Watercolor Brushes

  In this day and age, there is a limitless amount of brands, and types of brushes you can find in the market. However, depending on your budget and location, there might be a certain constraint on what materials you can and cannot buy. Obviously, you could buy materials that your local Art store does not stock through the inter web, but that might require some research.

  Thus, I have compiled a list of different types of brushes that are currently available in the market, just for you.


SABLE:

The Sable brush family can be split into two general types. The first being Kolinsky Sable.

Kolinsky Sable comes from the tail of a species of mink in the weasel family that can be found in Siberia and Northeast China.

Kolinsky Sable is also said to be the best material for both oil and watercolor brushes due to its strength, spring and ability to retain its shape. It's also said that if proper care is given to the Kolinsky Sable brush, it will last for many years.


SQUIRREL HAIR:

  Stratford & York brushes (top) are handmade in England, and the skills of their brush makers and the creativity of their brush designers has made them the largest brush company in Europe—making an impressive 15 million brushes a year! 

  These brushes are a cheaper alternative to its more expensive sable-haired counterpart.

Photo Credit: www.saa.co.uk

  Other than the beautiful Statford & York brushes, squirrel hair brushes can be split into grey and brown squirrel hair.

 Grey squirrel hair is native to Russia and is highly in demand for lettering and quills. However, supply nearly always falls short. Brown squirrel hair is more readily available. Squirrel hair, however, is not very resilient and is mainly used for scholastic to medium quality brushes.


HAKE:
A hake brush is an oriental-style wash brush on a long flat handle.It can be used for laying in large areas of water or color, and for wetting the surface of your paper.

SYNTHETIC:

   Synthetics are man-made of either nylon or polyester filaments. They can be tapered, tipped, flagged, abraded or etched to increase color carrying ability.

  Often, synthetic filaments are dyed and baked to make them softer and more absorbent.

 The advantages of using synthetic brushes are: 
1) They are less prone to damage from solvents, insects or paints. 
2) They are easier to keep clean than animal hair brushes because the filaments don't have animal scale structures to trap paint. 
3) They are less prone to breakage and are durable on many different surfaces.


SILVER BRUSH BLACK VELVET BRUSHES:

 These Silver Brushes are a blend of natural squirrel hair and black synthetic filament. Dick Blick describes them as being 'full bodied, with a wonderful snap". Other than watercolor, they can also work with silk painting, inks, dyes, acrylics, and gouache.

  Keep in mind though, that if you use a brush for Watercolor, never use it with Acrylics or oils. Gouache is fine, but I'd rather have different brushes for different mediums.

  I have never used these brushes myself, but they do have mixed reviews on them over at Dick Blick. However, I really do like their sleek appearances and would love to try one of them out in the near future.

Photo Credit: www.jerrysartarama.com

JAPANESE BRUSH (a.k.a. Bamboo Brush):

  Another alternative that I've found for the expensive sable brush is the humble, but extremely versatile, Japanese calligraphic brush. Not to be confused with the hake brush, the Japanese calligraphic brush is much thinner and holds a point very well just like any other watercolor brush.

  The advantage of using a Japanese brush is its capability to hold water/pigment. However, the disadvantage is that it doesn't have much "spring". I would recommend using the Japanese brush when drawing loosely, or when doing a wet-in-wet wash.

  In the past, these brushes were made of hair from wolf, squirrel, weasel and badger. (If you ever find a traditional brush made of wolf hair, buy it, because I guarantee you, it is a brilliant investment.) Today, sheep, dog, cat, rabbit, deer, goat and horse hair is most often used.



  Thus, this is my list of different brushes that can be used for watercolor. Now that you know more about the TYPES, you'll need to find a BRAND. As always, I say you should experiment with different brushes and find what truly suits you and your style.

  Which type of brush do you like best, and why? Leave me a reply in the comments section below.

Book Review: The New Encyclopedia of Watercolour Techniques

 "The New Encyclopedia of Watercolour Techniques" by Diana Craig & Hazel Harrison is the third edition of its series.

  I found the first edition in one of my local library and read it, cover-to-cover. It had good details, with colored pictures and all, however, the layout of the book was a little off, and I felt it could have used more editing.

  Thus, when I found this edition, (the third) I was thrilled. The layout used is much more cohesive and easy-to-follow, and it has more techniques and explanations.

Enough with design, let's talk about content:
  The book opens with a gallery of watercolor paintings by different artists. I actually really enjoy looking at good Art. (Who doesn't?) Books that showcase other Artists' works are brilliant books, most of the time. The selection of works that were chosen for this book covered a wide range of styles one could achieve with Watercolor, from gestral to tight-and-lots-of-details.

  The next Chapter talks about materials and workspace, which is an improvement from the first edition.The layout, as I've said previously, is much more "cleaner" than the first edition, and covers pretty much everything you would need to know.

  The third Chapter is the meat of the book, the techniques in Watercolor. From basic washes to more interesting techniques, like misting and using textures. What I like about this Chapter is that the authors have scattered other Artists' works throughout it to keep it lively and engaging, and of course, to show readers the extent that the technique can be used.

  Lastly, a new Chapter has been added to this edition- Theory in Art. In the first edition, this information was scattered in the book. However, the authors thought that theory was important and they dedicated a Chapter for it. From palette colors, to warm-and-cool, and working from photographs. It covers most things that an Artist should keep in mind when drawing/painting. Although, if you wanted a real in-depth understanding of some theories, I would recommend reading a book based solely on that topic. (Such as, perspective, composition, and how to render an object to look three dimensional.)

  All in all, there has been a marked improvement in the layout of the book, and if you were thinking of getting this book, I suggest you get the latest edition. I would say though, this is a book suited for Artists looking for a refresher course, or if you wanted to get inspiration from other Watercolorists' works. Beginners reading this book will get an idea of the possibilities that this medium is capable of, but it is no where an instrutional step-by-step guide book.

My rating for this book:
  7.2 out of 10

Which book do you think I should write a review on? Leave me your answer in the comment section below.

Digital Art, is it Art?

  The first touchy topic I cover... Is digital art, Art? To answer this question, we must first ask ourselves, what constitutes as Art?

  I haven't said it yet, but I would like to make myself clear on this subject. I feel (and this is an opinion, feel free to disagree with me, but I do have the rights to have an opinion.) that Abstract Art, if you can call it that, is not Art at all. And before you flame me, hear my argument out first.

  Abstract Artist totally disregard the rules set by the old Masters. Yes, we can bend the rules that the old Masters have set out, but we cannot disregard them completely. It is because of those time-tested rules that their Art works.

  A painting does not have to be beautiful, but it must have substance, and be able to stand for itself. Meaning, if you put the painting into a white room, and let people view it, they should be able to say something nice about the painting. There shouldn't be a need to say who the Artist was, or what the painting is about. Let the Art speak for itself. Our job as Artist is to convey something to the viewers. However, sometimes, the message that viewers get isn't what we were trying to say, but that's okay, because when people view Art, their past experiences, culture, feelings, and emotions tint the Art work. We need to, as Artists, send a message, any message.

  Abtract Artist say, "Art should mirror the world. That is why Art should now be ugly, because the world is now ugly." But as the late Hundertwasser said, "There is enough ugly things in the world. We as artist should add beauty to the world." There is nothing wrong with just a pretty picture.

  Digital art, like all Art, has its good works and bad works, just like anything else in the world. The difference between Digital art and traditional Art is that we use different mediums. Digital Artists use stylus pens and a computer, we use paper, pencils, Acylic, Oil, canvas. etc.

  The arguement that some people put forth is that, just because we use different mediums, Digital art is NOT Art. That is utter ribbish. Just because Watercolorist use paper and not a canvas as a surport, are they less of an Artist? Just because Colored Pencil Artists use colored pencils and not brushes, are they less of an Artist? No. A medium is something that aids an Artist in his/her quest to give viewers a message.

  Writers use words to convey their message. Dancers use dance and movements. Singers use their voices. Musicians make music. Artists use various mediums on various surports to convey this message. We are all Artists. Just because we are vastly different from one another, does not make us less of an Artist when comparred to another individual.

  We are vastly different, but what makes us the same is our passion for the Art that we do.

  That is why, yes, I believe Digital art is an Art, and thus should be respected as such. (I purposely made the "art" behind Digital in small.) It isn't "Digital art", but is "Digital Art", if you get what I'm trying to put across here.

  Just like dying trades, like fashion illustration, or mural advertisment Artists, Digital Art is an Art just like any other trade. It's just that they use different mediums to express their creativity. That is why you will be seeing Digital Art, along Fashion Illustrations and Designs on this blog, along side what we consider traditional Art.


  What do you think about Digital Art? Should it be considered as Fine Art or not, and why? Leave your comments in the section below.

Reasons to join Wetcanvas.com

  Ever seen the questions on Yahoo! Answers where the question asks to rate one of their paintings? The answers usually just give them a rating out of 10, with little or no constructive criticism at all.

  In late 2010, I browsed the world wide web for a website that would provide me a platform to show my Art and get constructive criticism to improve. And I found WetCanvas.com.

 Wetcanvas is a brilliant website that has many different forums to get critique from. The Colored Pencil forum is one that I visit regularly, All Media Art Events (AMAE, for short. Where they host their Weekend Drawing Event.) and the Reference Image Library. (Of which, only members can access.)

  I highly recommend becoming a member, because:

1. it's free,
2. you get access to their image library, and 
3. you get a place where you can get constructive critisism from other Artists who know what you're stuggling with.

  And if you do become a member, I go by the name "Paris Girl", so add me as a friend or come talk to me.

Disclaimer: I am not paid by Wetcanvas and this is NOT an advertisment. It is purely because I truly enjoy Wetcanvas, that is why I'm recommending the website to you.

Inspiration, where does it come from?

  It comes from everywhere, really.

  Nature, people, objects, places, a season, an event. Sometimes, an emotion or a feeling spurs an Artist to paint or draw. Other times, an Artist draws because he or she wants to make a stand for or against something.

  An Artist should NEVER say "I don't know what to draw." because you can draw everything and anything you want.

However, we all have our bad days, so here are 15 ideas on fun projects to do when you have a "down day". They are accompanied by drawings of mine. Some are pretty old, (2010) some are products of experimentation, others are actual drawings that I am satisfied with. But they all serve to show you that you an idea of what you can do.

15 ideas on fun projects to get your creative juices flowing: 

     1.  A traditional still life. Think of apples, pears, wine bottles, bread, flowers. etc.

Forgive the bad picture and lighting. This is a pretty old drawing. This was done using student grade pencils back in 2010, but I've kept it well, so it hasn't degraded... yet.

 (I do not advocate drawing with student grade materials because if you do like your drawing, there's no way to make it last longer than it will.)

     2.  A natural landscape. The country side, hills, valleys, cottages, a stream, lake, or the sea.

     3.  A man-made landscape. New York, any city skyline.

 (I've not drawn any city skyline yet. But here's a drawing with a sort of backdrop. Done in Pastels.)

     4.  Water. For the adventurous. I suggest reading up on how to draw water correctly. Here's a link to a lesson in drawing water. Or you could try here too.
     5.  A painting of an interior. One of Van Gogh's famous paintings was of an interior. Do you know the name of the painting? Hint: Heavy brushstrokes and a yellow hue, it had.
     6.  A close up (macro) of a flower.
  For the fun of it, here's my drawing of a macro flower. It's titled "Molee's Flower" because it was given, as a birthday present, to one of my Mum's friend. The white outside the line is the canvas in which I stuck it upon. Done in Prismacolors.

     7.  A drawing of a single object. A wine opener, a stapler. An object that is simple in shape but has details is a good candidate. 

  And here's one of my "single object" drawings done on the 31st of May, back in 2010. It's a wine opener. Signed and dated.

     8.  Do a drawing in a medium you're not familiar with.

I did this small painting in Pastels.

     9. Draw a wild animal. Tigers, jaguars, elephants, giraffes. Think big animals.

Initially, I had thought of a background for this painting, but gave up on it at this stage. Blame the low quality paper and the student grade pencils. I know better than that now.

     10. Draw your pet. Or if you don't have a pet, your friends'/neighbors' pet(s). They make good birthday gifts too.

Photo reference.

Actual drawing. Again, this is pretty old and was done with bad quality paper and student grade pencils. At that time, I thought it was nice. Now... not so much. Still, I post it up here for you to see.

     11.  A graphite drawing of a still life. Keep it simple. Also, I might do a step-by-step tutorial on how to do this kind of drawings at a later date, so, keep an eye on this blog.

     12.   Do a fun "word project". Draw with words. I used markers to write the word "tuscan" over and over again in different colours to create a picture of a tuscan. This is more of a fun project than "real Art", but still...

   

     13.   Draw a small bird.  Like the ones that my Dad draws. I'm currently doing a "my Dad inspired" painting.

Here's one of his paintings. Japanese Ink on Chinese Rice Paper. 24cm by 27cm.

     14.  Learn to draw humans. Yes, it is difficult. But just look at humans just as you draw anything else. Learn to see in terms of shapes and shadows.

Here's another of my Dad's painting, cause' I haven't learnt how to quite draw humans, yet.

     15. Mix mediums. It's not all that easy, but it can result in beautiful works.

Not my best, but still. You get an idea.

  I hope this list has given you an idea of what to draw when you're stuck in a creative down. Leave me a comment below to tell me what you do when you're feeling un-creative.

Coloured Pencil Tips

Scrumbling:
Scrumbling is a brilliant technique to use. You need a very sharp, needle point on your pencils, and patience.

Lots of Artists say to go in a circular motion with a very light touch. I agree with the light touch, but I've actually used a linear method to great success.

The linear way to go utilizes the lines that your drawing paper naturally has. I use Fabriano 50% cotton paper for most of my colored pencil work. Do note that Fabriano's "right side" is on the OPPOSITE SIDE of the watermark. But, as always, feel free to use the other side if you're more comfortable with that.

The Fabriano paper I use has lines, and so if you follow these lines, you'll get a great linear feel. Also, you could always try to go AGAINST the direction of the lines. I'd think that it would make for interesting patterns.

The Brush Technique:
The Brush Technique. That's what I call it, and only because it's a technique widely used by colored pencil Artists, but doesn't have a coined term yet.

 

It's relatively simple. You lay on your layers of colored pencils onto the paper and after a couple of layers are done, you blend them using a dry, stiff haired brush.

  At left,  you can see the stiff haired brush I use for this technique.

First layer.

After brushing. You can't really see the effect on camera, but try it yourself and you'll be amazed at the difference it can make.

I was apprehensive about this technique at first because Prismacolors are wax based pencils and I thought a brush wouldn't be able to push the pigments around. I tried the technique just for a test, and I've been using the technique ever since.

What's the use of a colorless blender?:
In the past, I bought a colorless blender in the form of a pencil. I use Prismacolors to draw, thus, their line of colorless blender is just pure wax. However, I didn't really like it because it just built up wax on the paper and I couldn't get an more pigment onto the paper subsequently.

However, I've found a good use for the colorless blender stick. You can use it to lighten colors. Yes. Have you ever had to draw an object that had the slightest hint of a colour, but then found that even the lightest colour that you had was too dark for the job? Well, then a colorless blender will work wonders.

The point of it, (pardon the pun) is that you sharpen your colorless blender to a point, then very lightly lay a layer of it on the paper. It works better if the colorless blender is the first layer on your paper because then, more wax will lay on and your colors will be lighter. After the layer of colorless blender, you lay on the color that you want, and it'll magically be lighter.

  The swab on the extreme left in the photo above shows colorless blender laid only in the middle, to show clearly how colorless blender can lighten your layers.

Brilliant, isn't it?

The Use Of Turpentine, Zest It, and Other Solvents:
I've not tried any solvents for my Art before. One of the reasons is that you have to buy quite a large quantity here, and that some solvents are harmful to your health. Like turpentine, for example. Other substitutes like alcohol sound alright, and I've heard good reviews about Zest It.

However, another reason is that I feel overworking the paper makes the subject loose it's "life". In my Dad's words, "You'll work the paper to death, and the objects in your painting will not be able to so-called breathe."

I'm all up for the Brush Technique and a sharp pencil point with a lot of scrambling (see above) as a substitute for solvents. But it's an artistic choice. And it's your choice, at that.

My rule of thumb is "a little goes a long way." I try not to overuse anything.

What about you? What's your take on solvents? Leave your comments below telling me whether you FOR or AGAINST solvents, and why.

Prismacolors' Quality Drop

  The first set of colored pencils I had ever had was the Prismacolors Premier, Set of 132.

 In Singapore, where I live, it's really expensive to buy Art materials because we import everything. So, it cost me about $300 plus for this set. I thought it was worth it, because I had done my market research. Lots of Artists swore by the brand.

  One thing I really love about Prismacolor is that they have colors that other brands do not carry. "Limepeel", fo example, is an odd green color. But, I've grown to love it a lot because it looks like a natural green. Prismacolor also produces a good set of greys, seperated into warm greys and cool greys. Although if you wanted to darken a color, I'd suggest adding its complementary color and not grey. The greys would be, however, great for drawing white things.

  It wasn't all that bad. The pigments laid on well. The packaging was well done. There even was an instructional CD in the set which I truly enjoyed watching. However, as I started to do large paintings, I began to notice some quality problems in the pencils.

  My set contains an orange called, well, "Orange". PC 918 is its reference number. And at that point of time, right after my purchase, I decided to do an orange-red flower. Thus, "Orange" was an obvious choice. It's the brightest and purest orange in the set.

  Problem is, it didn't hold its point well. I thought, "Well, Prismacolors are wax-based pencils, so probably it's just how it is because that's how the pencils are made." However, when I tried sharpening that perticular pencil, its lead started to break. Not once, not twice, but thrice. It was horrible to see the lead go to waste. I stored the broken leads in a small box though.

  Later, I bought a electric sharpener. (I had been using a manual sharpener before that.) The breakage stopped. Thankfully. But the wood would chip sometimes.

  Many Artist have had the same problem and one of the reason we'd guess Prismacolors' quality would have dropped was that, now, Prismacolors produces its pencils in Mexico. You can see on the lowest pencil the words "MEXICO" stamped on it.

 It used to be made in the US of A. Perhaps, they had to cut costs? But seriously, we Artist treasure and love all of our materials because:
 1. They cost a lot of money to buy.
 2. We use them to create Art.
 3. They are how we express ourselves.

  So to have a company, whom have had a solid reputation for producing the best colored pencils in the market suddenlly have a quality drop is quite sad, really. All those years of building trust with Artists gone down the drain.

  If you'd like to see a discussion on the quality drop in Prismacolors, click here.

It seems like a recent thing, so if you have an older stock, good for you. If you're intending to buy a new stock, ask if they are made in Mexico or USA. If they are made in Mexico, I'd say not to buy, cause they are expensive and you do want to get what you paid for.

  Some Artists are giving their kids their current sets and are going to switch brands. Others are going to stick to Prismacolors and hope that the company would change back to the pencils made in the USA. Others have said that they would use up those pencils that they had before switching brands.

  I, for one, have my eye on the Polychromos set of 120 in a wooden box. But for now, I make do with what I have and the pencils don't break at all with my new electric sharpener. Although, they do chip once in a while.

  If you've reached this page trying to find where to get Prismacolors in Singapore, click here.

  What about you? Have you had any bad experiences with Prismacolor coloured pencils? Or are you the lucky few with an older stock? Which brands of colored pencils do you use and which do you prefer? Tell me in the comment section below.

Starving Artist Syndrome

Two years ago, my parents had a long discussion with me about what I wanted to do with my life. It took a lot of thinking, but I decided to focus fully on my Art. Thus, I pulled out of public school to give Art my full attention. Yes, it's a huge gamble, but it's one I'm willing to take. Considering that my Dad is a professional Artist, he is, naturally, teaching me the basics and know-how of Art.

The decision to really focus myself on Art was a life-changing one, and when I decided to tell my classmates, it was met with shock and warnings.

"Don't you know, Stephanie? What they say about Artists?"
"No, in fact, I don't know what they say." (Whoever "they" are.)
"The Starving Artist Syndrome. And how your Art won't be worth any money unless you pass away."

Sundenly, the Art history I read came back to me. About the life story of the now famous Vincent Van Gogh. Was I heading towards the path of madness, being dead broke, slicing off a part of my ear, and eventually committing suicide?

That was two years ago. Today, I'm doing what I love to do. Drawing and writing. I never work for a day in my life, because my work is something that I love, and thus, isn't work at all.

But, what's up with all the misconceptions associated with Art, though? "It doesn't pay well." they say. True. But only because an Art education will put you heavily in debt. Also, because there's too much supply and not enough demand. (It's difficult to sell to someone, something which has absolutely no use yet costs so much.)

"You won't get famous." they say. Most of us do it for the passion of Art. And even more of us know that we cannot simply get by just purely selling Art. We sell prints, some of us have a day job, (It's quite sad really, to have to juggle your passion with a job that pays for the rent and food.) we teach Art classes, some of us write Art books. We do what we have to to survive.

"It will not be easy." This is something that one of my classmate, whom got wind of why I was pulling out of school from another person. It's a pretty silly thing to say to a budding Artist, considering that nothing in life is easy.

And horror of horrors was when an acquaintance, whom overheard me talking to my best friend, "But you're not even good at Art." To her, I quoted my late Grandfather; "If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut and you'll keep a good relationship with others."

That was two years ago. I've improved by leaps and bounds due to sheer hard work and determination. It's not that I was gifted in any ways. My Dad was gifted, but he still worked hard. That's how he got to where he is today.

It isn't all just about talent, it's more so about hard work and practice. So, go forth and chase your dreams, cause dreams don't chase themselves. Have a goal and stick to it. That's what I'm doing right now.

If you were curious, here's just one of my Dad's paintings:

What's in a name?

 "Everything is Art". Or so that's what my blog's URL is. Question is, why did I name it that?

For one, I don't really "get" abstract Art. Sure, it's a movement, but I just don't "get" it. I gave this blog the URL it is now because I believe everything can be an inspiration to Artists.

From nature, to man-made things, to other Artists. Inspiration is everywhere. Art is in all, and all is in Art.

Art is because the Artist was inspired by something. Be it a still life, a landscape, a human being, an animal, a colour, a mood, an emotion, a thought. Thus, everything is Art, because everything is a source of inspiration for an Artist.

_________________

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stephanie_jennifer@ymail.com