Hello
Welcome to the FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter #172, Brush Care
I hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend. Our family has had an interesting couple of weeks... My dad 2 weeks ago was taken to the hospital with a spinal injury but last week he made it through
surgery with flying colors and this weekend and the next couple of weeks he was transferred to a rehabilitation center where he is doing great. I would like to thank all the wonderful doctors and staff for all they have done for my dad.
If you have been trying to contact me or I haven't gotten back to you about something it's been because of dealing with family matters... thanks for understanding.
Next week I am back up at Dillman's and I can't be more
excited. I had a whole month off from teaching a workshop so I am raring to go. I think there are still a couple spots available if you want to come up to Northern Wisconsin for last minute workshop. I have so many wonderful things planned for my fall workshops.
The Honoring the Armed Forces BeckerArt Exhibition is coming together well and I just had many of the paintings scanned at a local shipping/printing place here in Illinois called Shipping & Printing Point. Great customer service and great people to work with.
I will not be teaching class or running the Lakes Region Watercolor Guild meeting Thursday, September 13th, I will be at Dillman's teaching my
workshop.
Yes to class at the Civic Center in Libertyville, Thursday, Sept. 6th 1 pm to 3:30 No class anymore at the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation Yes to class at the BeckerArt Gallery in McHenry, Saturday,
September 8th 9:00 am to 11:30 am
Take Good Care of your Brushes Today I am writing about brush care because as I was packing some of my brushes I
noticed that I too need to follow my own words and start taking better care of my watercolor brushes.
Below I have a bunch of does and don'ts for taking care of your watercolor brushes - Don't leave your watercolor brushes in your water container. The reason is that water will start getting in the ferrule which causes the paint to eventually peel away from the wood handle which then also makes the ferrule loosen up from the handle.
It also
bends the bristles and sometimes leaves them bent after they dry. - Don't use Masking fluid on any of your good brushes. They make great rubber brushes that work better than bristle brushes for masking fluid.
- Don't throw your watercolor brushes into a container or art bag while they are wet, dry them flat and not sticking upright out of a bucket. Buy a brush holder or wrap them in something so the bristles don't get bent or crushed while drying. Get a good brush holder. best way to
dry a brush would be like drying clothes on a line and hang the brushes from their handles, but that is too extreme for me. I say get a good brush holder and lay the brush holder flat when they dry.
- Don't wash your watercolor brushes with soap or even brush soap. All you need to do before storing them is rinse them with fresh water.
- Don't touch the bristles of your watercolor brushes with your fingertips. I see so many people touching the tips of their brushes trying to make
the tip sharp, (only do that when following the instructions below about boiling water) ... what you are really doing is putting oils from your fingers onto the bristles and since oil and water don't mix it can in time ruin your brush.
- Do take nail polish and paint where the ferrule meets the handle. This can prevent water from going into the ferrule and it can also identify your brushes when in a class where everyone is using the same brushes.
- Don't use your best brushes
when going for a dry brush technique, use brushes where the tips are already warned down.
- If the ferrule comes loose and wobbles on the handle there are a couple of things you can do, one is to put glue between the ferrule and handle and the other is to take a cable cutter type plyer and squeeze the ferrule a little, don't squeeze too hard, you don't want to cut your brush in half.
- If your watercolor brush seems to be too fluffy and not holding a good point, a
good way to get it back into good shape is to dip your brush into boiling water, not past the ferrule and then shape it back into shape with your fingers.
- My final tip is to buy all kinds of brushes and test them. You never know when you have found the brush of your dreams!
David Placing your brushes like the picture above to dry is a bad idea... water seeps down into the ferrule and is a reason your ferrule and handle become loose and the paint on the brush and handle decays. Lay your brushes flat or hang them with the bristle pointing down to dry. |
My BeckerArt Workshops and Demos in
2018
Dillman's Fall Workshop, Wisconsin, September 9-14th, For information Click Here
Artisan Materials Expo Classes, Santa Fe, September 27th-30th, For Information Click Here
Perquimans Arts League, Hertford NC, October 15th and 16th & 17 and 18, For Information Click Here
Jacksonville Watercolor Society Workshop, Jacksonville FL, October 24, 25,
26 For Information Click Here
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Ted Nuttall - I met Ted Back when I was teaching at the Scottsdale Artist School and he was teaching how to paint watercolor portraits. His style is so all his own and you can tell a Ted Nuttall from a mile away. Love his style!
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6 BeckerArt Brushes
Please take good care of your BeckerArt brushes, but if you ever need to get new ones, you know where to go... HERE!
I now have 2 sets of BeckerArt Brushes... they are the original set which includes the 1 1/4" flat, the #16 round and the #4 rigger. My NEW brush set includes the 1/2" flat, the 1/4" flat and the #8 round Click Here to Purchase BeckerArt Brushes |
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For any other info please email me at david@davidrbecker.com
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