You can use items from nature, up-cycled and/or recycled items like a plastic fork, but consider what you can add to it to make it more comfortable to hold?
What your brush needs (co-cocreated instructions with Tifanie Lamiel):
1. BRISTLES- Your brush needs something to hold paint, anything from ripped up fabric, cotton balls, yarn/string, human hair, etc. Pick something that will hold and absorb paint.
2. HANDLE – The easiest free material to obtain are twigs and branches from outside. You can also use pens, pencils, chopsticks, drumsticks, straws, etc. Try to use whatever you already have at home/in your neighborhood
3. FERRULE – Brushes have a metal band around both the bristles and handle. It is called a ferrule and holds everything together. Some ideas for this are, hot glue, aluminum foil, tape or rubber bands.
Here are some videos I found that can give you some ideas:
Examples of Nature-based brushes
Some tips to consider:
-Respect your environment (pick twigs, leaves, and plants from the ground)
-Plan your brushes beforehand in your sketchbook
Super cool and informative Ms. Yee!