Artist's Back to Basics

Brushes Stokes

“Most of the problems we face with our brushwork can be solved by knowing what you want your brush to do and then knowing the principles well.”

In the last issue, we discussed how many of us don’t really have an inkling of what is possible with our brushes. In this article we’re going to expand our abilities by simplifying your applications of your paintbrush. Sounds like a contradiction, but knowing the basics will always pay off.

We’re going to break the process of using any paintbrush into three broad groups. Firstly, let’s look at the amount of product you can load your brush with. The bristles and size of your brush will determine this. A larger brush with relatively stiff bristles, can pick up a huge amount of

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