A Case for the Imperfect Brush with Nino Yuniardi
Pristine brushes have a time and a place, but you won't find many of them in Ep.94 Nino Yuniaridi’s studio.
Here’s what Yuniardi uses and why he reaches for imperfection.
First, Yuniardi uses chip brushes from the hardware store.
These brushes are wide enough to make a large stroke. But they are also inexpensive enough that he doesn’t have to worry about roughing them up.
If he were holding a hundred dollar brush, he wouldn’t be able to use it like he wants to be able to use it. He’d find himself being careful and conscious of how the brush is fairing. This is the opposite of how he wants to be able to work… which is free and playful and not worrying about his materials.
But second, a pristine brush doesn’t create the kinds of marks he wants. Yuniardi wants the unpredictable line a roughed up brush makes. Those flyaway hairs give him interesting and unexpected lines. Something you wouldn’t get if your brushes were handled gently and in perfect working order.
Put it to Practice:
It all comes down to the type of line you want to make and how you want to feel doing it.
The right brush for you needs to create the kinds of marks you need it to create. If you need clean, pristine lines, then split, roughed up brushes will make that harder.
Additionally if you want control in your process, a pristine brush may be the way to go.
But if you want to have a sense of the unexpected in your mark making, get a cheaper brush, rough it up, and then delight in its lack of uniformity.
Similarly, check to see how you feel about actually USING your brushes. This is true even if you aren’t roughing them up like Yuniardi does. If you’re constantly worried that you’re hurting your brushes just by using them, it might be time to grab a less expensive brush.
Better yet, grab 10 of them.
Because sometimes it’s not just the brush itself… It's how we want to feel USING that brush. And if you’re feeling worried about your brush all the time, you’re not focused on more important things like building a painting.