What are Brusho Crystal Colours?

Brusho water-colour powder is an incredibly versatile and vibrant product which is completely non-toxic, and acid-free. Brusho water-colour powders are very easy to use and are very popular with crafters for scrapbooking, journaling, watercolour painters, illustrators, card makers, designers, and any creative extrovert who loves rich vibrant colours that sing off the paper.
Brusho is a highly pigmented water-colour crystalline powder, which contains pigment and binders specifically formulated to enhance performance and visibility of each colour. The watercolour crystals are stored in small drums in various sizes, the most common being 15g, 1.5-inch tubs.
Brusho can be diluted with water to create coloured transparent inks, or diluted on a palette to create transparent paint. The fine powders can be thickened with a special medium for printing and stencilling. The colours are intermixable and there are 32 highly concentrated colours to choose from. Brusho can be bought separately or in packs of 6, 8, 12 and 24 depending on where you buy them from.

They can also be used on fabric as well as paper, for space dying, special decorative and textural effects, stencilling, and mono-printing. But these results will not be washable.

Brusho is manufactured by Colourcraft Limited established in 1978, a family run business based in Sheffield, in the UK.

Brusho Colours

All the dyes used are synthetic dyes and not made with any plant, insect or animal. During the manufacturing stage there is 100% no contamination once the raw materials are received in the factory. So we can safely say that Brusho powders are Vegan friendly to use! Brusho colours provide a good degree of lightfastness and all colours have a rating of between 4 and 6. When used as a painting medium on watercolour paper, it is advised that a high quality UV protective spray is used to prevent damage from, dust, dirt, humidity, ultraviolet radiation, smoke, scuffs and scratches. You could also use a high UV filtered glass on your frame for further protection. Brusho can be used to colour fabric but not fixed for washing. It is believed that Brusho can even be used to stain wood! Below is a list of the extensive range of vibrant colours which are fully intermixable with each other. When applied to a wet paper surface, some of the composite colour mixed powders, disperse little bursts of rainbow flecks across your paper or fabric. Some colours provide a solid colour so creating a colour chart would be an exciting and informative exercise before embarking on a major project.

How do you use Brusho crystals?

Brusho Tips, Tricks and Brusho Techniques

As stated earlier, Brusho pigments are a great medium and incredibly easy to use and very versatile. Listed below are some exciting techniques you can use to create some lovely effects and interesting surface textures. Once you have opened your box of Brusho powders you can use them by breaking the tabs and opening their lids or by punching a little hole in the top of the lid to allow a more controlled distribution of the fine powders. Because the pigment powder is so fine, some artists may wear a mask, especially if they suffer from respiratory problems.

Dry powder onto dry paper technique

Brusho powder can be applied dry onto dry paper by using a dry small brush dipped into the powder, or by sprinkling the powder out of the little hole previously made in the small drums. Using your water spray bottle, lightly mist the powder with water to ignite the powdered pigment. The single pigment colours will give a block colour, but the composite colours like orange will provide a variegated coloured effect. If you spray too much water you will create puddles on your paper but if you spray from a good distance you will create a more spaced out textured effect. This is a great technique if you wish to create some interesting backgrounds and let the colours mix organically.

Another technique would be to sprinkle your Brusho pigment powder onto dry paper then with a wet brush paint over your powder to create your painting. Mixing the powdered pigment on the paper would mean you would lose the speckled textured look but gain a watercolour or ink effect.

Dry powder onto wet paper technique

If you want a more controlled painting but with the Brusho textured effects, you can wet the paper first, painting water shapes or background patterns, then sprinkle your Brusho powder over the designated wet areas. When it comes to sprinkling the pigment powder, a very small amount of pigment goes a long way! Less is definitely the rule to follow here, you can always add more at a later stage.

Another dry on wet technique would be to draw out your flower shapes or objects first using either the water-soluble crayons or water-soluble pencils. Then use your liquid masking fluid to retain the highlights on objects, stems or petals, and wait for it to dry. The third step would be to brush water over the areas only that you want the powder to stick, then sprinkle lightly.

Using Brusho pigment like traditional watercolour paint.

Using Brusho colours is very similar to using watercolour paint, and most of the traditional watercolour painting techniques are exactly the same. It is recommended that you do use watercolour paper, especially if you prefer the wet on wet techniques.

To convert Brusho powders into watercolour paint, you simply decant a very small amount of pigment powder into the wells of your palette and with a small brush add a little amount of cold water, the pigment powder will mix instantly into a liquid paint. Depending on how much water you use will determine how strong the colour. The more water you use the more diluted and the more transparent the colour will become. The more concentrated the pigment the stronger and more vivid the colour.

Once you have pre-made your colours, they are then ready to intermix into different colours, you can create endless palettes of exciting colours for all your creative projects. Brusho paints are especially suited for expressive, organic and floral paintings.

When used like traditional watercolour colours, once dried you can lift colour out with a clean wet brush, or dampen then lift with a tissue, you can create blooms of texture by spraying water over dried or wet Brusho paint, or allow the paints to mix on the paper and run into each other. You can work wet paint onto wet paper, or use wet paint onto dry paper. When using Brusho paints you can even use the dry brush method using a semi damp brush over a dry painting surface.

Another traditional watercolour technique isglazing. Brusho paints can be layered on top of each other exactly the same way as ordinary watercolour, with each layer affecting the colour below. You can darken an existing colour, brighten or change its hue, simply by layering up one colour over another. With this glazing technique you usually wait until the first layer is dry before you apply the next.
Dry Brusho powder can also be sprinkled on top of wet watercolour paint to create additional textures.

Creating Brusho Inks

To make Brusho inks, all you need are some small 100ml spray bottles in which to decant a small amount of your pigment powder. You only need a very small amount of pigment powder to create a range of strong coloured inks. When diluting the pigments into inks use warm water and this will allow the powder to dissolve and disperse fully. These ready to use spray inks work really well with stencils especially for creative journaling and card making, hours of fun experimenting with Brusho techniques.

Using Brusho with mixed media

Because of Brusho's versatility you can use other media to enhance your work. Below is a list of other mediums you can use in conjunction with Brusho crystal colours.

What is Brusho thickener used for?

Brusho colours can be thickened with a Brusho thickener medium. This medium needs to be made at least 24 hours in advance of using it. It is worth noting that when adding the thickener powder slowly to the water you must continue to stir, this will prevent lumps from forming. The thickener turns into a transparent glue-like substance overnight. Brusho powdered pigment can be added to the thickener, but you must mix the powder thoroughly to create an even colour. The thickened coloured pigment can then be applied in glazes of colour, to change the original colour of a painting.

Once pigment has been added it can also be used for mono printing or stamping. Lots of abstract images can be created using the thickened Brusho paints to create an abstract picture or prints. You can add dry Brusho powder over the wet thickener to create a textured effect.

To use Brusho thickener, sprinkle 20gms into 600ml of water and stir to avoid lumps. Leave for 24 hours to dissolve completely. It is then ready to use.

This package contains a 100g bag.

What are Metallic Brusho techniques?

To add even more dimension to your creative activities, and for those creatives who love a bit of bling! Colourcraft have developed Brusho SprinkleIT powders which will add sparkles and shimmers to any colourful artwork. You can simply sprinkle the powders over Brusho Crystal Colourand then, once spritzed with water, they will create amazing effects. Ideal for use on canvases, watercolour paper, and for creative journaling, greeting cards, gift tags, scrapbooking, mixed media projects, interior design/home decor projects. You can even use SprinkleIT over black card or paper on its own. Brusho SprinkleITcomes in pearl, copper, iridescent flash, iridescent gold, gold and iridescent violet.

What Art supplies do I need to get started?

Most of the list below, you will probably already own in your creative tool kits. As you become more confident investigating techniques you can add your own props and tools to the list. These are the most frequently bought items with the Brusho starter kits.

• Brusho Starter Pack - Fixed Assortment 24 Colours mix
• Watercolour paper 140lb and over
• Mixed Media papers
• Watercolour brushes 4, 6, 8 and 12.
• Large flat brush to wet and cover large areas.
• Sponges
• Glass jars with lids for storing ink
• Plastic palettes for mixing powders into paint
• Masking tape
• Wax crayons to use as a resist
• Spray bottle for water
• Masking fluid
• Paper towels
• Drawing board for stretching paper
• Water container
• Household sea salt
• Koh-I-Noor Pipettes

Health and Safety whilst using Brusho Powders

Whilst Brusho powders are Non toxic and do not present any specific risk to health it is always worth taking precautions. They will stain surfaces, clothes and hands as the tiny pigment particles can easily be airborne and land unintentionally where they are not wanted! So here are a few tips;

FIRST-AID MEASURES

HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

Most Important Hazards None- this product is not classified as hazardous. Specific Hazards - This product does not present any specific risk.

Cleaning Measures
Protect clothing and furnishings. If Brusho gets on clothes, wash first with cold water until most of the paint has been removed, then wash with warm water and soap flakes. As with any paints, avoid using detergents and biological powders.
Handling and Storage
Handling Requirements - Product should be handled with care to avoid staining.
Storage Conditions - Keep containers closed and out of the reach of young children.
Suitable Packaging - Keep in original packaging.
Additional Information - Handle in accordance with good standards of hygiene and safety practices.
Personal protection -Wear protective clothing to avoid staining. ARTdiscount Artists Apron
Respiratory - None volatile but as appropriate to the situation and the quantity handled in powder form. Moulded dust mask
Hand Protection - Wear Rubber gloves to avoid staining. Montana Latex Gloves - Black
Eye Protection - None irritant.
Skin Protection -Wear Rubber gloves to avoid staining. Montana Latex Gloves - Black