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How to Hold a Watercolor Brush: 5 ways to Loosen Up by Getting a Grip

1-Classic    2-Pinch     3-Pass the pencil    4-Screwdriver   5-Conductor
Click to enlarge   Hold your brush like a screwdriver. It's an awkward way to hold a brush at first, especially for painting watercolors.

  I've used this grip in acrylic paintings and oil paintings. Its use in watercolor can serve several purposes.

  First, the limited range of control forces simplicity. Secondly, holding your watercolor brush in this manner gives access to broad "sketching" or "painterly" strokes. Thirdly, if your fingers shake or you have arthritis, you might consider altering your style by altering the way you work your tools.
Instead of a "controlled" approach to painting with the Classic grip, the Screwdriver grip forces a different "attack" of paint to paper. I would call it an organic and expressive way to paint.

  Notice the tight grip of the ring and pinkie finger, as well as the other digits.

  Roll your wrist while you let the side of the brush roll across the paper for some interesting texture.

  Useful for blocking in large, loose masses of paint in your paintings. Or as a complete technique in itself.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge   The motor control for this grip is in your wrist and arm and therefore limited. Your fingers are busy gripping the brush, so they act with the wrist.

  You'll be suprised by how much control you DO have and the action of painting while holding your brush this way is as artistic as it gets.

  Useful for quick expressive watercolor sketching en plein air or studio. Slapping and daubbing paint, and making grand curves are fun to do with this grip.

  Try it with a large flat watercolor brush.

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