I'm nearly halfway through my 30 day challenge (#13/30) and am finally getting to know my new sword/dagger brush. I love the marks the brush makes and I see the potential for greatness, but I've been slow to get the brush working naturally for me. I've tried still life, landscape and portraits and more—and now this. I quite like the brushstrokes in this sketch.
I've also taken my new felt-tip for a test drive and I like that, too. I know, it's just a felt tip. What's the big deal? Well, it's refillable, so I can experiment with different colors/types of ink when this cartridge runs dry. This ink, for instance, is water soluble. Good plein air sketching potential!
Just to prove that I wasn't kidding about not giving up on new tools or media too soon, here are some less-than-stellar early sketches with my sword/dagger brush.
Reading about your sword/dagger brush (can we see a photo) and of your maneuvering it, reminds me of how long ago in the misty past of the blog we took videos of people painting, actually dipping the brush in the water, the paint, onto the paper and drawing across it. They were really neat because you would be thinking, well that's the same way I do it, no wait, no it's not. I would like to do that again but maybe not with the present small number of students.
ReplyDeleteOK. My Rosemary dagger brush scares me. It just hasn’t delivered except for some plant fronds. But you’ve inspired me.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I have to buy another brush. It’s fun to paint using mainly one brush.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to try a new media, Elaine. Doing a 30 day challenge. Like giving it a chance, both the media and yourself to see if a meaningful relationship can develop. I enjoy seeing all your experimental sketches.
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