It’s summer and artists around the globe are packing up their tabouret into a compact backpack or duffle bag to hit the road for a little plein air painting excursion.
Unless you plan to make your painting trip a combination artist-retreat-military-exercise combo, you need to lighten your load wherever possible.
Not only should you pare down your supply list to the bare minimum, you should consider investing in supplies that are specifically made with the plein air artist in mind.
Of course, this can be a pricey proposition, and like most starving artists, your dollar only stretches so far. As your budget allows, build your plein air painting kit so you’ll be spending your efforts on painting and not lugging heavy, bulky and cumbersome gear into the field.
One good investment that you’ll use in both the studio and on the road is a set of travel brushes. When you’re in the studio, you don’t concern yourself with weight or compact design. However, when you’re trekking through the wilderness every ounce and inch you pack counts.
Da Vinci has been producing quality artists’ brushes through three generations of craftsmen. Combining the latest in technology with the skill of master craftsmen, they produce brushes for every level of artist in a wide range of prices and materials.
Da Vinci Series 1573 Size 6 Cosmotop Spin Round Travel Watercolor Brush ASIN: B00409FCLE
These compact and sleek synthetic brushes are designed with the traveling artist in mind. Not only are they short, they are designed to be self-storing to keep the bristles safe and secure. The brush unscrews, and you merely reverse the end to store the bristle end of the brush in the threaded plastic handle. There is an air hole in the end of the shaft, so the damp bristles will dry perfectly.
The master craftsmen who produce these brushes use the same care, workmanship and quality materials to create these brushes as they do with crafting a top of the line brush. Five different diameter synthetic hairs come together to give this instrument the same working characteristics of the highest quality Kolinsky brush.
This line of brushes is capable of holding more water than any comparable synthetic, and it has the resiliency and spring action that will have you believing it’s a high-priced Kolinsky. You’ll only need to try one of these clever and high quality brushes to be convinced that this line is a winner you’ll want for your tabouret as well as your backpack. The Cosmotop Spin Travel Brush is available in nine sizes, including Size 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12.
