Art Materials

Artists' Brushes

Are you confused when you walk up to the brush racks in an art supply store? Do you wonder which type of brush to purchase? Natural or synthetic? Long or short handle? Seamless ferrule, seamed ferrule, no ferrule? Lacquered or natural handle? Wow! So many choices, so little knowledge! Many painters fall into the category of a "one-brush artist," mainly because their knowledge and budget are limited to what is at hand. If you have experienced any of these frustrations, the following information may help in making choices.

Brushes fall into several general categories/qualities: utility and industrial, craft and children's, and fine art. Although there are many crossover brushes, for our purpose, we will concentrate on those that are considered fine art quality.

The hair used in fine art brushes can be natural or synthetic. Natural furs and hairs are generally more expensive, but with proper use and maintenance, they can last a very long time. The fur or hairs can be sable (red is recognized as the premium sable), raccoon, ox, squirrel, or hog bristle. Chinese calligraphers often choose rat hair bamboo brushes for their fine point qualities and ink holding/dispensing properties.

Most of the brushes in this category are individually handmade, with expert attention given to quality, uniformity, and longevity. The hairs are usually mounted with epoxy-type adhesive, which is resistant to solvents. The naturals include one family of brushes that is very versatile, strong and less expensive. Bristle (usually hog bristle) brushes are comprised of hairs that are considerably heavier than sable, ox or squirrel. They have great rigidity, super strength and are used as real "work horses" for brushed, textural applications.

Some of the newer synthetic brushes offer the resilience and "feel" of the naturals, yet are priced more economically. The integrity of these brushes is very good. Their working strength and paint-holding properties are roughly the same as natural sable, and they respond almost identically to the canvas surface. Cleaning a synthetic brush is identical to cleaning a natural brush with one very important difference: Synthetics should never be exposed to hot water in the soaping/washing procedure. Heat mats the hairs and generally breaks down the structure of each bristle.

The ferrule of most brushes is made of nickel-plated metal and is usually seamless in artists' quality brushes. Seamless ferrules mean less possibility for solvents, paints, oils and cleaners to invade the tightly compacted brush base and that the hairs are more likely to remain in place than when a seamed ferrule is used. There are some brushes that have no ferrule at all, e.g., handmade brushes usually designed for a specific application.

Lettering quills are used primarily by sign painters. Quills are made of camel hair or selected squirrel hair and are known for their resilience and smooth, square edges. They are made with long hairs joined to a short handle with tightly wrapped brass wire. Oriental Hake brushes (usually made of sheep hair) are another style of brush that has no ferrule but has bristles bound by wire between the ends of a split handle. These two brushes have very flexible hair, can be charged with a lot of paint, and are designed for strong coverage.

Most contemporary brushes have painted handles. This means longer brush life because coatings prevent oils, water or turpentine from soaking into the wood. Preventing these penetrations insures that there will be less swelling or splitting of wood near the ferrule. Over long exposures, ferrules loosen and bristles become dislodged.

There are dozens of styles and types of brushes, and they are usually divided into common descriptive groups such as flats, brights, rounds, liners, and fans. Flats and brights are very similar, with the designation of bright meaning a flat brush with shorter bristles. Brights usually have more resilience (stiffness) and are very good for application of thicker paints. Rounds come in sizes from 0000 (minute) to giant wash brushes one inch thick. Liners and script brush designations usually indicate the shape and usage. These are brushes that have small round ferrules, filled with long, resilient hairs (natural or synthetic). Their long-haired, slender design is easily charged with paint and can create long, continuous lines easily.

Many more designations can be found as well. For example, filberts are shaped like flats, but have softened "corners," allowing the painter to achieve a tapered stroke with soft edges. They are traditional favorites of floral painters. Fans and blenders are the same style, with fan-shaped hair, and raccoon is a favorite for this style of brush. Blending paints as they set wet on the canvas is this brush's strength. Surface blending is achieved without "gouging" into underlying paint. This brush is ideal for recreating animal fur or other wispy images.

Let's face it--good brushes cost money. It seems foolish to spend that money and then not take care of them. Following are tips for general brush maintenance:

1. Always clean your brushes well after each use with fresh solvent material, water, or a product specific to brush cleaning. Clean until no pigment remains.
2. Use a mild, natural soap in the palm of your hand and massage the hairs gently to remove any residual pigment. Rinse well, gently squeeze out excess fluid, and then reshape.
3. Brush conditioners are recommended to extend the life of natural-hair brushes.
4. Store brushes tip-up to prevent bending (weakening) bristles.

Ampersand Art Supply High quality prepared wooden panels and accessory products including Claybord, Claybord Black, Claybord Textured, Gessobord, and Hardbord.

Art Marketplace

Spray Guns from Iwata

Iwata has introduced the new Century Series Spray Guns, a complete selection of both conventional and HVLP (high volume, low pressure) models. From detail touch-up work to large-scale production spraying, Iwata spray guns are commonly used by auto graphics artists, auto body finishers, auto custom painters, large-scale mural and sign makers, general purpose painters and artists alike. Whether you're a fine artist, production artist, or a body shop painter, Iwata has a spray gun for every need.

The Iwata RG-2 Mini-Spray Gun, coupled with the Century Series Spray Guns, is ideally suited for spraying gesso, varnishing paintings, murals, backgrounds, custom automotive painting, rendering signs, or wherever broad surfaces must be covered. Also, with Iwata spray guns, high viscosity paints including metallics, varnish and artist acrylics are sprayed with ease. This complete line of spray guns complements the Iwata airbrush product line.

Genesis Artist Colors™ Lifetime Guaranteed Brush Program

Genesis Artist Colors™--from American Art Clay Co., Inc.--offers a complete line of quality, economical brushes. These brushes are designed to work with Genesis Heat-Set Synthetic Oil Colors and are lifetime guaranteed when used exclusively with Genesis Artist Colors™. The Genesis Lifetime Guaranteed Brush Program contains 24 white and 36 dark brushes in a variety of hair types, shapes, and sizes. The brushes also work well with acrylics and oils, but are not guaranteed when these media are used.

Genesis Artist Colors™ is a unique artist medium that offers all the qualities of traditional oil colors with the innovative "dry on demand" feature that frees artists from drying time constraints. These paints, available in 75 colors, stay wet indefinitely until heated and are odorless, AP Certified Non-toxic, and completely safe to use. See your retailer.

Airbrush Company Shuttered

It's a sad day in the annals of "airbrushdom." After 108 years of continuous business, the doors of Thayer & Chandler, the world's oldest airbrush manufacturer, have closed.

Better known by the brand names "Vega" and Omni," Thayer & Chandler was originally renowned for illustration airbrushes (Models A and AA). After the turn of the century, they were the first to manufacture such a product in America. In the mid 80's, they created a sensation with the introduction of the "ultimate" T-shirt airbrush the Vega. This was the first airbrush designed to combine the attributes of a high-volume airbrush with a tip/air-cap design that gave the user detail capability as well. Pioneer artists Pat Reynolds and Terry Hill (who had a hand in developing the product with owner Cal Petersen) were among the first to use and popularize this tool. The Omni was developed later for use in applications requiring extreme detail along with high-volume capability.

Thayer & Chandler represented a dwindling breed of American manufacturers who took genuine pride in craftsmanship, product engineering, and ingenuity. They will be missed.

Spotlight on: Liquitex

How to Mix All Colors from Three Primaries

Color is a visual phenomenon that is hard to quantify and describe. It is the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and can be visually recreated, to different degrees, by four different approaches to color mixing: Process Color uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink to create all colors in photo-mechanical printing; Reflected Light uses cyan, magenta and yellow light to create all colors in settings such as stage lighting; Generated Light uses red, green and blue light to create all colors in computer monitors and TV; and the fourth approach to color theory is Pigment Mixing used in fine art painting.

Pigment Mixing color theory, also referred to as the Three Primary Color System, is based on the concept that three intense pigmented colors can be intermixed to produce virtually all other colors. The basics of this system are: yellow, red and blue Primary Colors. Mixing any two Primary Colors together produces Secondary Colors, while mixing Primary and Secondary Colors produces Intermediate Colors.

The Components of Color

Color is described by three attributes:

Hue: color family designated as warm (red, orange and yellow) and cool (blue, green and purple). Hue can be adjusted by mixing with neighboring colors.

Chroma (Intensity): relative brightness of a color, adjusted by mixing with a complementary color.

Value: relative lightness of a color, adjusted by adding white or black.

While in theory all colors can be made from Three Primaries, in practice the mixtures may not be as intense as you may need. This is an inherent limitation of attempting to mix all colors from just three. The Liquitex Three Primary Color Mixing Sets, however, will enable you to mix a wide spectrum of colors, as well as learn the basics of color theory and mixing. When brighter color mixtures are required, the Liquitex Studio 12 Color Assortment contains 12 colors that are chosen for expanded color mixing. The brightest versions of specific colors, however, cannot be mixed and must be selected from the extensive line of Liquitex Single and Mixed Pigment Colors. Refer to the Liquitex Acrylic Book for additional suggested mixing palettes as well as information on all Liquitex Products.

General Rules of Color Mixing Brightest color mixtures are achieved using single pigment colors (see paint container label for pigment listing). A mixture of two single pigment colors will generally produce a color of greater chroma than a mixture of two mixed pigment colors.

Keep the number of colors in the mix to a minimum. The more colors added to a mixture, the lower the resulting intensity, eventually producing what's commonly called "mud." Mixtures of any two colors lower chroma. Typically, color wheels--such as the Liquitex Three Primary Color Mixing Wheel--display hue and intensity only and cannot account for value changes. Refer to the Liquitex How to Use and Mix Color Book that contains a unique Color Wheel & Mixing Guide that incorporates value changes. The most intense hues are located along the outside of the color wheel. The inside of the wheel graphically represents all possible color mixtures, which lose chroma as they approach the center. The absolute center represents neutral gray.

See your retailer for the above products.

Painting

Fabulous Faux Finishes for Artwork or Decoration

Simple techniques, easily mastered by any level of painter, can be used to create the look of marble and other stone surfaces. These imitation finishes can be very valuable in painting. The same techniques and the same artists' materials used to create stone finishes in artworks can also be used for interior surfaces and accessory embellishment. The tools for the creation of marble or granite (and even the elegance of semi-precious stones like malachite) can be as simple as a paintbrush, a household sponge, or a scrap of mat board. The paints can be the very same as those used for canvas work or craft projects.

What most people immediately envision when they think of a faux

finish are the smoothly painted, naturally toned surfaces that resemble authentic marbles. They are the most widely duplicated surfaces both in paintings and in household decor. Second in popularity are the finishes that resemble the crackle look and "feel" of organic surfaces such as tree bark, broken foreground surfaces, parched soil or river shorelines. And the third most widely used texturing method is referred to as speckling and splattering. This last category has been used by watercolorists for years to add a final textural quality of undefined, non-specific nature to any landscape, many floral paintings, and to instantly "age" any item being painted. All of the methods discussed herein can be directly applied to artwork and decorative projects.

Natural and synthetic sponges are used for textural applications by watercolorists because their surfaces offer a broken pattern with no manipulation whatsoever. The natural "perforated" surface easily transfers from the palette to the paper or canvas an exact echo of the surface texture of the sponge. This look closely resembles marble.

Simply set the sponge in a thin layer of diluted watercolor, oil or acrylic paint. Lightly blot if the sponge is very wet with color. You are striving for light, open, web-like textural patterns. Set the sponge onto the surface to be adorned; then press very lightly. Lift the sponge straight up and what remains is a soft, gently textural design. For more texture, simply overlap this original placement of texture with another layer.

Building colors and depth is what the creation of marble patterns is all about. Dark to light is the preferred order of color application. This allows the deepest tone to set the mood for the marble finish. About half as much middle tone as dark is used and only about ten percent as much light tone.

Veining in marble finishes can be done with any number of tools. Most traditionalists use feathers to create veins, but script brushes do a wonderful job as well. For fun, try using really bizarre tools like cotton swabs, skewers or toothpicks to lay on thin broken lines that resemble the cracks characteristic of natural marble.

Strong textural elements are often desired in paintings involving

natural subject matter. One easy way to create a crackle look is to use a reductive method of surface decoration. Apply very wet paint; then very quickly use a crumpled paper towel or other absorbent material against the wet area. Allow the "tool" to set on the surface for a moment; then remove it. The organic, natural breaks of the surface will provide visual interest and implied texture. For stronger crackle patterns, allow the topical material to stay in place for a longer time. Plastic wrap or cleaning rags are also good texturing tools.

A scrap of mat board can carve through a fluid paint surface to form the wiggles and ridges associated with other stones. Malachite begins with a dry base coat of light, minty green. Apply very fluid dark green to this base color. Create striations by dragging a torn scrap of cardboard across the deep green wet paint. By shaking the cardboard, a wavy pattern is developed that closely resembles natural malachite.

Speckling and splattering paint is very easy to do and affords an

instant textural element. Speckling can be done in a number of ways. One of the most common is to rake a fingertip or brush handle across a paintbrush that is charged with paint. The result is a shower of minute droplets that rain down onto the painting (or accessory item).

In decorating, dramatic effects can be created by using this simple technique with several different colors of paint. Use at least three colors over a base tone. Apply your darkest tone over a middle tone base coat; then progress from dark to light with similar amounts of speckling. Remember to allow each color to dry before advancing to the next. The more paint you put on, the richer the finished result. Professional painters are paid very large sums of money to repeatedly speckle surfaces with multiple colors.

Simple tools (sponges, crushed paper towels, cotton swabs) and artists' colors are all you need to create elegant and/or fun surfaces in your artwork or your decor. Testing on scraps of mat board is suggested because many colors are not compatible with one another. Remember to begin with a rich, even base coat and apply decorative colors carefully, avoiding blocks of color. If an error occurs, simply break a solid area with a bit of the base color or another tone in the project.

Art On-Line

On the Net
with Emerson R. Bigguns

The Internet is the biggest thing to happen since the invention of the telephone. At no time in history has it been easier or more cost efficient to communicate on a global scale. Geography no longer plays a significant role in your ability to get noticed or to access information. This column is all about getting yourself noticed and accessing the wonderful websites that inspire you and keep you informed on the latest trends in the art community.

Artists are in a wonderful position to use the Internet to its full potential. Sights, sounds and video are all at your fingertips. You may use them to inspire yourself or to inspire others. Where else can you research a project or sell your artwork with the click of a button? Anytime day or night, the Internet awaits your slightest command.

Surfing to find interesting websites can be very time-consuming. To find what you are looking for quickly, you need to enter the proper search word or phrase. For example: A search for body art will yield different websites from a search done for body painting or airbrush body art. If you are interested in watercolor paintings or techniques, make sure to add "watercolor" to your search parameters; otherwise you will have to wade through thousands of unrelated websites that feature oil painting or some other medium. If you have difficulty finding the type of site that you are looking for, try changing search engines or changing the wording for your search. A motorcycle-airbrushing search will yield different results from a search for airbrushed motorcycles.

Surfing is a fun way to see stuff, but what if you want to be seen? Web pages and websites are a very inexpensive way to showcase your work. Once you have visited enough websites to get a feel for the kind of site that you would like to have for yourself, it is time to build a web page or website. Assuming that you have Internet access, your local server probably allots you five or ten megabytes of space for a web page. Using a simple web-publishing tool and a scanner, it is possible for a novice to build an impressive web page or website that reflects his or her own artistic inclinations. With an Internet presence, potential customers can view your on-line portfolio or buy an existing piece of art!

The following represent a cross section of different types of websites. Each has a different look and feel, and each represents the image or mindset of the host company. Some are highly complex and require the latest software to operate all of the bells and whistles on them. Others are simple in design and able to load up quickly and accurately with any computer. Somewhere in between is the look and feel that suits you and your art. Have fun exploring and enriching yourself via the Internet.

Cool Sites:

http://www.hrgiger.com

http://members.aol.com/Sentai/BP-LINKS.htm

http://www.pamelashanteau.com

http://www.fine-art.com

http://members.aol.com/Sentai/photo.htm

http://www.medea-artool.com

http://www.adcook.com

http://www.jurek-art.com

http://www.erols.com/arttek

http://www.ampersandart.com

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com

Ed. Note: Photographer and writer Emerson R. Bigguns attends and works at various art conventions across the country and has his hand on the pulse of the art scene. Look for Emerson's behind-the-scenes perspective on the art world in future issues.

Airbrush

The Spray Gun as an Artist's Tool

The spray gun is simply a large airbrush that is used in the artist's studio to apply various mediums to a variety of surfaces: varnish and gesso paintings, apply glazes to ceramics, paint and patina sculpture, and paint murals, automotive surfaces, signs, and large canvases. Once you use a spray gun, its many possibilities will soon become obvious to you.

Two types of spray guns are carried by art supply stores the conventional and the HVLP (high volume, low pressure). The new HVLP spray gun was developed to allow the user to spray a large volume of paint with a minimal amount of overspray.

To begin, you should be familiar with two terms: Psi (pounds per square inch) is the amount of air pressure that is being delivered to the spray gun via the air source, usually a compressor; and cfm (cubic feet per minute) is the volume of air consumed by the spray gun. Both of these settings are regulated by the air source. The psi can be adjusted, while the cfm is determined by the size of the compressor. The higher the horsepower of the compressor, the more cfm that is available.

The conventional spray gun delivers paint at high air pressure, which results in more overspray (the medium that drifts into your environment when spraying). This can be a health/environmental hazard and can inadvertently coat objects in the studio, so it's best to keep this to a minimum.

The HVLP spray gun is just the opposite. It doesn't work above 10 psi, but it consumes much more cfm than the conventional spray gun. You need at least a 2-1/2 HP compressor to develop the cfm required to propel an HVLP spray gun. Because you are spraying at such a low psi, the HVLP transfers 80% of the paint to the surface being sprayed (saving on paint and reducing environmental hazards). This gun produces a silky smooth, highly atomized finish.

Applications:

Varnishing--A spray gun enables the artist to apply a smooth even coat of varnish or clear coat with no brush stroke marks. The medium sprayed must be reduced to an appropriate consistency. HVLP spray guns can spray varnishes of a higher viscosity than conventional guns. When building up coverage on a surface, use several light overlapping passes rather than one heavy quick pass.

Gessoing--Be it canvas, panel, or any other surface (including three-dimensional) on which a gessoed primer is desired, the spray gun is the tool of choice. When doing an airbrush painting, it makes sense to apply gesso in this manner; it provides a smooth surface and eliminates the need for laborious sanding when that ubiquitous eggshell surface is desired. The sequence is: Spray the gesso; airbrush the acrylic or oil-based paints; and, when done, varnish the painting. The result is a totally brush stroke-free painting with a unique appearance.

Mural Painting--The spray gun lends itself to the painting of murals. Wherever large, continuous areas need to be covered with paint, the spray gun should be considered--and the HVLP, in particular. Because it applies paint with minimal overspray, you can work indoors with few problems. Artist acrylic colors are often used, and they can easily be thinned to the appropriate consistency. To thin, it is recommended that you use a 50/50 mixture of water/gloss acrylic medium, which helps to maintain the elasticity and adhesion properties of the paint.

Sculpture The application of paint or patina to sculpture with a spray gun guarantees a consistent look as opposed to that resulting from a paintbrush. The spray gun quickly and easily covers all the nooks and crannies, with no running paint or brush marks.

Spray guns are available in different sizes from mini spray guns, e.g., Iwata RG-2, to large production guns. Styles include gravity feed and bottom feed, both of which can be attached to an external pressure pot for very large projects.

The maintenance procedure for spray guns is basically the same as that for airbrushes: Flush between color changes and clean thoroughly before storing. Depending on the gun being used, a compressor with at least « HP or higher is required. A large compressor will propel either an airbrush or a spray gun; however, a small airbrush compressor will propel only the airbrush.

ArtPourri

Artworks Discovered Art historians conducting an appraisal to catalog the possessions at Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., have discovered original artworks by Magritte, Dali, and other artists. Needless to say, the college was happy with its newly found treasures totaling $1 million in value.

Icon to Reopen New York City's grand art deco venue built in 1932, Radio City Music Hall, is scheduled to reopen shiny and new on October 4th. Closed since February, the hall has undergone a complete pure restoration to include modernizing (HDTV) and preserving (furniture, murals, etc.) at a cost of $70 million.

Il Cavallo Unveiled Leonardo's horse, the 15-ton bronze stallion cast at the Tallix Foundry, was unveiled recently in Milan as a gift to the Italian people. According to the New York Times, some 700 Americans were present at the dedication; and although the few Italians present appeared to he enthusiastic about the statue, national newspapers virtually ignored the event.

Painting Acquired The Bennington Museum (VT) has acquired A Country Wedding by renowned self-taught artist Grandma Moses. The museum holds the largest public collection of her paintings and personal memorabilia and has opened a section devoted to the art of other members of the Moses family.

Soup Can Inducted The Campbell Soup Co., whose cans were made famous by more than 100 portraits and paintings showing the red and white label by Andy Warhol, has redesigned their label. A symbolic replica of the last can of condensed tomato soup bearing the old label will be inducted into the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

Grants Program Successful The Creative Capital Foundation, created when the NEA ended most grants to individuals, has received over 1,800 applications for its first award of grants. Ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, the grants will go to 60 artists. Thirty percent of the submissions were from visual artists.

Treasures Uncovered Three years ago a slipping donkey accidentally led to a spectacular discovery in the Egyptian Bahariya Oasis. Called the Valley of the Golden Mummies, this may be the largest known cemetery in Egypt that hasn't been plundered by grave robbers. A vivid record of art has been preserved gilded masks and painted scenes on cartonage as well as pottery, amulets and other items have remained untouched for 2,000 years.

Exhibitions and Events

San Francisco - The Fourth Annual Women in Design Exhibit at the Department of Design and Industry, San Francisco State University, will take place Nov. 11-18. One Decisive Moment will display the designers' creative process.

Milwaukee - The Last Show of the Century: A History of the 20th Century through Its Art brings together works made over the past 100 years at the Milwaukee Art Museum, through Jan. 2.

Chicago - SOFA Chicago, from November 6-7 at the Navy Pier, is an international exposition of sculpture, objects and functional art from 80 select galleries and dealers.

Philadelphia - The 23rd Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show will be held Nov. 11-14 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Over 190 craft artists will display ceramics, decorative fiber, glass, mixed media, paper and more. A special installation, Walking into the Millennium, will show whimsical and fantastic shoes created by show artists in their favorite mediums.

Minneapolis - The Minneapolis Institute of Art presents Restoring a Masterwork through Oct. 24 in the U. S. Bank Gallery. It will showcase the Institute's ongoing and active conservation activities as painting conservators Joan Gorman and David Marquis conduct a major conservation treatment of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione's The Immaculate Conception with Saints Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua during public viewing hours.

Chatham, NY and Lawrence, MA - Artrain USA's exhibition, Artistry of Space, will travel the country through 2002. The exhibit consists of 78 paintings, prints, drawings and multi-media works from NASA and the National Air and Space Museum. This month, Artrain's schedule includes whistle stops in Chatham from Oct. 14 to 17; and Lawrence from Oct. 21 to 24. For information on hosting an Artrain whistle stop in your town, call (800) ART-1971.

Washington, D.C. - Picturing Hemingway: A Writer in His Times, at the National Portrait Gallery through Nov. 7, profiles this literary master from his early days in Illinois to his final years in Idaho.

October Birthdays

  3    Pierre Bonnard
  4    Jean Francois Millet
  6    LeCorbusier
25    Pablo Picasso
28    Francis Bacon

.com ...the link between you, the visual artist, and the manufacturer of art materials. Established 1990

SIGN UP - FREE ARTtalk e-Newsletter©
Search all of ARTtalk!!

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 9 No. 12 -- October 1999