Paintbrushes

Standard Household Bristle Brushes Most folks think that all oil paintings are created with little tiny, one-haired brushes. Nothing could be further from the truth! Consider the two brushes in the photo on the left. These are standard 2 inch and 1 inch household bristle brushes. They work great for laying in large color masses and creating foliage. Don't get me wrong, they take some getting used to, but the effects you can create with them can be quite impressive.

Flats One of the most common oil painting brushes is the flat brush, or as they are known in art circles, flats. Flats are great for making long, clean-edged strokes of color. The thin edges on these brushes can also be used for painting sharp lines. You will notice by the photo on the left that flats come in a variety of sizes. The smaller flats are great for laying in rough outlines of color, and are great for getting into tight corners of the painting.

Here is another shot of a variety of flat brushes. Notice the shape of the ferrule, or the metal binder around the bristles. The shape of the brush is determined by the shape and placement of the ferrule. Notice that the bigger flats have a much larger ferrule, with a much larger gripping area. On another note, take a moment to examine the colors of the bristles on each brush. The gold-colored bristles are synthetic. The others are standard hog-hair bristle.

Filbert Brushes Filbert brushes are similar to flats, with one notable exception. They are rounded at the ends. Actually, they are round brushes, with have been flattened by the ferrule to retain their rounded edges. They are especially useful for making rounded brushstrokes and strong, bold lines of color on the canvas.

Here is another shot of the filbert brushes. Some artists refer to these as "cat's tongue" brushes, as the bristles resemble the shape of a cat's tongue. Again, notice the wide variety of sizes for these brushes. The small filberts are excellent for making fine details, such as leafs and puddles. The larger ones are used primarily for laying in large blobs of color.

Fan Brushes Fan brushes are probably the most interesting brush in terms of appearance. As you can see from the photo on the left, fan brushes are "fan-shaped". They are wonderful for creating soft blends between multiple colors. They can also be used for creating rudimentary foliage, such as trees, grass, etc. Another popular use for fan brushes is to blend away visible brushstrokes on the canvas. Thomas Kincade uses this technique quite a bit to "soften" his images.

Here is a close-up of several varieties of fan brushes. Notice the shape of the metal ferrule, especially towards the bristles. Can you see how the ferrule causes the bristles to spread outward in the fan shape? As with most varieties of brushes, fan brushes are available in hog hair bristle, synthetics, mongoose hair, sable hair, etc.

Here is a common problem for new painters. Look at the bristles on the fan brush to the right. You will notice that the bristles are "bent" in one direction - the brush no longer resembles its original fan shape. This is caused by not cleaning your brushes properly after a painting session.

Round Brushes Round brushes are excellent tools for painting very fine details in a painting. They come in a variety of lengths and have smooth, curved ends which allow the artist to paint long, continuous strokes of color. These wonderful brushes are used for fine details, such as sticks, twigs, grass, leaves, and of course, your signature! :-) The brush in the bottom of the photo is a round sable-hair brush. These brushes are excellent for doing blends in really tight areas.

TIP: The brushes on the left, while not considered round brushes, can also be used for fine details. They are, from left to right, tiny script brush, regular script liner brush (also called a "rigger"), a size 1 filbert, and a special brush called a "dagger".

Blending Brushes Blender brushes can also be used for blending areas of color or visible brushstrokes. Large blender brushes, like the one shown to the left and below, are made with very soft bristles. Work them gently across your canvas, in either circular or side to side strokes. Use very little pressure to blend with these brushes, or you will have a mess on your hands!

Another view of the blending brush shown above. Boy, my brushes are dirty!

Another popular brush used for blending is the "blusher", shown in the photo to the left. These brushes resemble the brushes those used to put on make-up. Again, these bristles are very soft, and should be used gently to smoothly blend colors or to remove visible brushstrokes.

Foam Applicators Through the years, artists have traditionally experimented with new methods of applying paint to canvas. One interesting utensil are foam applicators, like the ones shown in the photo on the left. By using things other than traditional paintbrushes, you can create interesting textures and strokes. Don't be afraid to experiment with non-traditional tools and techniques. Often the most unique pieces of art are created without the use of of more traditional tools. I saw a guy paint an entire landscape once with the cardboard roll found in the middle of paper towels! A word of warning though - try it out on scrap canvas or paper before using it on your latest masterpiece... :-)