Brayer Technique

I use a brayer - usually a 2" one - to apply paint when my collage is getting too busy and I need a bold, fresh start. It not only covers an area quickly, but it emphasizes the texture of the collage, thereby not "wasting" any of the material underneath. I also use it to lift the paint, so that I can build layers gradually. Here is a video demonstration:

Friday Drawing Practice, Drawing Through Freezer Paper

Hello, and welcome to the fourth post in the Drawing Practice Series. Today we're going to explore a kind of "gesture drawing", in which you work quickly and try to capture the gesture and volume of the object you are depicting. I chose my iron, just because it was handy.


In gesture drawing, you look at the object and at your paper, but instead of trying to capture the precise outlines or contours, you use your lines to capture more of the attitude of the object. In the following video I did speed up the gesture drawing a little, so it wouldn't take too much time, but I am definitely working quickly. I first do a drawing directly in my sketchbook. Then I draw on the back side of freezer paper that has been coated with black acrylic paint. The effect is interestingly textural.



This is the first gesture drawing:

This is the drawing on done with freezer paper:


Thanks for visiting! Hope you enjoy this practice.

Don't forget to go over to the Sketchbook Challenge today for my April theme.