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What makes a good quality paintbrush

ImageThe following will help you understand what makes a good quality brush:

Hair
Just as they were in the past, artists' brushes are still crafted by hand. Brush makers hand “cup” the hair to shape, so that each strand falls into place, giving the brush a fine tapered point or a clean, straight edge.
Hair is the most important and expensive part of the brush.

Most hair types vary in quality. For example, all bristle hair is not the same; there are many different grades. The better grades offer unique properties which enable them to hold more color and retain their shapes. Remember that a better quality hair makes a far better brush, and a better quality tool makes painting easier and more enjoyable.

Ferrule
This is the metal band which holds the hair to the handle. Nearly all of the brushes we sell at Hampton Photo Arts have nickel-plated, seamless ferrules, so they will not rust or split.

Construction
Hair is positioned within the ferrule to give maximum snap or responsiveness without going limp. This often means that as much as twenty five percent of the hair falls inside the ferrule or is trimmed at the back end, to allow secure fastening of the handle. The hair is thoroughly glued to the ferrule. The glue “seals” the ferrule, preventing any seepage of water or medium into the brush. Gluing the hair to the ferrule also prevents shedding of the hair.

Handle
Different hard woods are used, depending on where the brushes are manufactured: domestic or overseas. Handles are proportioned to balance in your hand and to give you more control. Three layers of lacquer and varnish are used to protect the wood from swelling and to shield the finish from cracking.

Handle Length
Generally the long handle, about 9” in length, is for easel work/traditional oil and acrylic painting. A short handle, 5” to 6” in length, is for watercolor and other painting done at a table.

Size
Using an appropriately sized brush head will save painting time and premature wear. Use of smaller size brushes, below size 4, are usually for detail work, medium sizes, 4 to 6, are for small areas, and large size brushes, above size 6, are for broad spaces.
 
Canvas Printing

Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print  is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own.

 
Art Prints – How are they made?

Image
Photography by Laurie Barone-Shafer
Nowadays just about anyone can take a good quality photographs with a digital camera. Or take a few hundred pictures and the chances are few will be good, and even one or two outstanding.

Here are a few tips, tricks and techniques on how to make art print poster ready photographs and print ready digital files. Don’t get overwhelmed, there is a lot of information here, but a lot of it is just intuitive. Well, a bit of patience will always help.

First thing – Photo Size

If you taking a digital photo of you family or friend the largest size you would print is usually 5 by 7 inches, maybe 8 by 10 at the most. Even small size digital photographs (2MB or less) are ‘good enough’ to create a decent print. But if you want to create prints that are 16 by 20, 20 by 24 inches or larger you need more pixels (in pixels 20 by 24 inches photo is actually about 40 times larger than 3 by 4 inches photo assuming they have the same resolution).
 
Learning to Paint Watercolors

Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art.  Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes.  Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more.

Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough.  Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added.  Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture.  Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists.

Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper.  Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper.  Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable.  Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets.  The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired.
 
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