I didn't know there was a wrong Sumi brush to be writing with!
You see, years ago, when I first saw art Journalers writing with Sumi brushes, I hit my local art supply shop to grab one. The ones I found had brushes about an inch long and cost about $3-5. But when I got home and started working with it, I found it hard to work with because the brush didn't really maintain the tip after the first wide swirl of a letter. I thought I just needed more practice, and have been doing so ever since.
And have been for ages. Practicing, that is. But I'd still get frustrated. That is, until today.
You see, I saw a few pictures of some artists working, or just their supplies, and wondered why my brushes were shorter (both the brush and the handle) and didn't have a little loop at the end. So I took to the internet and soon found out there was a whole world of Sumi brushes I'd never researched!
I found one on Amazon that wasn't too expensive (and had a great review) and bought it during a bout of insomnia gift card shopping. This is the one I bought.
The difference is night and day!
This one keeps its shape after you do a deep, thick curve. It is easy to write with. I got great results after my first try and ended up spending a little more time than I budgeted for experimenting today.
I used India Ink since I didn't want to mix up any gouache, and worked on cardstock and newsprint. A bunch didn't work out (I would run out of room on the paper or just write words too big). I usually work by loading the brush and writing the WHOLE thing first, and then go over each word/letter slowly. This works great for me and my shaky hands!
I'm super excited to dive into my new work now that I have a proper brush! I already sold one of the pieces I shared on Monday! Woohoo!
The one on the far left was the first I did, which is why 'you're' is so much bigger than the other words!
I made B&W crops of the two quotes from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I've been connecting with a lot of spoonies on Tumblr and wanted to make pretty things for them! And if you haven't read that book, DO. One of the best books I've ever read...and the movie comes out soon!
