One of the most exciting things about painting is that it can open the door to many discoveries. It can be through using paints and mediums or brushes and tools. Being self-taught, I’ve found that new discoveries have given me the greatest opportunity for personal growth as well as having made my own journey in painting much easier. And how I’ve come to use my brushes and the brushes that I use have definitely played the biggest role. At first it seems a bit of a challenge to go beyond the traditional brushes we’ve always used to try something unique, but I can say from experience, the rewards have definitely been worth the time and effort. New shapes in brushes such as Loew-Cornell’s recently introduced Flora, Double Filbert, Curved Flat and Aura contain the elements to turn the ordinary into extraordinary, and at the same time, offer ease in applications. In addition, one brush has the ability to be easily substituted for other brushes, allowing more to be done with just the one brush. The innovative shapes of the flora, curved flat and double filbert make these brushes excellent for traditional stroke work painters as well as for simpler non-traditional techniques such as pressing the imagine.
It’s amazing how easy it is to paint an entire flower using just one brush. The coneflower was painted with the curved flat. By applying various amounts of pressure, petals can be painted from those in full bloom to ones that are narrow and just opening. The center can be painted by simply double loading the very tip of this brush and layering with mini strokes, more like dotting. The leaves were painted as quickly and easily as the petals and the stems can be made by using the brush on edge. As an added note, the curved flat has the potential to do many of the standard tole painting strokes; and for me, I found this brush offered better control.
The flora brush is aptly named as it looks as though it were fashioned from a flower petal. It was an ideal brush to complete the sunflower. It can be just as easily pressed for petals and leaves as for those done utilizing stroke work. The pointed tip is perfect for painting fine lines and dotting. It also allows for fine detail to be pulled out and blended from the center of a flower or inward into a leaf. The bristle base has an excellent reservoir to hold a sufficient load of paint for every application.
The double filbert with the rounded splice is great for flowers, borders, stripes, cross hatching and plaids. It also has the capacity to double load easily and create a beautiful blend. It was simple to begin the morning glory leaf with its divided heart shape cut near the stem. The strokes seemed to glide as colors blended smoothly to complete each leaf. I pulled the shape of the blue morning glory but then softened the edges for a smooth finish, showing the versatility of this brush when it comes to stroke work. The bristle content has resilient spring, yet a softness, that made blending the center color into the actual petal a breeze; excellent for dry brushing, too.
Though the aura is not featured among the floral projects; it’s a great brush for stippling and painting foliage and fur among other things. It’s angle shaped with an open center and slightly flared bristle tips. I’ve used it to paint sky and clouds, water, grasses, evergreens, pine needles and other garden foliage. The brush can be used flush, on one side or just the tip.
I hope I’ve peaked your interest in these brushes and you might decide give them a try if you haven’t already. As for me, I will continue on my journey of discovery. It’s the essence of painting that seems to keep my enthusiasm renewed. And the potential that brushes have to offer seems endless at times.
1 comments - Posted by MaryJo at 10:57 AM - Categories:
