Break out the Good Brushes

Buying new brushes then putting them away for "later" seems to be a common practice among my painting friends, but perhaps not very practical.  I have a small drawer full of such brushes still in their packaging, waiting for that special painting task.  Today I finally broke through the barrier and got out several new brushes - #s 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, and 16 flats - as I started painting this gourd.  What a difference it made!  The paint went on so smoothly.

In addition to breaking out the new brushes, I actually threw the old ones away!  This is definitely a new leaf!

I would say that the painting I'm doing on this project is decorative painting, and it's really fun to get back to it.  No color mixing with the myriad of decorative acrylic colors, and all that fun floating - just like the old days.  This gourd is proving to be a delightful surface to paint on.  The ferns were a little daunting, but when I was done with them, I had enjoyed them so much that I wished I had sketched more than one clump.  But my design is pretty much set since I carved out the outline at the top of the painting area.  This was also a little bit new of a procedure as I didn't draw the design out first and then trace it onto the gourd.  I just went for it, right on the gourd - so bold!

The purples and blues I'm working with are downright luscious!  Can't wait for tomorrow's painting session.