08/21/2026
Lesson of the day: Brush types
There are many different types of brushes. This is a guideline if you would like to know if there is a brush that can help you achieve a certain effect better.
Round — The workhorse. Fine point, full belly. There are also rounds which are called pointed rounds with a finer point than regular rounds.
Flat — Straight edge for skies, water, architecture. Corner lifts colour cleanly when dry. It is useful for any lines eg fence posts etc.
Bright — Short-haired flat. It is useful for brickwork, rock faces.
Filbert — Oval, flat-but-rounded. Soft blending strokes, petals, foliage.
Mop — Soft, huge, thirsty. Massive water-loaded washes, fast pigment lifting. Can also be used to wet your paper before painting.
Rigger — Long thin hairs. One continuous fine line — branches, whiskers, rigging.
Sword (Dagger Striper) — Angled blade tip, tapers thick-to-thin in a single stroke — grass, reeds, calligraphic marks, also good for certain leaves.
Quill — They have a plastic ferulle with wires to keep everything attached (do not remove this part) Soft natural-hair or even synthetic round with a fine point and an oversized belly. More water and pigment holding capacity than a regular round.
Liner — Even finer than a rigger. Whiskers, single hairs, tiny highlights.
Fan — Spread bristles, dabbed not stroked. Foliage texture, foam, grass.
Hake — Wide, flat, wooden-handled Japanese wash brush. Holds huge water — full skies in one sweep,as well as wetting your paper.
Angular (Angle Shader) — Flat brush cut on a diagonal. Follows curves a straight flat can't reach — foliage edges, shading round objects.
Script Liner — Longer-haired cousin of the rigger, more flex — fine lettering, scrollwork, thin curves.
Spotter — Tiny round, short bristles . Miniature detail — eyes, tiny highlights, signatures.
Stippler/stencil brush — Stiff, blunt-cut bristles, dabbed on. Foliage texture, gravel, stone, foam.
Comb/Rake — Split bristles drag multiple parallel lines — grass, fur, wood grain, hair.
Cat's Tongue (Oval Wash) — Pointed oval, between filbert and round. Broad coverage with a controllable tip. Also a very convenient brush.
Waterbrush — Water reservoir in the handle. Built for sketching on location.
Eradicator Brush — Stiff, flat-cut synthetic bristles, use with with clean water to lift paint rather than apply it. Rinse the brush in between each area you lift colour as the pigment you lifted will be in the bristles. Dab the area with kitchen towel where you lifted pigment. Rescues mistakes, softens hard edges after they've dried, highlights (clouds, foam, glare) straight out of a finished wash. The one brush in the kit that works in reverse — it's a rescue tool, not a mark-making tool.
