Dots

[Alison]

I wish I had more finesse making Dots.  Anybody?

I think they look better if they're different sizes.
But when I use the back of the brush, they all come out the same size.
And when I use the regular part of the brush, it's hit or miss as to whether
I'll get anything at all - especially hit or miss as to whether I'll be able to
control the sizes.

How do you make Dots?

[fancy]

Snazaroo sells a tool to make dots.  It works really well and depending on the pressure you place on it your dots can range from small to large.  In my opinion, it is expensive ($6.00 last time I looked), but they last a long time.  (I still have my original ones and only one has died - handle fell off)

[GaFacepainter]

For all but really large ones I like the brush end for dots. Probably because I don't make many large ones. For different sizes I vary the size of the brush itself. For stuff like large suns and such, I like spouncer, or sponge it dotters.

[Sherry]

I have the same problem with dots.  I'm terrible at it, but I did learn a tip from the class I took from Mark Reid and I've been trying to implement it lately, when I think about it.  You make a well of paint and load the tip of your brush really well and that gives you better dots.  I hope I explained it correctly, because he didn't verbally explain it, he demoed it.

[Alison]

Wow - You are now one of the real valuable people, Sherry.
I'd do best to actually See You do it to understand.

But meanwhile, I feel like I have the encouragement to work at
what I thought the answer was.  Getting the paint on the tip....

And if I remember, I'll look into the Snazaroo tool too.  All I can
think it is might be a flat sponge-brush, which wouldn't fix my
problem.  So I should look into it - Could it be possible that
somebody thought of something that I didn't?  (Humility, Alison -
that's why I'm excited to look).

[Shannon Fennell]

I always use brushes to make dots... usually whatever size round sable I grab.  The trick is to have the paint fairly gooey and roll the brush in the paint to get the tip nice and pointed.  Size of the dots is regulated by the amount of pressure applied.  Keep the brush perpendicular to the surface to keep the dots "round" rather than other shapes!

[Alison]

Thanks Shannon - I was thinking that that was it.
Now I'm all excited to get out there and Do it.

Writing here is good for us.  Writing about it
put my focus on it enough that I'll take the effort to
pay attention when I in that situation again.
Especially since I know what to try.

[Alison]

Dots!  I found it.  Thank you all.