Brusho and Bleach

I have done 2 Brusho demonstrations in the last couple of weeks and the second one was certainly a challenge. They wanted a Winter scene which was fine as I had a few images I could choose from and settled on a photo my sister took in Central Park on one of her trips to New York. I have painted it in watercolour and once before in Brusho but a few years ago so decided to revisit it.

I used only 3 colours Crimson, ub and lemon and used my Confuscious Fude for the pen work adding wax here and there to reserve some of the snow with the plan that I would add some bleach towards the end of the painting to create a snowy effect.

That all worked quite well and here is the first effort

Quite pleased with it and obviously more time at home to step back and view from a distance etc etc.

I was then working on another piece I was preparing for an All Day Workshop I am running next week and realised my Bleach spray was broken (I use a 50:50 ratio bleach or Miltons to water) so I searched out another bottle and transferred it over.

And off I went to my demo....

I had drawn the image in pencil but wanted to show them the pen and how I use it and also the wax and then I started on the painting. All was going fairly well and although the colours were a bit intense I told them I had something up my sleeve to address it and all would be well lol!!

So I got my trusty bleach and gave it a good spray....the problem was it came out more like a stream and ended up bleaching a lot more than I bargained for which then meant a frantic rush at the end where I was having to paint into it a lot more than I would have liked. I did explain that the bleach had covered too much but when I held it up everyone seemed to actually like it and in fact some preferred it to the original.....

Anyway as I was doing some preparation for my workshop next week I decide to have a look at it with fresh eyes and I have worked on it some more today. I am quite pleased with it now as I think it has captured a very chilly feel to it, more than the first as the Ub bleaches to a more turquoise colour which is cooler and has worked to produce an icy feel.

So onto the pieces I have been working on today.

I am running an Autumn/Winter workshop and I have an image of some thistles I took a couple of weeks ago

I wanted to experiment more with the black as I don't use it a lot but really liked it when I used it with yellow for the nude I did here.

I have used it with turqouise, green, red but decide to try another colour I don't use that much...dark brown for this. I wasn't bothered about capturing the scene, I wanted more texture and part of the workshop is about using masking fluid with Brusho so more about adding a bg around the subjects.

I have also been working on another Winter scene for the same workshop which I haven't completed yet...more on that later.

So, again all was going well and I got to the stage where I decided to add some bleach, I realised that the spray gun was not switched to the right setting so hoping that would fix the problem...sprayed with gay abandon, and yes you guessed, took most of the painting away...again.... and the same with the winter scene I was working on. The problem is you don't know as you spray how much is enough as the bleach continues working for quite a few minutes after the initial contact...note to self, less is definitely more and I need to act with restraint!

Here is the painting after bleaching and a little work done to it

As you can see it still needs work to define the subjects a little more but I could now see where I was going and also added a touch of yellow to the mix.

This is the finished piece and it actually looks better in real life than on here which I have to say isn't always the case but this is a framer!!

Brusho Preparation

I am in the throes of preparing for an All Day Brusho Workshop to be held next week on the 23rd May. I know some people may think preparing for these workshops is a doddle but if you want to produce new work and teach it satisfactorily there is a lot of preparation behind the scenes not to mention the time spent with the admin work involved in the organisation in the first place!!

On the flip side it is a privilege to be able to do this for a living and while it may be time consuming preparing for days like this, the time I spend is fun and enjoyable so not like work at all...

The workshop is Brusho figures and I remember attending a session about 6 year ago run by Joanne Boon Thomas...check her out here Joanne Boon Thomas and she taught me a lot of what I know about Brusho and has done a lot to promote Brusho around the world.

What I have learned about Brusho since that day is how important choice of colour is when deciding on a palette for any particular painting. I find the complementary colours don't mix well producing quite dirty colours and muddying much more so than watercolour so limited palettes are even more important with Brusho. I also prefer to retain the texture and stop the mixing process early doors by carefully dabbing the mixes while still wet and preserving the attractive separation of pigments.

These are the paintings I have done so far, just 3 colours in each

I haven't finished my practice pieces yet maybe another couple to do then maybe an odd one without the line effect, but would be very interested to see which of these you prefer so far....

Did it Work?

I have been to the lovely Westhoughton Art Group this morning or WAG as they are affectionately know and they wanted me to do a Brusho workshop so I happily obliged. Joanne Boon Thomas had taken a lovely photo of some poppy seed heads which I have used a couple of times and I also have one from Richard Long on PMP so I used them both for reference.

I asked them all to select their palette first as I find with Brusho it is very easy to get muddy colours and a little time spent before is time well worth spending as it is so easy to get the colour choices wrong. Just 3 and at most 4 colours.

I did a quick drawing....I don't often draw with watercolour but find it more important with Brusho so I have some idea as to where to sprinkle the crystals.

I used lemon, purple, leaf green and turquoise... it's a combination I use quite a lot... first because I like it, second because I know the colours work together and third I felt it would suit my subject.

One of the members of the group had been doing his homework and told me of another way to apply the Brusho which he had researched yesterday on the internet and I have to confess I have seen this done but not tried it so today was the opportunity to give it a go. It involves lifting the lids off which doesn't sit well with me, then, using a dry brush, scoop up some Brusho using your brush to sprinkle onto the paper,  I have to admit you could certainly position the Brusho better on the paper than sprinkling from little holes on the tops of the pots, my two hesitations are unless you replace the lids IMMEDIATELY you risk tipping the pots over and getting Brusho everywhere and unless you use a different brush for each application, you risk contaminating the different pots.....

My piece is still a WIP but I have to say I thought it worked well and I think I will go back to this one and just add a few finishing touches...... something I rarely do with workshop pieces. But this one has promise, it needs a bit more in the bg I think but I hope it will be a lovely painting when it is finished..... what do you think?

Back in the Brusho "Zone"

Well to start with this is my second go at this....lost my way with the first having not played with Brusho for a while. I am always torn by whether to use Brusho or watercolour and watercolour always seems to win unless of course I am conducting a workshop and I need to get some practice in.

I have done 3 paintings this afternoon, and 2 not so good until this one which I am quite happy with. The first two were like warm ups to get me back in the zone. I really do need to work more with Brusho, as it is just so satisfying when you get a good result, the challenge being that it is so unpredictable.

I started with a quick sketch and didn't realise I had his nose too long (more of that later) so I plodded on and sprinkled and sprayed to my hearts content!! I keep meaning to photograph these as to sho step by steps but also keep forgetting... one day!! Anyway I painted a few bits negatively and a few positively and it was when I came to the details on his nose, it wasn't working and then of course I realised his nose wasn't right so out came the bleach which I also used with gay abandon and wiped out the right side of his face!!

As the other painting is on the back I had nothing to lose and by working further on pieces the likelihood is you will learn more even if they still don't turn out. In this case I was glad I did as I really quite like the final result....just three colours, orange, brown and a teeny bit of black.

Next will be to try with a different palette and maybe do one or two more animals as the next workshop I am thinking will have an animal theme...can't wait!!

Brusho Playtime

Continuing with the daffodils I decided to try Brusho... I love that stuff but tend to always gravitate to watercolour? Not sure why, anyway, I have a couple of workshops coming up so  thought I had better Brusho up my skills!!

I still have my bunch on the window so just used a single bloom and did two slightly different positions to get two fairly similar compositions and use slightly different colour schemes and techniques.

For the first I used Lime Green, UB, yellow, orange and scarlet and instead of creating a textured wash ended up with a smooth but colourful light wash using lots of water to wash away the crystals. At this stage I wasn't too keen as it seemed a little flat and uninteresting. I then worked in a more traditional watercolour way dropping colour in, washing away creating little channels of colour down the paper then also worked around the flower making negative, postive, soft, lost and found edges and I think it has produced a lovely soft fresh piece.

For this next one I swapped the scarlet for purple..... my thinking was it would give me more contrast with the yellow though I like the blue and blue/green I 've  used in the previous one.

I left the initial wash with more much texture stopping the mixing before it went too far and then worked more purple into the background against the yellow. I much preferred this one at this stage and it looked more like the normal Brusho work I do. I did go back in before the orange in the centre was dry and I think that is why I partly don't like it as much as it has got a little bit muddy around the flower and to me the flower head looks a bit overworked. I also haven't lost the edges on this........ no particular reason why.... but I think also adds to the feeling it is overworked. Hubby prefers this one by the way, says it has more going on... we are sooooo compatible!!

Preparing for the "All About Art Event" on the 25th July

Have started doing my prep over the last few days for the above event.....my brief is to run 3 x 45 minute Brusho workshops each for 30 people and the SAA usually like their workshop participants to leave with a completed painting.... have warned them that may not be the case with yours truly!!

There are so many tips and  hints to share with Brusho and the main thing is to get people to have a go with it, see what a fantastic medium it is and share a few way of using it. Having said that I have been working on a few fast and easy to complete pieces though not sure yet if they will be achievable in the timescale, still a few more days to work on things yet though...it's quick enough to get the initial impact of the first layers, it's the building up to a finished piece which takes the time.

Here are a few of the things I've been working on

I've had to choose the colours we will be working with which is why there isn't much variety of colour with these and I will have to decide what I'm going to do and as you will all know by now decisions aren't my strong point!! Anyway will be spending a bit more time on this before I decide and it may not be any of the above I will be doing!!

An unexpected Brusho workshop wih the lovely Joanne!!!

The second "proper" workshop (the first two were at my own group and where I cut my "teeth" so to speak!!!) I ever did was at Westhougton Art Group or WAG as it is affectionately known and since then I have been fortunate enough to have been asked back on many occasions and I am also invited to attend their sessions when they invite guest tutors... I know, am a very lucky girl!!!

Anyway this morning it was Joanne's (this is the link to her facebook page) turn to entertain the troops and I thought I would pop along, I haven't been to a Joanne workshop for a while so nice to get a "fix"....have been too busy with my own but a little rest-bite at the moment so heaven sent opportunity.

Now don't ask me why but I only took watercolour stuff and guess what she was doing... yes Brusho!!! So I begged, stole and borrowed (mostly from Joanne... thanks Jo!!) and got some equipment together so that I could join in.

With Brusho everyone produces different work which is one reason I love it and I know Joanne feels the same, as she likes to give the tools and skills to people so that they can continue to work independently. For this workshop, we had a very simple black and white predrawn reference image so not much drawing or detail, the idea being we would work to produce our own flower garden in front of cottage nestled amongst the trees.....I used some colours I hadn't tried before as Joanne has a bigger range of colours than me... interesting about the cobalt blue I chose for the sky as it was very turquoise and not at all what I was expecting. We used the medium in a variety of ways as Joanne wanted to show the group how versatile it is and how using it in different ways produces different effects.

Once again as I watched Joanne work I am reminded of how she is a master (or mistress???) of the finishing touch and how I am grateful for what she has taught me... lets face it there is no way I would be running Brusho workshops if it weren't for Joanne and the knowledge she has so generously shared both with me and her many other students. 

As an aside I would never use the same images or subjects in my own sessions, that would be totally unethical (and also very lazy!!), what I do use are the tips,techniques and skills to incorporate into my own subjects and then deliver in my own way....my own work I find is less subtle than Joanne's,  as many of you know, me and subtle don't get on and I think that has something to do with the fact that particulary with watercolour, my technique relies more and more on picking paint up directly from the palette, mixing on my brush and creating the wash on my paper rather than in the palette.... I never know how rich the colour is going to be but all adds to the excitement!!

Anyway here is my painting, have to say I was quite pleased as I liked the colours.....made a mistake in adding the trees to the left... thought I had sprinkled  a yellow and as I sprayed it, realised it was red!!! But I actually liked it as it dried and felt it helped pull the painting together.

3rd Birthday!?!?!

Well just after actually.....it was my blog's 3rd birthday on the 30th March but I have had a lot going on not to mention my son and his partner emigrating to Switzerland so no time for blogging am afraid!!

As many of you will know I have had a lot of workshops since the New Year so all is going really well with more bookings coming in each week... I was looking over the last 3 years since I retired and things have got busier and busier so I am definitely not complaining!!

I do have some really exciting news to share hopefully in the next few days, so watch this space!!!!

In the meantime just thought I would reminisce a little as as well as sharing a couple of new paintings and would post some significant pieces (in my mind at least!!) of the past!!

My last post was about daffodils and here is a new WIP

I am liking how this is progressing but still need to work on it a bit more

Then a painting I have done before of a house in Kirkby Lonsdale by the river but this time with a completely different palette

and finally we received a beautiful bunch of flowers and this was a little interpretation of them

I don't get a lot of chance to work on my own pieces when I have a lot of workshops as I spend time preparing for them and working on pieces I can deliver to 15 or 20 people.... preparing for workshops, I am constantly thinking about the best ways to share the techniques and skills and how to get the information across in the easiest way and I also need to be able to do the paintings fairly quickly as most sessions are only 2 hours.

So what about the last 3 years... I have done quite a few exhibitions including a solo one in Garstang, a craft fair, Watercolour workshops, Brusho workshops (including a fab day jointly running a session with Joanne Boon Thomas) demos, opened and judged exhibitions, I've done commissions including one for a church entrance foyer....... I have also become a PA with the SAA and had a feature published in their November "Paint" magazine.

So what for the future? Well, I have to say it is the teaching I really love. I have been invited to a lot of new places this year so I am hoping to build on that for both this year and next and travel further afield especially further South, Wales and Scotland!!!  Any groups and societies out there who would like a demo or workshop... wherever you are do get in touch and I will see what I can do!!! I am about to run an all day session in Wrexham so I am hoping that will open some new doors too.

I continue to work on my style and technique learning all the time and am lucky enough to be attending a 2 day workshop with Fabio Cembranelli on the Summer... I know..... amazing!!!

Now for a few blasts from the past

I was really delighted with this, not only because I really liked how it turned out but because it also raised £100 for the Poppy appeal... I will certainly be doing something similar in the future....

This was my first attempt at all wet in wet... ie wet the front, back and front again so the paper is literally sopping wet, quite different from how I usually paint and certainly a challenge but so rewarding when it works and creates the most beautiful effects.

I did this at the joint Brusho workshop Joanne and I held near St Helen's and rather liked how it turned out... demo pieces aren't always the best but this one worked well and I liked it better than the practices I had done previously... just shows practice makes perfect!!

Finally 2 paintings of Archie, our little Grandpup who is now a little Swiss dog!! He's having fun exploring his new surroundings walking his little paws off...he's such a clever friendly boy, he will be charming all the Swiss residents and whipping those Swiss pups into shape!!!

So my art journey is taking lots of twists and turns and I no longer worry, think or concern myself with the destination... I soon came to realise it is the journey which is important and as long as I am loving every step I don't need to worry about where I'm going!!

On a final note... thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my blog, the numbers are constantly climbing though for the best part unless people leave a comment  I have no idea who you are but thank you anyway and I hope you enjoy and continue to follow me on my path.

Running my First ever Brusho Workshop!!

Lodge Artists in Chorley contacted me a few months ago to ask if I would lead an all day Brusho workshop for them... they had bought Joanne's Dvd and were keen to do more... some had tried it out others were "virgins" but all raring to go!!

I have to admit I was a little anxious as Brusho has a mind of it's own and I was hoping I would have the courage to go with the flow as Joanne has taught me!! I have been waiting to add this post as some of the ladies from the group had taken photos for me and I received them yesterday. I was so cross with myself as I had forgotten my lovely new camera... no excuses really except that I had so much "stuff" to remember, I even made myself a list!! The camera was there on the side just waiting to be picked up and of course I rushed out without it!!

I had done some practices of what I thought we could do, though I have Joanne's DVD I felt it was only right to do my own exercises so after I had shown them some of the ways to use the product we dived in and started a floral... this was the one I was aiming for and one I had done earlier.

I had taken lots of floral images and was delighted to see the group embrace my philosophy of applying the techniques to their own paintings and I was so impressed by what they did!!

These are just a few of the vast selection of Brusho paintings, as you can see not all finished but all looking very promising!!

This took us through the morning session and in the afternoon I did want us all to have a go at the same image as I was showing more techniques on this.... again I was blown away by the efforts, I always encourage people to choose their own colours especially when we are all doing the same image... colour choice is one way someone can inject that little bit of themselves into something and I like it when people create something quite different to mine. Not difficult with Brusho by the way!! This was the image we were painting

A photo I took about 5 years ago of a delightful cottage in the Lake district and here is the painting I had done to show them the sort of thing we were aiming for

I didn't get chance to finish either of my paintings during the session but am pleased to say they were looking ok and when I get chance I will go back and complete them.

About 15 minutes before we finished, Polly who organised the session suggested we had a small showing of all the paintings.. this was such a good idea as I had no idea how much work they had all produced on the day and how really good it all was..... seeing it altogether gave such impact and I have to say there wasn't a bad piece to be seen.. as you might imagine we were all hugely delighted (some of us also relieved!!).

Here is a selection of what was on display

As you can see great variety and hopefully lots of tips, skills and techniques taken away for the group to use in the future if they decide to have another go and for me..... a great time and what I hope was a very successful session!!

Don't forget for anyone who wants access to the tips and secrets of Brusho, Joanne's DVD and book are available to purchase here

New Brusho Workshop with Joanne Boon Thomas

I arrived bright and early at Sunshine House (where I will be running a series of 4 "Loosening up" workshops in March... details to follow) for a one off workshop with Joanne. As ever Joanne brought new ideas and techniques to the session which was great for me as I have already attended quite a few Brusho workshops. All creative ideas go to Joanne on these paintings.

What I did want to talk about in this blog is how workshops don't always bring out the best in us, at least not at the time... how we often put pressure on ourselves not only maybe to please and impress the tutor but to actually produce that oh so elusive masterpiece and although I have produced a couple of very pleasing pieces at workshops, in general it is rare and really not to be expected.

A good tutor should fill you with ideas and enthusiasm, as both Jean and Joanne have done with me so that I may not produce "the one" at the workshop but I will come home and be inspired to put their techniques, energy and passion into my own work in my own way..... what you actually do on the day is slightly irrelevant... what you learn on the day to take away is paramount!! So excuses made for my efforts at the Brusho workshop.... here is what I did!!

This first one was from one of my own photos of poppies in the garden from last year and isn't finished yet but can already see there are a few muddy bits but I can use some bleach to lift in parts so not a lost cause with this .

 I think this was the best piece I managed on the day using some slightly different ideas... less is more with Brusho and again, possibly  bit heavy handed in parts but again a touch of bleach might just do the trick.

 This piece was altogether trickier, we created a variegated wash which wasn't an easy technique and I have used bleach in parts but again heavy handed to the bottom where you can see the muddier mixes.. a creative crop may be the way to go with this one!!

So I think this illustrates exactly what I'm talking about where I "could have done better!!" But I am certainly not despondent, rather inspired and excited to continue on my Brusho journey as the potential of this medium is phenomenal!!

Anyone who might be interested in buying the DVD and E-book which will answer all your questions can purchase it here

Will I do it? Day 20 and 21!!

Well not sure if I will make the whole 31 days but am not giving up yet!! I may not get chance to paint much next week as we are having a bathroom fitted so who knows what disruption that will cause!! Might get a bit more done tomorrow.


So have been painting 4 pieces this afternoon, one Brusho and 3 florals... two I haven't finished as I need to come back to them and decide what to do next and two are finished... not huge, 15x 11 but full paintings.

This floral was a trial for a beginners workshop I am running in March, am pleased I've done it as I think it may be a touch tricky... the petals are too big and two many colours in them and so I will try and find an image with more but smaller petals....they will be easier to "colour" in I think, I might stick with the red if I can find one as it makes a change from yellow. As you will see this isn't my usual style but because I am gearing it towards beginners I need to use some basic techniques but still paint something which am hoping will give them a good result and I wanted  to try something different to a still life or simple landscape so a bit more work to be done before I decide exactly what we will be doing but getting there!!

The next piece is more Brusho practice... from my own photo taken a few years ago in the Lake district....can see the error of my ways in this but not too unhappy... think I will
 try a different colour scheme as this is similar to the other Brusho cottage I painted.... am off to a workshop with Joanne on the 2nd Feb so slowly but surely hoping to get to grips with unpredictable medium.

Don't forget if you want to learn more about Brusho, you can get Joanne's book and DVD here. There is also a little trailer to give you a taste of what you can expect!!

Leslie's Blog

Review of Brusho Secrets Book and DVD by Joanne Boon thomas

I don’t really know quite where to start with this as the two publications have “brushoed” me away!!!!

So in terms of a proper review here are a few of my initial observations….

First,  both DVD and Book… extremely professional, very well edited, coherent commentary and instruction, exceptional images, wonderfully illustrated with splashes of colour so well incorporated into the body of the book… hope you are getting the picture…now for my review!!

I was so excited to get my copies of book and DVD and started on the book first…. As with any publication which captures me, food, housework (not that I often partake in that shady occupation!!) all went to the dogs and I settled down to follow Joanne’s journey with her beloved Brusho for that is exactly what the book is, a journey, where she takes you slowly, simply and carefully through the various steps she has taken years to learn, to help us on our way to successfully using this beautiful medium. 

 

As with her videos, Joanne’s writing is easy, clear and uncomplicated, but, very well thought out, and it sounds just as if she is talking to you……she makes everything really, really clear so together with the stunning illustrations of the many, many studies, and demonstrations  you cannot fail to make progress with this fabulous medium. Speaking of the demonstrations, each one made me feel it was thoroughly achievable…. there is comprehensive instruction and meticulous illustration at each stage so exemplary execution of step by step demos (can certainly learn a lot from this for my own very amateur attempts!!) which I feel sure will help tremendously when you get to do some practice. 

The other thing Joanne shares are all her techniques, the softening technique she uses both for Brusho and watercolour, her use of light and dark, the splattering, use of wax, bleach, too many to mention here but let me assure it would seem no stone has been left unturned in this fabulous publication. I do in fact have only one negative comment to share about the book and that is having been rather  pro e-books,  I have to confess I really want to see this as a hard copy… I somehow want to feel the book, to see it in full glory and see the full impact of the colour illustrations, to show it off on my coffee table, but then I am a bit of a book fiend… I have all my childrens’ books and still have some I bought and never ended up giving!! 

And now to the DVD.  To start with I really can’t say which I prefer, I am lucky enough to have both (there is a special deal if you buy both together) and wouldn’t be able to say yes it’s the book you must have or no it’s the DVD… I usually watch a DVD then refer to the book but this DVD shares some different demos than the book so adds to the value!!  Although I have been on several brusho workshops with Joanne I have sometimes been left wondering… now what did she do then and how did she do that? I do remember a lot of what I see and do in a workshop but there are inevitably bits I forget and would be nice to have Joanne living here just to ask her those little queries… well that’s where this DVD comes in… it’s like having Joanne in your home telling you all the things you might just have forgotten. The DVD follows a similar format to the book and builds up with a host of simple exercises where you are encouraged to play and get a feel for how much product and water to use. There is also a really useful recap screen at the end of each chapter where all the hints, tips and instructions are shared for that particular chapter. 

If you buy the DVD what will become clear is Joanne’s talent… you will see how she builds something up and more importantly how she finishes something off, something I know I drone on about a lot… I believe that is the main difference between the pro artists and we aspiring ones… they know what tiny little bit of paint is needed to transform a painting and you will witness this time and again in this DVD.   I was most impressed with the snowy painting which is building up nicely and suddenly Joanne transforms it and the whole thing comes alive… you need to see it!!!! There are some wonderful florals and I was also hoping a nude would be included  (which it is) and though it is a more advanced painting it concludes the DVD and will certainly  leave you yearning to paint it.

I think it is very clear that not only do I like this new book and DVD, I am in awe of the written, spoken and illustrative content… I do know that both book and DVD were only in the initial planning stages at the start of the year and to have created something as professional and complete as this especially in the time scale is an amazing feat and all credit must go to Joanne Boon Thomas and to Art Tutor who have collaborated wonderfully well.  Nothing has been held back from producing two of the most comprehensive,   instructional, attractive pieces of art publications I ever have seen and read (and believe me I’ve seen a few!!) and I am absolutely certain that if you were to buy this book and DVD you would not only be thoroughly inspired to try this tantalising medium but  it would also give you the tools to produce some paintings you might only dream of!!!

If you would like to buy these wonderful products here is the link…Brusho Secrets

Brusho Workshop with Joanne Boon thomas

Have had a really brilliant day at a Brusho workshop led by

Joanne Boon Thomas

Some of you may know of Joanne as she has just done a series of DVD's

Expressive Watercolour Florals

for the Art Tutor venture

Art Tutor

Here is a link to the Brusho Secrets website where you can also get Joanne's recent Book and DVD about Brusho... check my review you won't be disappointed!!

You will find some of her demos on youtube.... she's had about 50,000 hits in a very short space of time and can assure you the DVD's are excellent as I have previewed some of them on ID&P.

So what is Brusho...... it's an interesting product....... a powder pigment which sort of explodes when sprayed with water.... as you can imagine I was just a little bit excited (well more like beside myself!!!) when I saw all the effects you could achieve with this stuff.

Joanne has a very easy, encouraging style,  her passion for watercolour shines through and her enthusiasm for this product was infectious....... not that I needed much encouragement!!!! It is a very versatile but unpredictable medium so the whole workshop was punctuated by lots of ooohs and ahhhs, not just from me by the way, and Joanne generously shared hints and tips which she has taken years of experimenting to discover. Thank you for that Joanne.

Just a few photos of the day. Joanne guided us through a few ways of applying the pigment to the paper and we then went on to do one or two washes, just playing and learning how to use with the water.   The next demo was a floral using an initial wash of brusho showing us how to build up the details with negative painting, splattering and the odd application of bleach,. The final piece was a woodland scene. Although brusho very much lends itself to florals Joanne wanted to show us it can be used for any subject..... the effects are brilliant and even though some of us did overwork and as always it wasn't as easy as Joanne made it look can see there is endless potential in this product and will definitely be adding it to my very limited repertoire of medium which at the moment comprises watercolour, watercolour and more watercolour!!!

This was my go at the floral.... tulips, more work needed on this but think you can see them developing, especially top left. Have used bleach and wax crayon on this and I am liking how this is going so will see what develops.....

Finally the woodland scene... not sure about this as it is, but the beauty is I can go back in especially now it is dry and keep working it for as long as the paper will stand it. The bleach is a revelation and can be splattered, applied with a brush and then painted over and can rescue those oh so annoying painted over white bits!!!!!!! Forgot to say, brusho can also be mixed to use like watercolour but one of the main differences is the vibrancy you get. As you will all know watercolour fades as it dries whereas there is much less fading with this from the initial application so all in all am a very happy bunny today!!!

Big thank you to Joanne, her workshop was fun, relaxed, informative, I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed myself!!!