Saving your brushes when using masking fluid or frisket

Masking fluid is a great tool for your watercolor paintings.  Most of the time when using it, I have a few old brushes that I save just for that purpose.  The photo shows one of them.  However, you can use your good brushes and still keep them in good shape by doing just one simple thing; putting your brush in some liquid soap.  Here’s what I do…

I just use whatever liquid hand soap I have at home.  BEFORE dipping my brush in the masking fluid, I dip the brush in the liquid soap and work it into the bristles all the way up to the metal,  then I just wipe it off with a clean dry paper towel.  No water. 

After that, I just dip the brush in the masking fluid and apply to my paper like normal.  When I’m finished, I clean the brush with soap and water and the masking fluid comes right out.  

I had been painting with watercolors for years before attending art school and had never heard of that before college.  Now I can use my old brushes like normal, but I can also use my good brushes for more refined detail work and don't have to worry about ruining them.  

I used masking fluid on the below painting to keep the lightest parts of the birds feathers.  

Happy Painting!!

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Happy Independence Day!

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day Weekend! 

On my daily outdoor walks (with my camera..always!), there were a bunch of these fungi that popped up.  I almost didn't take a photo of them, but decided to.  The next day they were gone.  It amazes me how fleeting some of these beautiful things in nature really are. 

For current little miniature paintings (& the above painting),  I have up for auction on ebay, just click the link at the above right. 

Changing formats a bit for ebay...

Some of you may have noticed that I've only been listing miniatures and ATC's for ebay.  I may throw in some larger format, but most will be in this small format for the time being.  I'll see how it goes.  As always if you want to commission something larger, just email me.  

Some of you who take painting classes from me may recognize this scene.  Though this one is 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches....way smaller than the one we did in class, I like the scene.  Small canvas, big art right!!

This is another one of the spring wildflowers.  I think it's a Dwarf Larkspur.  I watched this plant along the sidewalks where I walk for days and days.  This was the last photo I got of it.  I couldn't wait for it to bloom out.  The next day, the landscapers came in with a weed-eater and chopped it and several other of the wildflowers I had been watching, down.  I guess they didn't have the same appreciation for them that I did.  This is also a fairly common wildflower for Kentucky. 

Working large and small....

I've been posting some work in progress of my larger works.  Here's an example of a 9 x 12 inch plein air painting and I've posted the photo to go along with it to show how I tend to "romanticize" my Kentucky!  I'm always intrigued with natural settings, but sometimes a building can be fun as well.  

This one was just done a week or so ago.  The landscape has already changed to reflect the fall weather.  

For this or other little paintings I have up for auction on ebay, just click on the link at the above right. 

Rocky Mountain High....

Our trip to the Rocky Mountains was just beautiful.  I've already done several studies onsite and can't wait to start my larger works.  Here's a few photos. 

 

Tom is standing just above Emerald Lake and I'm heading up the trail to Alberta Falls.  This was truly an inspiring place.  My camera just couldn't capture it's beauty. 

 





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Well, I was trying to post a current painting, but I've got blogger problems and it won't let me this post.  For this weeks ebay paintings I have up for auction, just click on the link at the above right.