BobBlast 538 - "Tools of the Trade - Part Two, Brushes"

Weekly BobBlast Issue 538 Tools of the Trade, Part Two - Brushes Welcome Back to Another BobBlast! This week’s BobBlast is the second part of a series we are calling “Tools of the Trade”. Over the next few weeks, we will feature the different tools that work for me in my studio. You can expect to see BobBlasts on paint, brushes, drawing materials, art-making tools and whatever else we feel like doing! This BobBlast is all about Brushes. For me, a brush is a stick to push paint around. Knowing which stick to use could be helpful in getting the results you are looking for. For example, the difference between natural and synthetic brushes are: Synthetic •Holds less pigment •Machine made •Brush hairs are smooth Natural •Holds more water and pigment •Less back and forth to the painting palette •Beautiful results with watercolors The softer hair brushes, like mops (usually rabbit or sable) hold a lot of water and color. Soft brushes are ideal for washes and even fine-line painting. And the stiffer brushes work great with heavy body acrylics, like Holbein’s Artist Acrylic Paint. When I’m painting with acrylics, I use many different kinds of brushes. My preference are blends of natural and synthetic hairs. They are more rugged, they take a beating and holds more paint than other brushes. I don’t treat my brushes delicately—I use them as workhorses. They do a lot of pushing and scrumbling. I use my brushes as tools for moving around heavy body acrylic paint, inks and fluids. For a brief explanation of artist brushes, I refer to the one page in the Cheap Joe’s Catalog—Joe Knows Brushes. It’s the best chart I have found. Click to view the PDF—https://files.constantcontact.com/d26... Bigger Brush vs Skinny Brush—My paintings are stronger when I paint with a bigger brush. Tiny or skinny brushes tend to make me paint tighter. I am less expressive. Besides, I really enjoy the expressive, swash-buckling, big brushes movements when I paint! Loosening up—I make my brush handles fatter because it is easier to hold for a long period of time. I make the skinny brush handles fatter with lots of electrician’s tape wound around the end. I modify the now-fatter end with twigs, foam and aluminum foil. Refer to my previous BobBlasts on brushes. Go to the archives — https://robertburridge.com/weekly-bob... scroll to BobBlast number 184, 357 and 444. Clean your brushes well. That way they will last a long time. I use The Masters Brush Cleaner. It’s environmentally friendly. I also use Murphy Oil Soap and CitraSolv. Establish a good end-of-the-day routine in your studio. I own a lot of brushes! How many do I normally paint with? Two or Three favorites… but that won’t stop me from adding more to my painting Tool Kit! Online Monthly Demos •November 14, 2024 “Painting Stemware Glasses” •December 11, 2024 “Using Neutrals in your Paintings” https://robertburridge.com/monthly-de... Online Workshops Coming Up! •November 16-17, 2024 Small Scale Abstract Painting https://robertburridge.com/zoomin-wit... •November 21, 2024 Painting the Illusion of Glass Vessels https://robertburridge.com/zoomin-wit... And… an Online Figure Workshop! •December 6-8, 2024 "Drawing & Painting the Figure with Motion & Emotion" Featuring the Model Pash https://robertburridge.com/zoomin-wit... Traveling Bob – In-Person Workshops! •January 6-10, 2025 Abstract Acrylic Painting & Collage Tanque Verde Ranch, Tucson, AZ Sponsored by Madeline Island School of the Arts contact 715-747-2054 or misa@madelineschool.com https://www.madelineartschool.com/sho... •January 18-25, 2025 Tropical Paint-Cation! Loosen Up Painting Retreat in Mexico Casa de Los Artistas Boca de Tomatlan, 10 miles South of Puerto Vallarta  Contact Robert Masla, (413) 335-4295 https://artworkshopvacations.com/feb-... Burridge Online Coaching • Private one-on-one Critiques • Coaching • Comments • Strategies https://robertburridge.com/burridge-o...