"Is this a dagger which I see before me?"

I doubt that Macbeth had to feel guilty about killing a good sketch, but that quote came to mind as I prepared to use my "dagger."

The brush with the shorter tuft is called a dagger, a longer one (also made for watercolor) is called a sword and the very long tuft but shorter handle seen above is a dagger striper. I have had the latter for decades. It's usually used by sign painters and car paint detailers for long, thin lines.

Douglas Fir Pine Cones

See my Instagram feed for a quick video of how I use the dagger brush for creating soft edges for snow shadows,

Trying out a new bleed proof disposable fountain pen.

I think my ink started to freeze while sketching out in the cold today, but it was the only viewpoint that I wanted for my pine cone sketch for WorldWatercolorGroup prompts. I'm all out of sinc with the calender now, so I'm just having fun catching up. Three more days to finish the February daily drawing challenge!

How's it going for you?

Meanwhile, outside the cosy tasting room...

A very cold day in Anacortes

I stayed a little longer on Monday to finish the color on the copper still. The sun goes down early here and I wanted to run some errands on the way home, so I finished up at the distillery around 4:20-ish. I posted that spread yesterday.

On the way home, there were tempting views I hadn't seen before of the Cascade Mountains and Mt. Baker. (I'll be back!) Nevertheless, this time I went to a spot where I know I can safely park and sketch. It simply proved too hard to resist! Today I finished it with watercolor while sipping my latte at home. Ahhhhh! Fulfillment!