Brush Story Part 2

In the spirit of sharing our brush stories here are some of my own.  This post will focus on my watercolor and ink brushes.  You can follow Aegean Center for the Fine Arts painting teacher Jane Pack’s brush stories here.

I get very attached to my brushes. Like actors in a play each brush has its own role. Some are used far more frequently than others, but if I’m missing a specific brush for a specific task I may just scrap the piece altogether. When a brush starts to wear down or even fall apart it can bring an irrational amount of stress and dismay. At times I talk to my brushes like a coach would to his players, alright kiddo, go out there and get the job done. What can I say, they are more than just tools, they’re the means to express myself. I usually take them for granted but I love my brushes. Here are some descriptions of my main team.
-Jun-Pierre Shiozawa

“The Hake”
A 1 inch Hake brush.  Soft and wide, it’s great for washes: skies and seas. The softer the brush the easier it is to move a watery wash over the the paper without affecting the surface.

“Big Timer”
A goathair Chinese ink brush. It’s a very versatile brush, useful for washes and moving the color into small tight corners: negative space!

“T.C.O.B.”
My Taking Care Of Business brush.  Like “Big Timer” another Chinese ink brush, but because of it’s smaller size I use it very often for washes, tight detail work,  and just about everything else.  I could do a whole painting just with this brush.

“Tree top” 
I love using this brush–The point can get very fine and the bristles splay out in a very natural manner, perfect for leaves, water, rocks, hair, etc.

“Eraser brush”
A half inch square brush with a firm shape and bristles.  I mostly use this brush to lift color off the painting.  Useful for editing and lightening up a passage of color.

“Fine Line”
A plastic brush with synthetic bristles that you could fill up with water.  Holds a great shape and makes a very thin line.  Very effective for detail work.

“Rigger”
I never use this brush but I like that I have it.  Rigger brushes are traditionally used to paint the riggings of boats in maritime paintings.

“The Colonel”
A round brush that I once used very often but has since been worn down a bit. I almost never use it  anymore but when I go out to paint I always have to bring it out of habit.

Do you have brushes that you love? Share them with us on Twitter, @aegeancenter, #brushstory.