Blenders
come in fan and round shapes. They are primarily used to blend and smooth paints
that have already been applied to the painting surface and are still wet. They
are also used for special effects as they can leave interesting textures in the
paint.
Brights are short, flat brushes
with very little hair or bristle exposed. The hair is about two-thirds the length
of standard flat brushes. This length makes fro a much stiffer brush which works
well with thick paint.
Cat's Tongue brushes are shaped
like a filbert but more pointed. They are made with bristle or soft hair.
Filberts are flat brushes
that have a curved end and resemble the shape of a tongue. This allows for the
paint to be applied smoothly with very little brush strokes.
Fitch Shape of brushes refers
to the reversed-arrow look of the brush head. The tuft of hair protrudes from
the large end of the ferrule rather that the narrow. They will have angular or
chiseled tips and do not use actual fitch hair.
Flat Wash brushes are used
for watercolor washes, rendering edges or geometric shapes, and for filling in
large areas. They are thinner and contain less hair and hold less paint than a
round wash brush.
Mop brushes have large tufts
that are composed of a lot of long, soft hairs which are very absorbent and can
carry large amounts of color. Usually made of squirrel, pony or goat hair.
Oval Wash brushes look like
flattened, round brushes. This style of brush is designed for creating washes
where the color is applied gradually. Pointed flat oval wash brushes are better
than non-pointed because they come to a fine point when wet and one can paint
with the point, with the side edge, or with the flat side of the brush.
Quills are made the same way
as other artist' brushes except that the hair is placed in ferrules made of hollow
tubes cut from the base of bird feathers instead of being placed in metal ferrules.
Riggers are round brushes
with long hair that is shaped (not cut) to a chisel tip. They are primarily for
lettering, but are also used for special watercolor effects.
Script brushes are long watercolor
rounds that have a pointed tip. The great length of the hair enables you to draw
a long consistent line without reloading the brush. They are best for lettering
and sign painting but are also good for special effects in watercolor and illustration.
Single Stroke or one-stroke
brushes are used to paint large block letters in which a single stroke of the
brush is needed to make a letter. They are a long, flat brush that will hold a
lot of color and allow you to paint a long consistent stroke without frequently
reloading the brush.
Spotter brushes are very short
haired and taper to a definite point and are used to apply little round dots of
color.
Tips
& Techniques
