Newsletter April, 2003

Color of the Month

Raw Umber - the darkest of the browns. This is a cool, greenish brown - great for shadows. Instead of adding black to reds to make them darker - try raw umber. You can also use it to glaze over shadows you already have if you need to make them darker. Mix it with white for a good sand color without a pinkish cast. It is a classic earth color, very stable and permanent. Check your brand for transparency.

Tool of the Month

Cotton Swabs - an item you probably have in your bathroom. Dampened with a little thinner and squeezed dried, it is a great eraser of oil paint (water if working in acrylics). It is also a good tool for applying paint in a dabbing motion giving you irregular circular marks. These can be used for leaves, flowers... whatever your imagination can come up with. Although they cannot be cleaned, they are disposable and cheap. Warning... if you use one too long, it will start shedding, so keep them fresh!

Main Feature

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Variety is not only the spice of life but also a key ingredient to an interesting painting. Improve your skill level by increasing the brush strokes in your repertoire. An assortment of strokes can help you achieve different looks, different textures, different edges... Many factors go into creating brush strokes and determining how they will look on the canvas: How you hold the brush The pressure you put on the brush The amount of paint loaded onto the brush The consistency of the paint The shape of the brush The firmness of the bristles The quality of the bristles The length of the stroke The angle of the brush in relationship to the canvas Movement of the brush across the canvas You hold the brush different ways depending on which brush bristles you want to use to create the stroke. For details, hold it similar to a pen or pencil, resting on your middle finger. For larger areas, use the flat side of the brush: place the handle flat across your four fingers holding it in place with your thumb. This allows the side of the brush to be pulled across the canvas. You can also use your thumb to twirl the brush as you move it across the canvas - especially helpful when painting a line. The way you hold your brush varies the effect you get from the paint. The pressure you put on the brush also changes the way the paint will look and the illusions you get. Use your stiff bristle brushes for hard scrubbing, blending, large areas and stiffer paint. Your soft brushes are used for blending, small areas, details and thinner paint. Use the tip of the brush, held perpendicular to the canvas, to place paint that will be blended together or to provide rough textured areas of paint. One normally holds a pen or pencil at a 45 degree angle - this will also work for a paint brush. Put moderate pressure on the brush and either pick up paint from your palette, apply paint to your canvas or spread/move paint around your canvas. How much the paint moves depends on how much paint is: on the brush, already on the canvas, the stiffness of the bristles, the thickness of the paint and the pressure you put on the brush. Bristles hold the paint and friction