An unexpected challenge.

I had some brushes bought for my birthday recently, my eldest daughter lime to buy me art related stuff, I had seen them advertised and liked the look and idea of them .  Having received them and drooling over them I decided to try them out on a painting I had already made a start with my usual riggers and fine detail brush. Mistake as I should have tried one out before diving in my usual gung-ho fashion , hade a bit of a mess but it’s redeemable well I hope it is.  The brush are excellent both the quality of the brush head and the handle, the outer brush is sable the inner is synthetic the idea behind it is the outer holds more paint and feeds the inner finer brush. This is god as I don’t have to keep charging the fine brush as the run out of paint very quickly. So the problem I had was how I hold them , I tend to use the tip and slant the brush as I paint a line , as if painting a branch of a tree , unfortunately as soon as the thickness outer brush touches the paper you get a wider line . Obvious I know but I didn’t think about it before hand, hence my mistake. They are superb brushes and I will certainly use the for detailing when painting ships , building etc, I think they will come into there own when painting trees . I can go from a thin twig and progressively get wider to become a branch and then the trunk .  I started a paint using them for the boats and beach , for the Sky I used a hake that’s my favourite one for sky's, decided on boats as I can concentrate of the brush having painted several boat scenes before. Just need to practice holding the brushes more upright and they will be a good addition to my paint box.

 I’m usually a traditionalist and stick to my riggers , etc , I was intrigued with the look of these brushes enough to want to try them out. Certainly another tool in the kit and will get well used when I’m painting trees and the occasional botanical piece, I think the smaller ones will be used more often and I can see them coming in useful when painted boats , building and of course the foreground details in a landscape. Don’t think they will totally replace any of my usual brushes but become additional ones , do l like then we’ll I think I do based on what I’ve used them for so far I will try to ask myself the same question in a couple of months.

It was the advertisement that attracted me to the brushes Robert , did what it was supposed too and I bought some. I very rarely take note of advertising bumph but something just triggered my interest, I was going to buy them then my daughter offered well one can’t refuse can one . What is going to be interesting is trying out different subjects with then , I have an Iris painting I started, put aside as I was having trouble with the veining ,just what these brushes were meant for.  I do and have tended to use the same brushes for years, tried all the fancy ones that they say will make your work better mmm not always mate . Had fan brushes, wedges odd od that they were sold as left and right , turn then over I say , most were soon consigned to the charity box, don’t think these will be as they add to my existing collection and I have already found them useful. 

You are quite correct there Robert a really good well made brush has a feel to it that’s difficult to explain but you just know it’s there . Even before dipping it in whatever paint medium you use you just get the feeling it right but the balance and feel of the handle, these brushes had that feel to them when I unpacked them a I’m not disappointed with the water holding quality of the outer bristles, the inner part retains its shape perfectly. Just do the old trike of dipping in water and flick the brush to get that perfect smooth taper to the very point .