Change Your Brush, Change Your Look ~ The Art's Big Glass Of Wine

Tuesday, November 29th, 2022

Change Your Brush, Change Your Look

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Special note from the Editor: Be sure to check out our extended cyber week sale at PaintTube.tv for all of your favorite art workshops! You can save up to 75%! Happy shopping! ~CherieDawn

Mike Hernandez, "Illumination," gouache on illustration board, 8 x 10 in.

Los Angeles artist Mike Hernandez switched from rounds to flats and found that a change in his brush shape meant interesting brushwork and developments in his paintings.

"I went from a round sable tip to a half-inch flat sable blend watercolor/acrylic brush," says the artist. "I like the graphic simplicity and textures you can get with it."

Mike Hernandez, "Blue Giants in the Shadows," gouache on Bristol pad, 5 x 8 in.

The result is a look that suggests tiles of color. "I'm right in the middle of trying this out so there will be more realization to come, but so far I'm really enjoying the results," says Hernandez. "I'm also experimenting with color textures by loading the flat brush with more unmixed colors so that I can drag more texture and mix right onto the paper. The flat brush makes this more possible – at least for me. I suppose the rounds can do this too, but I don't like mixing too much texture with too many paintbrush strokes together. I can have lots of color texture while maintaining simple graphic shapes with the flat brush. It keeps the chaos balanced."

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Mike Hernandez, "Griffith Park," 2014, gouache on watercolor block, 6 x 6 in. This piece illustrates how his brush strokes in gouache allow the underpainting to show through "like a tapestry," according to the artist.

Hernandez has been experimenting with the brush and the technique in gouache, a medium in which he is particularly adept, and one that fits his lifestyle — he often paints on his lunch hour. But he looks forward to trying this with oil paints. "I like the freshness of gouache — that is to say that it works best when applied like a sketch. Every brush stroke is laid down and not overworked … allowing the underpainted wash to show through like a tapestry."

Terry Stanley, an artist and a brush expert with Jack Richeson & Co., says Hernandez's approach makes a lot of sense. "A flat brush allows the artist to create strokes with clean edges and corners," she says. "Laying the colors next to one another as opposed to blended together allows the viewer's eyes to do the 'mixing' and lends visual excitement to artwork."

Additional Paintings with Notable Brushwork:

Mike Hernandez, "Old Man Barn," gouache on illustration board, 8 x 10 in.

Mike Hernandez, "Nocturnal Sublime," gouache on illustration board, 6 x 7 in.

Mike Hernandez, "Rocky Scotland Coast," gouache on illustration board, 8 x 10 in.

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Learn more from Mike Hernandez with his PaintTube.tv art workshops, "Creating Drama with Light and Color" and "Design Powerful Paintings: Composition, Color, and Perspective." Preview them here and get your copy today!

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Watercolor Tip: How to Make Splatters with a Paintbrush

Richard Sneary, "Carrie Furnace #6," 2020, watercolor, 12 x 20 in., Collection the artist, Studio

Richard Sneary works on rough paper and sketches with a water brush and water-soluble graphite. He usually opts for a quarter sheet of watercolor paper, resulting in an image about 10 x 14 inches.

Sneary has three color palettes and chooses the one that best fits the logistics and subject matter of the day. One palette is smaller, designed for more nimble outings. Some of the more interesting paints on his palette are four greens, Azo yellow, lavender, cobalt teal, and a few neutrals. He prefers Chinese calligraphy brushes but also uses fan brushes, mops, and extended-point brushes from Rosemary & Co, which hold a lot of paint and water yet make a fine line.

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The above is part of a series featuring a leader in the art community who will be joining us on the faculty of Watercolor Live, a virtual art conference taking place January 26-28, 2023, with a Beginner's Day on January 25.

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