Every evening I leave one brush unwashed on purpose
This will sound like laziness, but kindly hear me out.
For the black outline work we use a fine brush, and the black we make ourselves from lamp soot and gum. It takes some time to prepare. If I wash the brush at night it goes stiff by morning and the tip loses that point, so I have to sit and shape it again before I can draw a single line. Instead I leave it flat in a shallow clay dish, just the tip resting in water, and cover it with an old saucer so the dust and the cat do not get to it. In the morning it is soft and ready and I can begin work straight away, before the tea even.
My daughter-in-law says it is a dirty habit and I should keep a proper jar. Maybe she is right. But I have been doing this since my mother's time and the morning is the only hour when my hand is really steady, so I do not want to spend it on the brush.
Curious, what is the one small thing you do in your work that would look careless to somebody watching but is actually deliberate?
2
2commentsSaveFollow threadShare
Ha, I read the title ready to disagree and then you explained it and I completely get it. The tip losing its point overnight is so real, I fight with that on my small detail brushes all the time. I've never tried leaving one resting in water like that though, doesn't the water creep too far up the ferrule and loosen things over time? Genuinely asking because I'd love a fix that saves me the morning reshaping.
Very fair question ji. In our brushes the ferrule is not metal like yours, it is thread bound over the bamboo, so the water does not travel up the same way. Still, only the tip should touch, no more than a quarter of the hair. If the water is climbing, your dish is too deep, keep it shallow. Tie the thread tight and it will hold for years. Try it on one brush only first, then you will know.