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I have 3 aqua painters and they are not SU. I am thinking of buying new ones because I am not sure if these work they way they are supposed to. I want to know how the SU ones work differenly. THe ones that I have seem to flow a lot and I have a small puddle of water on my paper. ARe the SU ones that leaky. I'm assuming the the brush is supposed to be wet and not drip to make a very small water puddle. Any information would be great. The SU are pricey and mine were cheep so I am thinking maybe you get what you pay for. TIA
I have the SU ones and they are wonderful! They have a little check valve in them that controls the flow of water. If my brush seems too wet to start with, I blot some of the water off on a paper towel.
I've never used another brand so I can't give you a comparison, though.
I have non SU ones that I bought at Michael's, I hated it when I first got it, but now I love it! It took some getting used to, but once I figured out that I needed a paper towel or scratch paper next to me to blot the tip on before using it, it works beautifully! Try not to squeeze at all. That was one of the problems I was having. Just let gravity do the work and you should be ok HTH
I've used SUs and the ones from Joanns (which I own two of). Both work fine. Perhaps you just need to get used to the "feel" of it? I agree with Laura about not squeezing too hard. ;)
I bought a couple of the three to a package cheap ones thinking I could use them to share at workshops. What a disaster!! They work nothing like the SU aquapainters or the nice, expensive ones you can get at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. Pay the extra money. The differnece in performance is like night and day!
I have both kinds of aqua painters -- the first ones out (non-SU) were horrible for puddling - hated them! Then someone told me about wedgeing a small cylinder of regular sponge right under the plug cap on the water portion of the pen -- worked like a charm!! The sponge slows down the water so it doesn't squirt right through the brush.
I got the SU pens thinking they would be awesome, but really can't see much difference at all between them and my "sponged" aqua pen. They all seem to have different sized brushes, though, and that is how I decide which one to use.
I haven't succumbed to the aquapainter yet. I just use a tiny little paint brush dipped in water ... I am totally in control, it works just great, and its cheap! I have a little tray that I use and squirt a little water in that from the water bottle I usually carry. I don't find it messy in the least.
__________________ Darci "Awww, you guys made me Ink!"
"Creativity is a continual surprise" (Ray Bradbury)
I don't have the SU aquapainters, but only because I found some Niji brand watercolor brushes on clearance at an art store. They're typically pretty pricey due to the quality of them, but I have to say I love love love them. No leaking or too-fast-flowing problems!
__________________ Paper Crafts Go-to-Gal member #1507gallery witticisms... a witty blog
This is the thing I am not squeezing at all. I am going to try again with a paper towel and see if that makes a difference. I got 3 in a pack, they could be that company Stampendous or something like that. I think they make aqua painters.
I have the expensive ones from Michaels and the SU ones. I like them both, but have noticed that they work best when the water chamber is more than half full. Like others, I also discovered that you shouldn't squeeze and keep paper towels handy for blotting between colors.
This is the thing I am not squeezing at all. I am going to try again with a paper towel and see if that makes a difference. I got 3 in a pack, they could be that company Stampendous or something like that. I think they make aqua painters.
I agree with Boss - put a piece of sponge in the ones you got. They don't have the same control as the aquapainter types. I have both types and I consistently use the aquapainter type. You can get them from a few different companies.
__________________ Debra ---artist * teacher * designer Say yes. Be generous. Speak up. Love more. Trust yourself. Slow down. ---Patti Digh
I have both and LOVE my SU! ones. There is a difference in the way water is delivered to the tip. SU! ones are much more complicated and that's why they work so much better than the cheaper ones! My DH always says you get what you pay for!!
I had that three-pack, and it worked great for a while. Then it seemed to clog or something (our water is hard), or else it would totally let water puddle. I bought the aquapainters when they came out and I've never had a problem. Love them! Gay Howe
Aqua Painter Question??
