Okay, here's the deal - I can't flipping figure out what to do with my brushes. I am just clueless. They never do what I want them to do, so what I wind up doing is painting a huge swath of color and then erasing away what I don't want. Pretty back assward, and mind-numbingly frustrating. And, on the off chance that I find something that works and I save the brush, I flits off never to be found again. What the frak?!

Any tips you might have would be greatly appreciated - what settings do you use for the different stages of your painting? I'm sure I could/should be asking better questions, but right now I have to stamp my foot and walk away in a huff from my computer. Stupid painting not looking how I want it to....@#%&^/!!

By the by, I'd post an update, but it's just taken a turn for the worse and I'm trying to decide whether to go forward, or go back to the previously saved version before I did all the weirdening (yeah, that's a word dagnabit). Seriously, it's creeping me out a little. I think I need to not look at it for a while, lol.

If you happen to be in the states and in need of some art supplies, I highly recommend: Cheap Joe's Art Stuff.

I found them on the distributor list for Strathmore (my brand of sketchbook). For some reason, they don't process your order until 2 days after you place it, but then you receive your stuff two days after that, and everything is in pristine condition.