Making Accurate Color Mixes

I prefer to brush-mix colors in much of my work; I like the variation. When writing instructions I often provide proportions for those who prefer to use them. If you struggle with mixing colors, the following methods can be used to consistently reproduce the desired hue.

Mixing small quantities

To mix colors you can measure the proportions in drops, for example, to create a 3:1 mixture squeeze three drops of the first color listed onto your palette paper then squeeze one drop of the same size of the second color and combine with your palette knife.

Mixing Large quantities

Using a ruler, apply lines at measured intervals to an address label. Make sure you have enough lines to accommodate the proportions for your mix; to create a 5:3:2 mixture, you will need ten lines with an equal space at the bottom. Adhere the label to a clean paint bottle, taking care to line up the edge of the label with the bottom of the bottle. Pour the first color listed into your paint bottle until the level reaches five parts. Add the second color until the level reaches the eighth line (three more parts),

Technical Savvy | Printing ePatterns

The hobby-painting world has gone digital making eBooks and eTutorials commonplace.  While it is nice to hold a print in your hand, the digital format has many advantages as well.  With an electronic painting tutorial you can view images, diagrams and text on the screen allowing you to enlarge to see smaller details and you can print the components on demand.  The advantages of receiving these items electronically include the ability to resize the pattern before printing and the ability to print directly onto vellum or transparencies. Following are tips on achieving optimal results using an electronic tutorial.

Floating Color

Floating color is a method where paint is applied to the surface using a side-loaded brush. Paint is picked up one edge of the brush and is then blended thoroughly on the palette until the paint has transitioned across the brush to gradually fade before reaching the opposite side. When side loading an angular brush the paint is always loaded on the long side or “toe” of the brush. The short side is referred to as the “heel”. The success of this technique relies heavily on choosing the appropriate supplies and just a bit of practice.

Painting a Perfect Stripe

Painting perfectly spaced stripes with crisp, clean edges can be a challenge. With these simple tips you can master wide or narrow stripes with ease.

Consistent spacing without measuring

Once you have decided what size(s) you would like for your stripes to be, purchase masking tape in these widths. Multiple widths are available for small projects at rebeccabaer.com. For home decor applications you can find a variety of widths in the paint department of the hardware store. Don't overlook abutting different widths to reach the desired size. For example, our narrow width tapes include 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8" sizes. Two adjoining strips of 1/4" tape make a 1/2" stripe. By combining sizes, any width is possible. The "stripe" tape can be reused to minimize waste.
Between your stripes there are spaces. Again, you will need tape matching this width.

All Brushes Are Not Created Equal

Just as ingredients can determine the success or failure in a recipe so can the tools you choose affect the outcome of your painting or crafting.  

Choosing the right brush for a task makes the exercise not only easier but more enjoyable and produces superior results.  Paint brushes are available in a wide range of prices and quality.  However, somewhere along the way stencil brushes have fallen into the cheap, poor quality category.  For some, the construction was so poor that they could be considered "disposable".  These are truly a case of getting what you pay for. On the other hand there just didn't seem to be a superior quality stencil brush to be found. 

Although countless samples, rejections and revisions were required there is a stencil brush worth buying! But first, a bit of history.  A typical stencil brush is created by grouping the bristles and then shearing off the end resulting in a flat stub.  While you might get by with this for a large, wide open motif, using such a brush will not produce the best results with a stencil of even moderate detail.  This is because the sheared end keeps the bristles on top of the stencil material.  Imagine trying to stencil using a block.  The block is going to rest on top of the stencil material and, if the open span of the motif is large enough, the block will make contact with the surface below in the mid-region but without making contact along an edge or into a corner. Finding a suitable stencil brush was made especially difficult because the stencils that I design are highly detailed and very intricate.

When I set out to develop a brush that not only worked with my stencils but also had a comfortable handle and quality construction I had no idea the road would be so long.  I felt a bit like Goldilocks testing sample after sample.  This one is too firm, that one is too soft, flat, cost prohibitive, the  list went on endlessly.  I have no doubt the factory was sharing my frustration.  It's not like I haven't developed a brush before.  The brushes we currently sell under our RB Classique™ & RB Au Sec™ series were all created under my direction.  The difficulty in developing the RB Artiste™ Stenciler series was the intricacy of my stencils. But persistence has paid off.

Our RB Artiste™ Stenciler series  brushes produce exceptionally crisp lines down to the finest detail. This is possible due to our unique feather-touch tips that are pure natural bristle.  And what about that comfortable handle that I mentioned above? Our new RB Artiste™ Stenciler has a short, contoured wood handle with a satin finish that offers a velvety feel.  If you give these a try I think you'll recognize the marked difference in quality compared to the bulk of the stencil brushes on the market.

I opted for numerical sizing because the brushes do not fall into an exact fractional size. The #4 is approximately 1", while the #2 and #1 are about 1/2" and a scant 3/8" respectively.

Are Duplicate Brushes Really Necessary?

You've been painting for years and are likely to have an enormous stash of brushes.  You've recently decided to expand your horizons and try a new medium.  Or perhaps you are just getting started and aren't sure which medium will speak to you.  You've heard talk that you should have a different set of brushes for each medium but you are hesitant--surely that advice is from a company or individual who wants to sell more brushes, right?  Well, as it turns out, no.  Keeping a separate set of brushes reserved for use exclusively with oils, acrylics or watercolors is good advice.