Drawing the Line

Or in this case, painting the line.  My favorite brush of all, the one that I use the most, is the liner brush.  The tip is about a half inch long and is about the same width as a pen tip.  You can paint almost anything with it, it just takes a long time because it is so small.  If you do not have patience, THIS IS NOT THE BRUSH FOR YOU.

In this painting...


the liner brush is perfect for the marsh grasses in the background and midground.  Highlights on the marsh add depth to the painting by making it look more textured.  A dip in a mixture of Viridian Green, Raw Umber, Titanium White, and Raw Sienna, and a gentle flick of the brush, and a blade of grass springs to life. Now just repeated the process for each blade you wish to paint.

The line where the marsh grass meets the mainland, is also done with the liner brush.  A hint of added browns and shadow brings this layer of grass to the front of the painting pushing the background into the distance.  I must admit that the foreground looks quite plain now that the back in textured.  This will change in the weeks to come.

~The Anonymous Bard 12/14/11