EPISODE 4 - WATERCOLOUR for Beginners - 'Flat & Fan Brush Techniques'

by Ellie Jakeman October 27, 2021

EPISODE 4 - WATERCOLOUR for Beginners - 'Flat & Fan Brush Techniques'

Ellie Jakeman guides you through how to use your new flat and fan brushes with mark-making, textures and patterns...

Flat Brushes are useful for both washes of colour, strong linear strokes, creating gradients and also great for blocking out colour. Large flat brushes are also great for wetting large areas of the paper in preparation for wet on wet techniques.

In the video, you can see how versatile our Artists Value Profile watercolour brushes are. They are available in 6 different sizes, and the best and most enjoyable way before you start your projects is to create a mark making investigation sheet.

Creating this sheet of investigations will enable you to experience the many techniques you can make will just one of our brushes.

Aim to create brush marks using a combination of pressures; light to heavy when applying your strokes.

See how different pressures will create different marks - use different angles to hold your brush, spread out the bristles and over lay dark colours over light to create interesting textures. Use the full belly of the brush or just the tip of your brush. Use your whole arm to make sweeping marks or use just your wrist to flick the brush on the paper. Once you have created many sheets of investigations you are ready to start you painting adventure!

Our synthetic fibre ARTdiscount Artists Value Profile Brushes are the ultimate synthetic watercolour brushes and therefore animal friendly.Crafted from Taklon, using a blend of differing hair diameters, these brushes give a combination of colour holding, precision of brush marks and endurance; ranging from a 1/8" to a size 2", it is the most comprehensive range in the Artist’s Value series.

A large wash brush (2") holds a lot of water and is just the right size to pre-wet your painting for a wet on wet start. It’s also perfect for laying in big washes of colour for skies, landscapes and seascapes. Flat brushes are excellent for creating strong lines and straight edges (such as buildings).

Fan Brushes are great for creating textures, especially with a dry brush technique or for painting wet on wet techniques.

To create a variegated mark, the brush can be dipped in two different watercolour pigments and with short tapping movements on the paper you can created some very convincing foliage.

Dry brushing technique involves using more pigment than water and apply the paint by dragging on a dry surface resulting in a more textured mark. It's a useful technique for painting hair, grass, and fur. To load a fan brush with paint for dry brushing techniques, take a dry brush and touch the very tips into the paint a few times. Ideally the paint won't be very fluid, but quite stiff or buttery so it sits at the end of the brush hairs and doesn't seep up.

When using a fan brush for wet-on-wet techniques you can easily disperse the paint as the fan brush holds the pigment well. Dotting technique creates a more textured outcome.

Our ARTdiscount Bristle Brushes - Fan are made with Nickel-plated brass ferrule with coloured wooden handle that is made with wood from managed forests.

PRODUCTS USED:

Ellie Jakeman

I have had a strong interest in the visual and creative arts since a very early age. After completing an Art and Design Degree and Post graduate studies I have taught Art and Design, Fashion and Textiles, Textile design , Fine Art print and Illustration for over 20 years. Before teaching I was a freelance artist and illustrator and decided 4 years ago I would return to freelance and commissioned work. I have created many domestic and commercial murals for hospitals and hospices. I work part time for ARTdiscount as a content creator and product tester.

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