Basic Paint Application: Applying Paint Without Brushes

Exercise: Applying paint without brushes

I loved this exercise, it was great fun. I used artist quality oil paints and hunted around the house and garden for various implements with which to apply the paint. I'd already used a palette knife in the 'conversation between marks' and really appreciated the thick smeary marks I could make with this in the acrylic paint. The oil paint was even better - it had a thick but smooth buttery texture and was wonderful to manipulate and play around with. I decided in this case to stick to a more limited palette than I had used with the previous exercise to try to give a bit of coherence to the end results.

Marks were made using then following: Rubbing paint on with a rag, a natural sponge. a scrubbing brush, a twig, bubble wrap, palette knives. a twig, a metal comb, a pasta cutter, a bottle brush and a credit card - oh and my fingers.

I must try to remember the joy of this exercise as I move through the course to give me a boost when the going gets tough.