Well, June passed in something of a blur…. I had lots to do. Still have, for that matter, but work is not quite so pressing at the moment. So I’m picking up the threads of my blog, once more, and making time for some creative stuff. When I was in London in the middle of May, I did a whirlwind shop in Cass Art on Charing Cross Road – I think I may have mentioned this. I bought a few things I wanted/needed/had planned to buy, but of course if you’re a fan of art shops you’ll know how difficult it is to come out without something extra. On this occasion the extras included a set of Staedtler fineliners (and what a useful thing the fineliner is) and the subject of today’s post, a set of Derwent waterbrushes. You’ll see from the photo that I paid £7.50 for these.
A couple of days ago I got round to trying out the waterbrushes. I thought they would be useful for spreading a bit of water about when using the Inktense pencils. And I’m pleased to report that they are indeed useful for this. I had a bit of trouble at first working out how to take them apart. I know it sounds pretty dim of me, but I couldn’t see how to get the tops off at first. I pulled them about a bit, then realised you need to give the tops a twist and a tug, at the same time, and then the protective caps part company with the rest of the waterbrush, revealing the actual brush. I realised afterwards that they must have been designed this way – you need the top to fit pretty snugly otherwise any water in the reservoir could easily leak out. The brushes are made of white nylon, and come in three sizes – fine, medium and a broader chisel shape which is useful for covering larger areas. You unscrew the water reservoir, fill it with water and screw it back together again. Very easy. Then you give the flexible reservoir a gentle squeeze till a drop of water comes out, and away you go. It’s a very good product and a snip at £7.50.
I’m wondering about using them for bleach to lift colour off fabric, but I haven’t yet tried this. I suspect you might need an extra set to use for bleach only. I might shell out another £7.50 sometime and try this. Next post, I’ll write about the sketchbook work I was doing that involved the use of these waterbrushes.
Does anyone reading this have any experience of using the waterbrush? Do let me know if you have any tips to share.
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