Paint brush

I found a brush on my desk this morning, a No 4 filbert with a rounded tip like a flat only round a nice brush, nice size. It’s a Robert Simmons TT42 and silver handle call Titanium, a synthetic hair that I use with my Aqua Oils. You need synthetics they hold the snap and don’t get mushy as do the natural hair brushes in a water based medium. I like this one a lot.


When I paint I generally use the same brush unless I’m doing something that needs different piles of paint then it’s easier to use several, one for each, esp. when blue is involved. That color stains a brush’s bristles and you really need to flush it with a good cleaner to change colors. Even thou I use a water based paint I do use paint thinner to clean the brushes and do leave them in the thinner overnight and longer. And yes some do bend and I reshape them when cleaning and only through out a couple I’ve ruined due to my poor cleaning habits but, mostly they stay nice and fresh.

My thinking is to keep them wet and they really do get nice and clean at least enough to paint with minimum effort, you just wipe them with a clean rag. Now that is a cloth rag you can get a box of painters rags a good months supply at Home Depot paint department, I’m not a big proponent of paper towels. They just don’t have the feel I like no matter what brand, although they are handy for spills, esp. coffee…

     The painting of Motief #1 I did a few year ago now. and I can see so many things now that I should have done in the lighting area if nothing else.
      I can see that the forground should be darker...as forgrounds should be.  And a better lightinig scheme would be the front of the shack to be the shadow side altho this is the ref photo lighting I think a little artistic inhancement would have been better... I think I might just do another painting of the same scene and play just a bit with it's mood.
     BTW the seagull is an add on... grin/hy

This was the first painting I had a lot of fun with, I actually giggled a few times as I played creating them.  Of course they are models you buy at Blick or even a few at Michaels.  I'l even bet you can Google them for deliverey right to you door should you not have the time to fool around.  I think I should have done just that as I'm not too happy with the stiffness of these two.  My idea here is telling him NO basically the gesture fairly evident the body language speaks for it's self

Deb thinks I should do more, one with a top hat and she in a bridal viel but to tell the truth these guys took a while to paint.  I'd rather do a comic series with a camera which actually isn't a bad idea, come to think of it.  In any case this one was fun to do and is a good study really for real people in your paintings.  With the models you cn add a people anytime to one of your landscapes for added interest and adjust the form into a shape that just says something or they are doing and adding motion to your painting.

I added a fisherman to a seascape that is on the boards now in my studio and he really looks like a people fishing grin... the fishing rod had a lot to do with that on and the bait bucket helped give him a foundation.  Of course when you do add a people it's what the painting is from then on, The Fisherman"  Used to be"by the Sea"  hehehe oh well so be it.   One note of reasoning,' Monet' added the ladies a lot.  Seems People like people in their paintings.

Just a note the painting is better than that photo... I'll look into that one a bit more and get better equiped to shoot my paintings.  If you have any suggestions please feel free to comment.