Can't find the brush to use with paint and gnome

I have the paints but they don't have a brush with them and I don't have it in inventory and game just says check your inventory.

The brush may have scrolled off the screen in your inventory. Click the right and left arrows at the sides of the inventory box to see if it's hiding off-screen. If not you need to go find it. (Highlight with your mouse for a hint on brush location: Look in the car compound. The brush is inside a locked item there. )

Once you have the brush (and red paint), you need to click on the paints in your inventory, find the brush and the red paint in your inventory and add it to the paints mini-window. Then you'll have "brush and paints" in your inventory. If you didn't get the red paint yet, you'll have to do that, too, before you can paint the gnome.