I'm a new painter and am looking for an article, post or what-ever, that introduces the 2" Blender Brush and why it is better than the normal 2" background brush. I've done a quick scan through the 31 series and haven't found anything on it. There is very little on it in the BR "New Joy of Painting" book. I hope someone can point me to something please. I have done my 1st Project painting and have ordered full set of brushes and 200mL tubes.
2" Blender Brush
DaveJ I saw Bob used blender brush only in one episode (some later season episode). I will not remember which one. But what I saw from video that was most probably goat brush which has very soft bristles and you cannot beat hell out of it. It will be destroyed quickly. Since you got all the supplies and normal two inch brush I would recommend not to spend money on the blender brush yet. That brush is very gentle and requires a lot of care, I have goat brush not BR brand though, i only clean it with water and soap AFTER I washed it with paint thinner, and clean paint thinner again. I also apply a drop of baby oil to the bristles as conditioner to extend it's life.
Buck Paulson( i hope i wrote his name right) uses very soft brushes for blending. Check this episode: https://youtu.be/lBJfB8tYwkM
He calls his brush bunny brush.
Dear Dave, I have such Bob Ross blender brush but, like Sunnylady said, it is not used very often by Bob. It has indeed very soft hairs which are a little shorter (for better control) then the normal brushes.
I clean them with paint thinner yet it is very difficult to get dry. So on most paintings, you can only use it once else the paint thinner will react with liquid clear and similar.
The effect on a canvas is not bad but I like the 1 or 2 inch brushes better for blending. It does require a very gentle and steady hand then!!
Good luck!
- Edited
Hello Dave, the blender brush is my favourite of all Bob Ross brushes. It's not better than the regular 2 inch brush, they are both completely different brushes and have different uses. The regular 2 inch brush will apply paint to large areas quickly and easily, you wouldn't use the blender for that job. The blender brush is brilliant for where a light delicate touch is needed for blending colours together on your oil painting, or blending away thickness in the paint to create a lighter more delicate effect. I couldn't make a half decent cloud until I discovered the blender, but other people do. It's great for painting with as well. Tap gently into the tiniest amount of paint and then tap on to your painting to make a misty effect at the base of waterfall for example, or to apply a fluffy misty cloudy effect in front of a mountain without disturbing the under layers. Some people can get results like that with other brushes, but I prefer the blender for that job. The blender is very soft and has a fragile feel to it. When it's new you can have issues with it shedding hairs, a lot of hairs, which are fine and a devil to pick off a wet painting, both of mine did it a lot, I thought there was something wrong with them, but after having used them several times they have now settled down and they are a joy to use. Don't beat the devil out of your blender brush, rinse it in odourless paint thinner, stroke it gently across the beater rack and then wrap it in paper towel and squeeze it until almost dry, then unwrap and leave it to air dry. Because the blender is only used very lightly and it can be wiped on paper between uses, I only ever need to wash my blender once, at the end of the session. That's what I do, it works for me. You don't really need a blender brush to paint Bob Ross style, you can manage without it, but I love mine. Hope that helps.
https://youtu.be/5AvsPKXiRQI
DaveJ on “blue ridge falls” he uses the blender to creat mist for waterfall, around 16 min mark; otherwise the eye of the wave is good time to use the blender. Happy paintings!