Brush shapes for each paint and pigment
December 14th, 2007 | by Art Supplies |Many different art paint brush shapes exist and you need to use the right one for the medium you are using. Below is a table of the different shapes and the media they can be used with and a brief description of each brush.
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|
Oil
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Acrylic
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Watercolor
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Decorative
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Ink
|
Signpaint
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Angular
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–
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Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
–
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–
|
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Bright
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Yes
|
Yes
|
–
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Yes
|
–
|
–
|
|
Fan
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
–
|
Yes
|
–
|
–
|
|
Filbert
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
–
|
Yes
|
–
|
–
|
|
Flat
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Hake
|
–
|
–
|
Yes
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
Highliner
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
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Yes
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Yes
|
|
Mop Wash
|
–
|
–
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Yes
|
–
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–
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–
|
|
One-Stroke
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Yes
|
–
|
–
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Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Oval Wash
|
–
|
–
|
Yes
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
Quill
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Round
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
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Sash
|
Yes
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Yes
|
–
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Yes
|
–
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–
|
|
Script/Liner
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–
|
–
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Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Square Wash
|
–
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–
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Yes
|
–
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–
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–
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Angular- comprised of bristles or synthetics and used for precise strokes, lines, curves and thick or heavy colors.
Bright- comprised of bristles or synthetics or sable,mongoose or badger hair and used for short controlled strokes and thick or heavy colors.
Fan- comprised of bristles or synthetics or badger hair and used for smoothing and blending and special effects such as textures.
Filbert- comprised of same elements as Bright shape brush and the natural hair varieties are useful for blending, has soft round edges making it suitable for figurative work.
Flat- comprised of same elements as Bright Shape brush and is used for bold sweeping strokes or on edge for very fine lines and you use heavier fillings for heavier paints. Very flexible brush for artists.
Hake- comprised of bristles or synthetics or squirrel, goat or ox hair and useful for large areas of water effects or for moistening canvas and for drying up excess paint.
Highliner- comprised of synthetics or sable or squirrel hair and is known as an out-liner brush can hold a large amount of color and can be used for delicate work such as lettering, outlining and long durable strokes.
Mop- comprised of squirrel hair and is a round brush of the wash variety has similar uses to the Hake brush.
One Stroke- comprised of synthetics or sable, squirrel or ox hair and has a large color carrying capacity and is for painting block lettering with a single stroke.
Oval Wash- comprised of bristles, synthetics or squirrel/ox hair and is a wash brush similar to the square wash and the Mop brush.
Quill- comprised of sable or squirrel hair and is used for poster work and intricate lettering and works very well on surface such as glass.
Round- comprised of different natural hairs or synthetics and is used for detail, washes, fillers and thick or thin lines. A pointed round is for fine detail and a detailer is a pointer round brush with short hair.
Sash- comprised of bristles and is used for detailed work on large canvas and delicate decorative painting.
Script/Liner- comprised of synthetics or sable/ox hair and has a large color carrying capacity and is used for delicate lettering, highlighting, outlines or continuous strokes.
Square Wash- comprised of bristles, synthetics or squirrel/ox hair and is a wash brush used for large areas of water effects or for moistening canvas and soaking up excess paint.
Check with accredited suppliers when purchasing your brush and make sure that you will get all the right brushes with correct bristle sizes, correct components and the right length of handle to make your work complete.
