Owl U An Alien? No 2 and a mini review- Fabart interchangeable brush sets #Watercolor #WorldWatercolorGroup #Fabart

Yep.  Owls are definitely aliens sent to spy on us from Outer Space!

I used different mix ratios of  Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna throughout, with a touch of Winsor Newton Lemon Yellow  for the eyes.  It's a 6x6 inch Twinrocker paper.  My reference photo came from Pixabay.com.

What was fun about this one was that it's the first time I had used any of the brushes from my new Fabart interchangeable brush sets.  I learned about these on the FrugalCrafter website.  I've written a very mini review below, but if you really want to know more check out Lindsay's review.

The Fabart interchangeable brush set

Nothing I dislike outright.  There are a few things I wish were different.  I'll cover those first:

• the ferrules (the metal piece that hold the bristles onto the handle) don't seem very secure. They are what I would expect for this price range though.
• the interchangeable heads slide out of the bands in the wallet.
• the information included about the brushes was sparse. 
• The sizes are not identified (but are about 1/4 inch, except for the fan - about 3/4 inch). 
• Not all of the brush types are identified.  You have to guess which is which.
• There is nothing to show you how each type of brush is used. 

Now, with that out of the way, the things I do like:

• The price! Although there are only three brush handles, there are 12 interchangable heads, each of a different type of brush. While these are student quality, they are decent student quality and I think the set is well-worth the $24.96 price tag.
• The brushes can be used for most painting mediums.  Great for mixed media artists.
• The snap-close wallet they come in is awesome (despite the sliding problem with  interchangeable heads).  It's light and thin and will be great for carrying around.

• The brushes are of a medium softness, neither soft nor hard.  Sometimes you do specifically want one or the other, but these will be good for a wide variety of techniques.
• Two things that are important in watercolor brushes are the spring (the ability to spring back to their original shape) and the ability to hold water and paint.  These brushes do a decent job of both--far more than I'd expected they would for the price.  I won't be replacing my Kolinskys, but I will use these brushes often.
• The selection of brush heads.  The types of brush included in the kit are:

Round Brush, Filbert/Oval Wash, Bright Brush, Angle Brush, Liner Brush, Fan Blender, Flat Brush,
Rake Brush, Dagger Brush, Spotter Brush, Cat’s Tongue, Deerfoot Stippler

For the painting above I used the round and fan brushes. I've never played with fan brushes before and discovered that I can much more easily get the feel of those finest feathers with one.  I wish I had this set when painting my '52 Weeks of Watercolor Birds'.

Honestly, most people don't need all these brush types, but they are nice to have and fun to play with.  After using this set I may buy larger versions of some of them.  I'll be using them exclusively for watercolor, but they would be even handier for mixed media artists or art journalists.

Lindsay's review includes a video that shows you what the brushes can do.  If you have any interest, I recommend you check it out.