I don’t want autumn to pass without doing some good tree and foliage sketches, so here is this morning’s added to last week’s.

I recently got an Escoda Versatil #10 travel round. I love my Escoda Optimo #12, but I wanted something similar to carry around. The Versatil does seem to perform very similarly to sable. The bristles catch on the paper the same way and seem to hold the same amount of water and paint and release it similarly. It’s hard to tell the difference between this and sable except that the bristles hold together a little more on the Versatil than on the Optimo. Sometimes I like to hold the brush perpendicular to the surface and spread the bristles out that way to make different marks. That doesn’t work as well on the Versatil, but that’s a minor point, and one that might prove wrong over time as I use the brush more and differently. I really like this brush. I did this painting primarily with it, and a little with the Isabey #6 red sable. Compared to the Versatil, the Isabey doesn’t hold up. Too soft, too few hairs. Though the Versatil is bigger, there’s more control in it. It’s a great brush. For anyone curious about this as a replacement for Kolinsky sable during the shortage or even after, this one really seems to meet the need. Here’s a close up of the painting done with it.