"Here’s a tip I learned for keeping my  paintbrushes clean, when painting with acrylics:   

1. Fold a towel, lengthwise, a couple of times.  Place the towel  in the bowl you use to rinse your paintbrush(es).  (An old rag or a towel you don't care about.)   
2. When you dip your brush in the water to clear the paint, swipe your brush across the wet towel several times, and the residue paint will come off on the towel. 
3. When you change your water, rinse and wring the folded towel; place it back in your water bowl, and it is ready to use again and again. 

 I have found my brushes work better

and last longer.”   

My new favorite brush is "spotter 5/0.  This brush is excellent for doing detailed work. 

Check out the new brush information.   

As always, happy painting.  Don't you just love this stuff? 

Brush stoke techniques

Below is an excerpt from “My Goals As A Teacher,” By Lynda Cateura

An important lesson in painting is to learn the feel of the paint on the brush, to know how much paint is needed for a thick or thin application of color. The thicker the paint, the richer the darks, and the lighter the lights. Learn to hold a brush loaded with paint and still make a sensitive stroke so almost no paint comes off. If you aren't in total command of your brush and paint, you are not a painter. This is primary; trying to learn value and color is otherwise impossible.

Practice, while painting, to control the amount of paint that comes off the end of your brush. This is the heart and soul of painting.

Make each brushstroke describe your intention. Think before you use the brush. Load your brush with thick paint and let the brushstroke follow the form of the object you're painting, or stroke it on in the direction of the gesture, the body's movement. You might use the brush in a chiseling fashion, in short staccato movements, or as a conductor uses a baton. Always use the stroke that best describes the surface you're painting. And finish your brushstroke on the canvas. Don't lift the brush until the stroke is finished. Then lift it off for the next brushstroke to begin and end.

Start to paint seriously the moment you pick up a brush. If you begin by painting carelessly, with slapdash strokes, you'll find it difficult to move into more careful painting. 

Are you new to PBN's, and you are a little uncertain about getting started?

Here’s a suggestion:   

Read the hints on your instructions. 

1. Gather your water, toothpicks, and towels, for preparation. 
2. Review your paint chart colors, and browse your paint pots to become familiar with your colors. 
3. Most of the instructions tell you to start at the top of your painting, but I suggest you start with the first color.  If “1” is white, then start with “2,” because white is difficult to paint. 
4. Paint all of your “2's,” move on to “3's,” and so on.  (You will find it easier to keep your water clean, and you will be able to see your painting “come to life” faster, so to speak.
5. Refer to your numbers on your instruction sheet, as often as needed, and don’t let the shapes intimidate you. 
6. BUY yourself additional brushes because the one that came with your kit is good, but don’t be surprised if you get tired of working with just one brush.  (If you decide to buy others, look for something very thin; Script (0.0) is a good one. 

Have fun!  After a few hours, you will get the hang of it and forget you were skeptical about starting.  (If I can do it, I know you can!!!)