My favorite paint brushes that can be purchased online

My favorite paint brushes that can be purchased online

Find Artist Brushes and Why I Like Them.

I had joined the Rocket Moms group on Squidoo, and our second weekly assignment was to write about a prized possession. We were to take a walk around the house and determine what was really valuable to us.

I’m glad I took that walk. My first thought of what I thought would be my most prized possession, while still sitting in front of the computer, was different than what I actually picked.

So walking around the house, I opened up to what it could possibly be.

I browsed upstairs. There was the piano which I very occasionally play. No, that wasn’t singing to me. Could it be the great knives on the dining room table that I purchased as part of a new selling program I was going to do? No, that wasn’t cutting it. So I took a trip downstairs to the basement. Ah, I saw it! My art studio. That’s where I get creative; other than when I’m making lenses on Squidoo. What is it that I would take with me. My artist brushesartist brushes. I have a bunch, and I have favorites, ones that are my first choices to use. Yes, I would pick my artist brushes. They are one of my favorite tools of creativity.

The Rounded Art Brush

My first favorite is a flat filbert brush. It is a flat brush with a rounded edge. It comes in great for laying down backgrounds, and blending colors while having a more rounded touch to the background. They’re great for creating clouds.

I also use it for filling in and adding successive layers. I really like that rounded touch.
I have this brush in at least four sizes, that I can think of right now.

Filbert Paint Artist Brush

The Liner Brush

My next favorite brush is the liner brush. I use it a lot for adding details and fine lines, Teeth just wouldn’t be the same without a liner brush! Huh, you’d have to take that smile to the dentist! Yes, I do like the liner brush. Oh, I probably have a good six or so liner brushes. Lines do come in various sizes, you know.

Liner Paint Brush

Paint Brush Cleaning Tips

Use cool to cold water for cleaning paint brushes.
Finish with a bit of soap to press on the end to help maintain the shape of the brush.

The Painting Knife
My next favorite isn’t a brush at all, it’s my painting knife. Sad to say, I haven’t used it much for painting at all, at least not up to this point. I use my painting knife quite a bit for mixing the paint.

I used to use a brush, but then I had to rinse the brush, and watch wasted paint get diluted in the water. Heaven forbid! I wanted my paint to last longer than that! Then I started using my knife for mixing. This one with the rounded part of the handle works great. I’ve also used painting knives that were flat, handle and all, and the handle laid too close to the mixing surface. The rounded stem of the handle keeps my fingers up off the painting, mixing surface, and the narrow tip allows me to grab just the right amount of paint color that I want to mix into the other.

So two thumbs up for the painting knife being a mixing knife! I can also dab paint right off the knife with my brush. Aaah, I get to use my extra paint up. Now, that’s a sweet song in my heart.

This is the whole kit and kaboodle!

Except for the one’s I’ve recently used. I lay them out flat to dry before adding them back into the mix. I keep them sorted, all the rounded brushes together, all the liner brushes together, all the straight edge brushes together, etc.

I have my painting knives in the smaller container. I received that little flower container as a pencil holder when I was a clerical person. I think it’s much happier now holding my artist painting supplies. : )

The Apple Girl, My Photography Challenge

The Apple Girl, My Photography Challenge

Combining Cuteness and Mystery

Another assignment for my photography class. This assignment is to take a set of pictures involving a model with a particular object. There should be only one kind of object in the photo, and there should be a feeling of connection between the subject and the object that she has.

In this article, I want to upload some of my works that I created in order to complete this assignmet. I was given pretty tight deadline, only less than a week to submit my work. At that time, I was completely overwhelmed with my other works. Thankfully, I was able to find a free time just three day before the deadline of the submission. I contacted the model, rented a room for photoshoot, and spent one full day to complete this assignment. Hope you would enjoy them. Any comments and feedback are welcomed.

The idea of the photoshoot

As I said before, I was overwhelmed with my other works and I thought that I wouldn’t be able to meet the deadline of this assignment. I was pretty happy when I managed to finish all of my other works so that I had one free day to do this photo shoot. As for the idea, I found it in my little sister story book, about a girl who spends her whole day playing with a red apple. Based on that idea, I created some photos in this article.

One thing that came up in my mind before the photo shoot. It has to be simple, yet meaningful. I thought apple would be the most suitable object, as it symbolizes a lot of things, such as happiness, love, and hope. In my country, a red apple is even considered as a lucky charm that will bring you fortune and joy.

For this project, I would like to imply the feeling of innocence. The photos should be able to radiate cuteness and innocence, both from the model and the object. However, I didn’t want to make it merely as a showcase of cuteness. I want to add some mysterious feelings and enigma in each of the picture.

I spent much time in planning the concept. The execution process took even longer time. I clicked my shutter buttons hundreds of time before getting the shoot that I really wanted. Among those of hundred pictures, I edited ten of them and submitted as my assignment.

In order to enhance the feelings of innocence and cuteness, I decided to decrease the clarity level of the photos in post-processing stage. I also soften the color so that it looks more artistic. Compared to my other works, I spent relatively longer time to work on this project, about three hours before completing the whole post processing stage. I managed to submit this assignment before the deadline, I once again I was pretty relieved to get beyond pass marks for this work.

Apart from this theme, I also managed to create other five sets of photos from this photo shoot. I’d like to share some of them in Squidoo whenever I have the time.

Some tips to help you finding good concepts in photography

Concept is also an important thing
Photography is not only about technical aspects. It is also about concepts and ideas. Sometimes, those ideas play more important role rather than the physical qualities of the photos. Thus, if you want to take great set of pictures, be sure to prepare a good concept. Note down any idea that you have in mind on a piece of paper. Try to select which one is the best, and correlate it with your resources. What I meant with the resources are your subject, your camera, and of course your skill as a photographer.

Discuss with your friends
Sometimes you may find a state where you can’t find any good concept at all. When this thing happen, it is the time to stop thinking and go outside. Have a nice time with your friends, and don’t hesitate to ask for their help, directly or indirectly. I personally find that having a casual chat with my friends in Starbucks can be a great source of inspiration. Listen to their story, their experience, and you might intentionally find a good idea for your photo shoots.

Meditation
Meditation and relaxation is another great way to find idea. The key of this method is to relax yourself, sit comfortably, and try to focus your mind on one thing. Breathe slowly, and don’t be stressed. Think as if you are in the middle of a jungle with no one around. I usually find that my mind becomes sharper after this meditation session and it is easier for me to find a good, fresh idea for my photography works.