellent for loosing edges and blending.”

Princeton’s Neptune – Synthetic Squirrel – http://www.princetonbrush.com/neptune-series-4750-princeton-brush-company-brush-4750/. I love the two that I have. The company says “When we set out to create a synthetic version of squirrel, we developed a brush that may actually outperform the natural version. Neptune is our softest and thirstiest synthetic brush, delivering oceans of color. Experts in natural hair have been incredulous that this is actually synthetic. We are proud to offer Neptune in a beautiful range of shapes including mottlers and quills with rich wood tones and sea glass aquarelle handles.”

There are many synthetic brushes available nowadays. Please refer to an earlier post of mine for more suggestions at http://dianemarcotte.com/blog/animal-friendly-brushes/.

Common Shapes and Their Uses

Round – a round ferrule with a round or pointed tip. Comes in a variety of sizes and lengths. Useful for detail work, washes, and thin to thick lines. They are the most versatile and widely used brush for watercolour painting.

Flat – a flat ferrule that is square-ended with medium to long hairs. Great for bold sweeping strokes. Hold the brush on its edge for fine lines.

Bright – a flat ferrule with an inward curve at the tip. Width and length of brush head is about equal. Excellent for short controlled strokes.

Filbert – a thick flat ferrule with oval-shaped medium to long hairs. Great for blending.

Fan – a flat ferrule with spread hairs. Good for texture work or creating grasses in a landscape.

Liner/Rigger – a round ferrule with narrow, very long hairs that come to a fine point. Holds a lot of paint and is great for details and long continuous strokes.

Choosing a Size

A good range of round brushes is recommended, but buy brushes selectively depending on how you plan to use them. Sizes can differ among manufacturers but usually the larger the number the bigger the brush. For beginners I would recommend buying three rounds – a 4, 8 and 12. If you like to do detail work buy a Liner or Rigger brush. If you prefer to work expressively buy a large size 18 as well.

Care of Your Brushes

Cleaning – Unlike acrylic and oil brushes that require to be cleaned immediately after use or they are destroyed, watercolour brushes will survive if you don’t wash them right away. Do get into the habit of washing them though as it will extend their lifespan and prevent dried paint from being embedded in the ferrule which causes the hairs to spread and clump.

Run the hairs under warm water, gently swirling them in the palm of your hand, until the water runs clear. Moisten a bar of hand soap and carefully rub some soap into the hairs. Repeat the swirling motion in your hand. Rinse until all soap residue is gone. Dab dry with a paper towel and lay flat to dry thoroughly.

Storage – Many artists prefer to store their brushes flat to prevent water draining into the ferrule and loosening the glue. However I ensure the brush is completely dry and then I store it upright in a jar or similar container.

One BIG Don’t – Don’t let your brushes sit tip down in your water bucket! If left soaking too long the hairs will set in a bent position. Water will also soak into the brush handle causing the wood to expand and damage the ferrule by forcing it to expand and loosening it from the handle.

What Watercolour Tips would YOU like to see in future blogs?

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The post Watercolour Tip #4 – Brushes first appeared on Diane's Art Essentials.