Consistency of wolfe black

I'm having real problems getting my wolfe black to the right consistency - i've been working with the wolfe essentials palette fine and find i don't need to add much water and when it's ready to go i load my brush up and get plenty of paint on the brush. the black from the pot for some reason doesn't want to behave for me! when i load the brush up i end up with nearly no paint in my strokes and have to reload all the time.

any suggestions? thanks guys!

Even though they say not to...I use a spray bottle and spray my paints just before a gig to soften them a little, Wolfe paints tend to get a little "puddle" in the center after using them for awhile. I use the puddle to wet my brush, then drag out and twist my brush in circles on the paint. This gives me a nice point, and loads the brush well for me and prevents the brush from being too wet.....to keep a consistently loaded brush, just repeat this frequently. to keep my lines uniform, i'll start by retracing the line a little before continuing....hope this helps....I am sure there are just about as many techniques as there are painters

Well, without knowing exactly how much water you use either, I would have to say the same. Except, I would still recomend not spraying them, and just trying to use a little more water until it works for you. I only say this because if you are not practiced at spraying your paints, it is very possible for you to get FAR too much water on them. Also, spraying is not exact, if you spray one color, the surrounding colors get sprayed too. Since it sounds like black is the only problem color in your pallete, by spraying the surrounding colors would also get sprayed. I think the old saying to apply to those would be "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!".

Also, how old is the pallete? Is it brand new, or have yo gotten almost 200 faces out of it? I tend to find that paints in brand new palletes need some "breaking in" time before they have the perfect consistency. Just a thought.

BWT this is a bit off topic, but jnjkoz, I LOVE that eye design in ur Avi!

newbie questions, why should you not spray them? is that just wolfe or all paints?

i have been spraying mine, which is why i ask

thanks, teri

You can spray them Teri, but when Wolfe paint gets too wet, it becomes a mess to work with and can become over saturated, leaving it mooshy and sticky... bleh!

I use as much water as needed when I'm using a brush on Wolfe paints.. a dip in the water seems to be enough for me. I'm much more judicial with my water when using a sponge on them...

I treat my Wolfe the same as my other paints... add a drop or two of water to the cakes as I set up, and add a drop as needed when I'm working. I get a hole in the cake from doing this, then can load and shaped the brush on the sides of the hole (like jhnkoz does but I use a dropper not a spray bottle.)

I have a hole in my paint(like Shannon) but I make it by wetting my brush(like Ashley). I'd probably use Shannon's technique if I was regulated too:-)
I do notice it takes a few faces before I've worked my paint into the right consistency, but once it's been worked I have a nice little reservoir of liquid paint to dip into. Then I just add water as needed, dip & twirl the brush, etc, to keep it consists. I wish I could better explain it, but it's more of a feel as you go & can change depending on if you're inside, outside, humidity, temp, etc.
I don't spray my wolfe/dfx for linework, but will sometimes for sponge work(or I'll spray the sponge).
I guess what works best is not getting the whole cake wet.
I hope this makes sense...

Punky wrote:Well, without knowing exactly how much water you use either, I would have to say the same. Except, I would still recomend not spraying them, and just trying to use a little more water until it works for you. I only say this because if you are not practiced at spraying your paints, it is very possible for you to get FAR too much water on them. Also, spraying is not exact, if you spray one color, the surrounding colors get sprayed too. Since it sounds like black is the only problem color in your pallete, by spraying the surrounding colors would also get sprayed. I think the old saying to apply to those would be "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!".

Also, how old is the pallete? Is it brand new, or have yo gotten almost 200 faces out of it? I tend to find that paints in brand new palletes need some "breaking in" time before they have the perfect consistency. Just a thought.

BWT this is a bit off topic, but jnjkoz, I LOVE that eye design in ur Avi!

Thanks!

mmm i wonder if i'm using too much water on the black because it's gone 'gummy' and that's the only way that I can seem to get it workable again. Might pop it in front of the dehumidifier and see what difference that makes next time i use it.

the paints worn through to the base in the middle, so not brand new, nope.

thanks guys, will let you know if i manage to sort it. such a pain having issues with the black as it's the one colour i use almost every time!

I just had that same problem, and the posts here have really helped! Having a backup black to switch to 1/2 way through might help, it has helped me, as might doing as Shannon explains above (with the well, that I think you already have).

Barbie