Flat, Round, Funny and Small Brushes

I've returned to painting in gouache, for the most part, recently. After playing with and learning about transparent watercolor for about eight months, I feel comfortable merging it with gouache. I can incorporate the transparency and fluidity of watercolor in effective ways with the opacity and lovely painterly strokes of gouache in the same painting.

So, recently I decided I needed a couple new brushes. I work small. If you follow me here or on Facebook (fb.me/DeborahSecorArtworks), you know that. Most of my work is ATC size, which is always 2.5" x 3.5", the same size as a playing card or sports trading card. So my brushes are small--but not tiny!

Let me show you my home team, along with the newbies I just added:

At the top right you'll see my three "funny" brushes. They've been badly abused over the years, resulting in some messed-up bristles that work well to make a lot of the little marks that suggest things like tree leaves, bushes, grasses, or whatever needs a messy little stroke.

The middle three are my go-to brushes, a Chinese wolf hair brush that makes the nicest long, fluid lines, my trusty half-inch flat brush that is used to paint easily three-quarters of every painting, and a round brush that creates lovely, lush strokes.

The bottom three are the newest members of the tribe. The two small round ones are proving useful for dots, lines, and other small touches, while the chisel blender is running a close second to my half-inch in usefulness, but for smaller flat strokes.

I'm not an "every hair" painter, of course. I like to suggest detail more than actually painting it. I try to work with the largest brush I can for as long as I can, which means my workhorse half-inch brush is key. Consider the scale of a half-inch to 3.5"--it's HUGE, relatively speaking. I can't even figure out what width brush you'd use in a 9' x 12" painting, if it was of the same proportion, but I expect it would be the size of a house painting brush! That large size keeps the strokes fresh and painterly.

Maybe this series of shots will help you see what that looks like:

Half-inch flat brush strokes.

Large round brush strokes added. 

More flat strokes, with some funny brush strokes. 

More funny brush strokes, large and small.

Details suggested. 

Hope this makes you think about your brushes and brushwork. If you have thoughts or questions, let's discuss things.

February Skies and Clouds

I've returned to gouache this month, as well as skies and clouds, one of the subjects I love most in the Southwest landscape.

These were all painted on a paper that's new to me, Fluid Watercolor Hot Press Block. Each painting is 2.5" x 3.5". I wanted a good hard, smooth paper. This block does the trick quite well. Hot press paper allows the paint to remain on top of the paper, not soaking in as quickly as a cold press paper does. That means that the strokes are more evident, the mixes flowing more where the paint is thinner (or when I used transparent watercolor), giving a rather more painterly look that I like.



Recently the clouds were so spectacular over Sandia, the mountain range on the east side of Albuquerque, that I snapped a few photos. This one was perfect for my first experiment with this paper:

I took this shot along 1-40 west of Albuquerque somewhere. A blue sky day, with few clouds, it was fun to play with transparent watercolor for the sky, then work the clouds and land plane in gouache:

I used a photo taken from the west mesa for the sky, cloud and mountain in this one, then made up the foreground from imagination and memory. I like the scale I achieved here:

Here's the new paper, which is a 4' x 6" block that's glued on the long sides only, and two of my paintings done in it. I remove the page, and then cut the paintings down to the standard ATC size, 2.5" x 3.5". 

All I Need

All I Need, w/c, 3" x 4"

The fourth in my 30 Non-Objective Paintings in January 2019. This one took on a life of its own, in a way. I liked that but it was a little more challenging.

I began with the large peach wash from the top, dropping in the opera pink in the middle left area. As I dripped water into the paint, these lovely blooms grew up, forming delicate edges and lacy interactions. I injected some pale yellow-green into the bloom and stopped, loving the color interactions there.

The choice to use the viridian greens was intuitive and a little risky. Inspired by the photo, I designed the shapes and values of those strokes carefully, then stopped to let them dry, fully intending to put in more small details.

However, once the paint dried, I hesitated, wanting to go on but not confident that anything I added would improve the painting. It seemed complete, despite my inclination to do more. For once, I simply decided to let the painting win. That hesitation became determination not to overdo.

I like the white interstices that occurred between the paint in the initial layer, which I respected as I added the viridian strokes. I think the shapes do a good job of guiding your eye without pushing you around too much. They achieve an odd balance with the rest of the painting that, combined with the color contrasts, is satisfying.

Torn Apart

Torn Apart, w/c, 3" x 4"

This is the third of my 30 Non-Objective Paintings in January 2019. 

I use photographs to inspire me, but I don't try to depict anything from the photo. No, I won't share or discuss with you the inspiration, which wold no doubt slant your vision. Instead, I'd like to know what it is you see here.

Although I try not to represent things in the painting, you will bring to the table a vision of what it looks like to you. That's a natural response, one that is much desired and needed. Your brain is designed to do that, so don't fight it. However, since there are no things present, if your thoughts merge from one place or thing into another, go with that and see where it leads you.

That's one of the beautiful things about successful non-objective paintings.

What particularly pleases me in this painting is the palette of colors, which pairs delicate "baby" colors with bold contrasting values. I enjoy the suggested details that create a vague triangle in the composition, too.

Give Way

Give Way, w/c, 3" x 4"

This was the second of  30 Non-Objective Paintings in January 2019.

The merging of yellow-green into deep turquoise blue was the initial thrill that launched this painting. I loved the lower edge and decided not to touch it, but to move on.

Leaving that strip of white paper almost dividing the composition in two, I plunged into the earth tones, wanting a strong contrast of color, pattern, texture and strokes. I indulged my fancy for little lines and details there, which contrast nicely with the granulation texture of the turquoise paint in the top. The touches of green and turquoise in the interstices unites the two halves in a way that pleases me.

30 Non-Objective Paintings in January 2019--Lifted High

Lifted High, w/c, 3" x 4"

New year--new personal painting challenge!

During the quiet winter months I like to set up a project. I decided to do some abstractions this year, which I find particularly difficult. Push yourself, I thought, just go for it and see what happens. So I have begun my journey.

I consider non-objective paintings THE hardest kind to do well. This series is devoted to painting abstraction, but I don't want these paintings to simply be splashing paint around. I feel that a non-objective painting must use the elements of art, so I'm not just abandoning myself to the medium. Spontaneity, yes, but with a goal.

I have some inspirational photos that give me color harmonies to explore, and compositional choices, with form, line, shape, space, texture, pattern and value goals. As I began this painting, I freely admit to being nervous, tentative, and yes, I did comfort myself with some landscapeish shapes and colors. I guess I started on the low board, not the high dive, so to speak, but when one is learning to go in headfirst, anything is better than nothing.  As a non-objective painting, it's not a total belly flop, at least.

The image pleases me. I like the way the shape encompasses high and low, top and bottom, leading your eye around the composition. And as I painted it, I kept telling myself to use beautiful color, which worked particularly well.

"Lifted High"
30 Non-Objective Paintings in January
Watercolor, 3" x 4", Arches 300 lb c/p