Altered Paintbrush with Jen Matott

Jen Matott here with a fun project that I created for the Faber-Castell booth at summer CHA. I'm an art teacher as well as an artist and wanted to create an altered wall piece that would reflect both of those things. I choose the paintbrush as a symbol for and artist and art teacher. I got one of those chip brushes from the hardware store to alter. This is a 3" sized brush.

I took the bristle block out from the metal ferrule using a screwdriver and some strength. Those suckers are glued in tight! I had to cut away some of the hairs from the metal, but essentially you won't see that part. The metal seam was loosened and I punched a hole on either end for assembly later.

First I stamped some text onto the handle (I applied a thin layer of gesso first and allowed it to dry) with the black Stamper's Big Brush Pen. Once that was dry, I added Gelatos™ in a rainbow effect and allow it to drip down the handle.

Dots were added using one of Prima's Donna Downey stencils and some modeling paste that was colored with Gelatos™. I used Black Licorice Gelato on a craft mat and mixed it with some paste. I applied it through the stencil with a palette knife.

The pages/ bristles of the brush were created by using watercolor paper, book pages, sheet music and a variety of Stamper's Big Brush Pens, Gelatos™, and stamps! Once they were done, I cut them into 3 3/4" strips. They were then assembled and folded in half.

Once tucked into the ferrule, I put a piece of wire through the holes and added buttons on the end to attach. The final touch was to add some Prima flowers, gems, and ribbon. Voila! I love how this came out!

Supply list:

Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft® Gelatos™ Colors: Black Licorice, Red Cherry, Lemon, Mango, Tangerine, Lime, Blueberry, Grape, Guava, Metallic Blueberry, Metallic Mint and Gold Champagne

Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft® Stamper’s Big Brush Pen in Black

Gesso: Liquitex

Modeling paste: Golden Paints

3" Chipbrush

Watercolor paper, sheet music, book pages, doily

Prima Marketing stamps, flowers, wooden buttons, velvet babbles, Say It In Crystals, Stencil, cotton tape, and alphabet.

Can you think of other ways to embellish an altered paintbrush?

Jen Matott A self-proclaimed Mom, Wife, Artist, Scrapper and Art Teacher (of 14 years!), Jennifer has a funky & trendy style. She is currently a Prima Marketing Educator and designs for the following blogs/companies: WOW Embossing Powders, Basically Bare, The Rubber Cafe, Scrapbooking From The Inside Out kits, and Get It Scrapped.