the expensive brush I babied for two years finally betrayed me
My favorite flat brush, a Princeton Catalyst I bought at a workshop two years ago, the one I was so precious with I'd wash it twice and never let it sit in the water cup, finally shed a bristle today mid-stroke on a sky I was actually happy with. It stuck right in the middle of a cloud. I fished it out but the damage was done, both to the painting and my trust lol.
I know brushes wear out, that's what they do. But I swear I've been so careful with this one. Meanwhile the cheap multipack brushes I bought on a whim at Michael's are all still perfectly intact. Makes me wonder if I should just stop getting attached to nice supplies and treat everything as disposable. But then I think about how that Catalyst felt in the hand, how it laid down a smooth wash... ugh.
Anyway I guess I'm in the market for a new favorite brush. Anyone else ever have a tool breakup that stung more than it should?
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Oh I know this disappointment intimately. Two years of careful cleaning, never letting it touch the bottom of the jar, and then one day, trahison. And of course it happens on the part you were happy with. It's almost crueler that way.
I've had Catalysts shed before but never after two years of good treatment, that's frustrating. Sometimes I think the synthetic filaments just weaken with time and use in a way that natural bristle doesn't. The cheap ones are often so stiff they hold together out of pure stubbornness.
If you liked the shape and spring of it, you might try a da Vinci or an Escoda next time. Not cheap either, I know, but I've had better luck with them holding up. Or you can accept that brushes are like good friends, some leave you no matter how well you treat them. Either way, désolée for your sky.
Right?? The cruelty is the timing. I was actually feeling good about that cloud too, which I guess should've been my first warning lol.
You know I've never tried da Vinci, I keep seeing them mentioned but always talked myself out of it because the Catalysts were working so well. Might be time to branch out. Do you find they hold up longer?