Question for hand position on circles

[Ultra Al]

Steve,
Man this is too good. Thanks for sharing with us. Before your DVD I had bought one of each size of your scrolling brushes and the long liners. I was struggling with them and set them aside and went back to my Mack 10's. Then I got the DVD and your starter kit. Ive watched the DVD twice and have probably spent about four hours practicing and already Im liking the results. My biggest mistake was trying to use your brush like a swordstriper. I see now you need to work off the tip a lot more with the brush just slightly slanted from straight up and down to make it turn, at least Im doing better that way. Also watching the way you blend colors was invaluable. I had seen your work in Pinstriping Masters and with dropped jaw was saying to myself How in the world did he do that. Anyway Im getting long winded here. I can see now with practice it is within my reach. I am shamlessly trying to copy one of your designs in pinstriping masters and going through your practice drill. Im currently on the B and C stage.. My major areas of struggle are turning good circles (without a line to follow, i can do it on your practice sheets but want to be able to do it freehand). The other thing Im doing is dragging my hand through the paint. Im having a hard time making a bridge when attemping circles and am mainly doing it with the brush unsuported with my hand completely off the panel. Any tips for holding the hand(s) while doing circles. thanks. Al

[Steve Kafka]

Al,
Visualize the line. For circles and gentle scrolls you'll develop a feeling about where the design needs to be. My advice is to practice on a gradient, before getting discouraged trying to freehand copy a design in a book. Trust me, the circles and scrolls will come naturally with practice and perseverance. You HAVE the most important assets...desire and ability, and combined with practice you will run your fingers through the design less and less. You'll learn to lift and set down at just the right instant. If I could see your techniques in person I could suggest adjustments. Some seminars are being discussed but nothing in stone yet. I'll keep everone posted. Keep watching the DVD for hand movement techniques and, above all, keep the great attitude and your success is in the bag. I hope this will help to encourage you---the recipient of my first response on this forum. Please keep us all posted with your successes.

Stripe on,
Steve