12 Sep Charlotte Mason Brush Drawing: Plate 2

We’re moving on to Brush Drawing Plate 2 from May Mallum’s book, Brush Drawing as Applied to Natural Forms and Common Objects. This is our Charlotte Mason Brush Drawing series and is our next step in our work towards watercolor painting.

In our last lesson (Plate 1), we reviewed brush work and brush control by painting straight lines and patterns. This lesson introduces us to curved lines and designs. Although we typically try to follow the instructions as closely as possible, we did not set up a sloping table. We still managed just fine, so my advice is to not panic if you don’t have such a setup. This lesson was very enjoyable. We copied many of the designs pictured in the book and continued our practice later with many more designs.

Materials Needed

• The book, Brush Drawing as Applied to Natural Forms amd Commom Objects by May Mallam
• A quality watercolor brush, size 6 round
• Watercolor paints, pick 2 or 3 to start (the book suggests getting started with indigo or sepia), or get the set
• Watercolor paper – for practice, however, we like to use manila graph paper. It is cheaper than watercolor paper, but absorbent enough to use with watercolor paints.
• A small container of water
• A small plate or palette for mixing
• A sloping surface for the paper (to be transparent, we do not have a sloping surface)
• Napkins to blot paint, and to clean fingers and dry brushes
• Nature specimens such as leaves, flowers, feathers, pinecones, or shells
• A white screen or cardboard with a hinged stand that can hold specimens

Happy Handicrafts Video: Brush Drawing, A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Series, Plate 2

Plate 2

We began our practice of Plate 2 with the simple curves, that when joined together make an O. In general, we practice each stroke until we are comfortable with it and it gives a satisfactory impression. We then moved on to different designs and patterns, as well as the alphabet. This is a great time for student to get creative and show their own independent work. No one’s has to be the same!

Each curve and design works on the skills covered in the previous lesson. We practiced making thin curves into thick ones and rotating the brush in order to achieve our objectives.

Although we found this practice so enjoyable, to some I can understand that it can be tedious, but don’t skip it! This is the foundation for everything else, and practice in this area will show later!

Come follow us on YouTube, at Happy Handicrafts, where we share videos of all of our homeschool handicrafts! Explore the different playlists for different handicraft series and find one that works for you! We would love to have you join us!