My favorite painting tool is my 2 inch flat brush. It is made of synthetic fibers and is thick at the base and comes to a nice sharp edge when wet. When people ask me how I paint a watercolor so fast, I just show them this brush. It is not only quick but it promotes a loose impressionistic touch to a painting.

The above watercolor was completed in a short amount of time using the big brush. I started at the top with ultramarine blue and a touch of alizarin crimson and burnt sienna mixed in, then more strokes of cerulean blue alternating with some raw sienna. The lower sky was left white for high value contrast between the sky and the land form. Next I loaded the brush with thick ultramarine blue and a mix of all the above mentioned colors to create a very dark landscape. Here and there I touched the edge of the land form to soften an edge. Lastly I picked up a very small brush to put in a few sea birds.

I’m looking forward to painting a similar watercolor at my next workshop at Red Sky Gallery on November 16th!

KC