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View Full Version : Unloaded oil brush as blending tool?



Trex 550 Pilot
09-06-2016, 04:28 AM
Hi! So, I think I read somewhere that you can use the oil brush as a blending tool for paint that is already on the canvas if you simply turn the loading down to 0%. I find that this works only part of the time, unfortunately, and I don't know if it's a bug, or just not very well implemented. If I just dab the unloaded brush onto a bit of color that is on the canvas, I can see the bristles leaving speckles in other nearby colors but I'm not sure how it's deciding which colors to apply. Other times, I dab the brush and nothing happens even after repeated dabbings. I have auto-clean set to ON, but I've noticed that turning it off doesn't seem to make any difference when the loading is set to 0%. Sometimes I can put my stylus down, apply a bit of pressure and move it around on the canvas and mix colors together while leaving nice bristle trails, but, often times when pick up the brush and move to an adjacent area and then repeat the process, nothing happens again. It seems to work on a random basis. Why is that?

I really enjoy ArtRage, but I wish it had more flexible options for blending paint. The palette knife is my usual go-to tool for blending and mixing on the canvas, but the hard edge shapes it leaves behind are very limiting. The stippled effect I get with the "wet" variant of the knife is interesting, but tends to blur a bit too much too quickly. I think what I'm looking for is something like a sponge tool, or maybe crumpled tissue paper, if that makes sense? I think the oil brush at 0% loading would produce results closer to what I'm looking for if it was only a bit more consistent.

Thanks!

Someonesane
09-06-2016, 06:30 AM
I believe what you're experiencing, in terms of the sporadic shifts in its blending ability, is due to the amount of "wet" paint left in a certain area (For Example (https://youtu.be/x3Dmjlg8xe0)). When you apply a heavy dabs of paint with the Oil Brush tool (so "Loading" in the high percentiles; "Thinners" in the low percentiles) and then set the Oil brush to have 0% loading and low to 0% thinners, dragging the tool over the thick paint will result in smearing. Drag the tool over dry pigment marks or marks made with dry media tools (chalk, pencil, etc) and you might get a slight smudge effect, but it won't drag the color nearly as much. This is also the case when you've used the Oil Brush tool (still set to a 0% Loading) to blend an area of thick paint already, because the thick "wet" paint you previously smeared with it will have been thinned out AND dried slightly due to the 0% loading of the Oil Brush being introduced to it.

Personally, I like to use the Pastel Tool (Wax version, set at default setting) for smearing areas. It means having to select a starter color, but it's worked for me.

HannahRage
09-06-2016, 02:30 PM
The palette knife is my usual go-to tool for blending and mixing on the canvas, but the hard edge shapes it leaves behind are very limiting. The stippled effect I get with the "wet" variant of the knife is interesting, but tends to blur a bit too much too quickly. I think what I'm looking for is something like a sponge tool, or maybe crumpled tissue paper, if that makes sense? I think the oil brush at 0% loading would produce results closer to what I'm looking for if it was only a bit more consistent.

Thanks!

Yup, Delofasht has probably covered it - it's going to vary depending on the media you're trying to mix up.

What options are you using for the palette knife? Are you in Lite or 4, or something else? Because you should be able to tweak the Wet mode (if you have it) to get something like what you want. See https://ambient-design.tumblr.com/post/146938695565/palette-knife-presets-this-is-the-mix-it-up-tool for an overview of the preset effects.

You should be able to get *almost* any blending effect that way. For example, SomoneSane's marvellous finger blenders: https://forums.artrage.com/showthread.php?44963-I-need-a-finger-for-my-pencil-work&p=451625#post451625

Trex 550 Pilot
09-07-2016, 04:25 PM
Hmm... the pastel tool does work somewhat, but still not quite what I'm looking for. I do see where it might come in handy though. And I understand what you mean regarding the wet versus dry areas on the canvas leading to the seemingly sporadic effect of the smearing.

Thanks for the suggestions from each of you, and for the links! I will mess around some more with the knife presets, although I can't help but feel like there's an effect I'm trying to achieve but I lack the way to describe what it is. It's frustrating, but perhaps I'll figure something out yet. Thanks again!

HannahRage
09-07-2016, 04:43 PM
I can't help but feel like there's an effect I'm trying to achieve but I lack the way to describe what it is.

If you manage to find an example image, we might be able to figure it out for you ;)