The Stab
In the approaches to getting paint to paper interestingly with watercolor brushes this one can make your brush cringe. Sometimes you have to use your brush in ugly ways to get beautiful texture. You will muscle through different ways of scumbling, and pushing paint as you splay the hairs of your brush in an un-nice manner. Only press to the heel of the brush hairs, don't let the ferrulle mar the paper surface.
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Start by pre-mixing puddles of color on your palette. Due to the graphic nature of this approach (no pun intended) you may want to use an old brush to practice this technique.
Load your brush with color and take a gentle "stab" at the paper. Watch your brush and notice the fanning pattern of the hairs as you push it into the paper.
Although it looks otherwise, this is not a violent stroke. You have no intent but to find some new technique.
Notice the steeper angle of attack.
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Continue poking around on your paper, adding a twist or spin to your stroke by rolling your brush in your fingers as you paint.
Experiment with angles of attack to find the best spreading point for the brush you are using.
Consciously try to shape the hairs as you press a stroke into the paper. Give it a little wiggle while the brush hairs rest on the paper to make them align.
Try a slow motion stroke—tipping your brush so the pressure point is on the tips of the hairs. This presses more paint into your paper, making a more defined stroke.
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Rinse and switch colors and/or brushes. Continue to practice spreading and twisting your brush, building texture across the paper.
Look for organic shapes and textures as you allow your strokes and colors to overlap and blend.
This is another example of a what is considered a painterly stroke.
The "Stab" technique works best in conjunction with other brush strokes unless all you need is texture for your painting.
Be kind to your brush afterward.
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