Ah, the joy of using a new brush. Like guitar strings, you rarely realize how bad your brushes are getting until you change to new ones. But unlike guitar strings which are expensive and take quite a bit of effort to switch out, a new brush is relatively cheap and only requires picking it up. But like packs of guitar strings, I always buy multiple brushes so I always have new ones on hand, so I really have no excuse. Yet I always get to the point where I’m compensating for flaws (curled hairs, bent hairs, a tip that’s pointed at one angle and flat at another) and getting frustrated at the less-than-satisfactory results. The suddenly – EPIPHANY! – oh, I should grab a new brush! And suddenly inking is a joy again, the results are actually close to what I’m aiming for, and the world is happier place.
Note to self: don’t wait 6 months to switch brushes… and change those guitar strings already!