MODULE NO.

AR 1221/D
VISUAL TECHNIQUES 2

HW # MT-01
“DIFFERENT HANDLING OF MATERIALS”

DATE ISSUED: January 21, 2021

DATE DUE: January 23, 2021

REFERENCES:
Painting Basics: How to Hold a Brush. (2017, April 19). Retrieved January
2021, from QuartoKnows:
https://www.quartoknows.com/blog/quartocreates/painting-
basics-hold-brush
Mistry, K. (2018, April 05). Various Parts of a Paint Brush: Know Before
Painting. Retrieved from Gharpedia:
https://gharpedia.com/blog/various-parts-standard-paint-brush/
Different Types of Paint Brushes and Their Uses. (2020, March 17). Retrieved
from Photo Bar: https://www.polaroidfotobar.com/types-of-paint-
brushes/

SANCHEZ, ANGELA FAYE S.

BS ARCHITECTURE 1
(WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY 1:30 PM - 7:30 PM)

AR. SHEENA S. ASSAYCO

INSTRUCTOR
To fully understand the brushes we must first need to know what it is made of.

ANATOMY OF PAINT BRUSH

Handles
Handles are usually made of wood or plastic and
now, entering the market are metal handles. Wood
handles are made of hard wood and manufactured
both domestic and overseas. They are made
proportioned to balance in the hand and to give
optimum control when painting. The wooden handles
are lacquer to prevent the wooden handle from
swelling and to help prevent the handle from
crackling or warping when in contact with a fluid. It is
important to not leave brushes in water, otherwise the
lacquer will crack and the wood will absorb the liquid
and the brush becomes destroyed. Plastic handles will
not do this, however, they usually cost a bit more.
Length and diameter are important to heed. Long
handled brushes are used when working with an
easel; oil painters prefer long handles for this reason.
Short handled brushes are for working on a table and
preferred by acrylic, watercolour and craft painters.
Large diameter brushes aids those with hand pain but
they can be used by anyone. Different brushes tend
to fit differently in the hand, thus giving good control
when painting. Select brushes that feel good in the
hand since you’ll be holding the brush for a period of
time. The handle of the brush provides good information when selecting. The name of the manufacturer,
the product line name, the shape & size of the brush and the type of the brush are shown. Be informed
on the different types of brushes, the salesperson will not always select the right one for your comfort or
the project.

Ferrules
A ferrule is the part that connects the filaments or hairs with the handle. Ferrules will determine the size of
the brush, the numbers of filaments in the brush. The ferrule is crimped at one end to hold the filaments in
place…..the other end is glued onto the handle. The ferrules can be made with either metal or plastic.
Different manufacturers have different brush sizes – a #3 round could be different from one manufacturer
to another. The different sizes of brushes could affect the learning of a particular skill or technique. Keep
this in mind when choosing a brush – a brush that has a different series number or not in the same product
line as recommended. Most manufacturers give a detailed analysis of their brushes on their websites.

Filaments
Filaments are the hairs or bristles of the brush. There are so many choices, it can be a bit overwhelming.
They are glued together at one end before being crimped into the ferrule. One type of filament is a
“bristle” brush. These are course and come in a variety of lengths. The shorter or stiffer bristles are usually
used with thicker paints that require a lot of blending of the paints whereas thinner paints are best applied
with longer or softer hairs that do not create texture. Then there are natural filaments, synthetic filaments
and mixed filaments. Natural hair refers to filaments that come from the fur of an animal i.e. squirrel hair
or mongoose, hogs, mink, badger etc. They are very good at holding fluid because they are so absorbent.
The natural brushes can be used for any medium whether it’s oils, acrylics, watercolours etc. They are
super great for working with heavy bodied paints and work well on rough surfaces. Synthetics are man-
made. They were developed to provide substantial use of the brush. Used with any medium, these are
the workhorses for many an artist. Synthetic bristles have thicker filaments and are ideal for rough or hard
surfaces such as ceramics and craft projects. Brushes that are “synthetic hairs” are softer and finer, hold
a lot of liquid, & keep an excellent fine chisel edge. A “mixed hair” brush combines both natural and
synthetic filaments. Note that there are also non-professional brushes on the market common for using
with crafts. These tend to be cheap nylon bristles and don’t hold much paint primarily because of their
intended use. Craft brushes are not used for fine painting. If they’re sold in a package, sometimes they
are simply craft brushes not for the discerning artist.
Synthetic hair brushes provide a smoother stroke than natural bristle. They retain their stiffness and are very
durable. They clean well with soap and water when used with acrylics or other water based media. When
used with acrylics, natural bristle brushes lose their stiffness, but they do hold more paint. Synthetics or
bristle is an acquired taste. Differing needs, uses and budgets need to be considered.

Firmness (spring) of the Filaments

Often overlooked and not considered when choosing a brush is the “spring” or firmness of the filaments.
It’s important for the filaments to retain the ability for them to fall back into their natural shape. When
purchasing a brush, test the brush first in some water, shake it once and every one of the filaments should
realign themselves back into their required shape. Good art stores usually have a dish of water for this
purpose. If there are scraggly filaments out of place, don’t purchase the brush because those scraggly
filaments will affect your painting. The amount of “spring” (falling back into shape) desired is dependent
on if you have a very light touch or a heavy handed approach to painting. The amount of spring in a
brush will affect your painting. The brush can feel stiff and hard to control or the opposite, too much spring
for your control. It’s best to try a few different brands so that you can choose the right type of brush for
the amount of pressure you use.

TYPES OF PAINT BRUSH

There are so many brushes – washes/glazes, rounds, flats, filberts and liners and more. Choosing the right
type for the technique is important.

Let’s look at the different types.

Flat Brushes
Flats are brushes with a straight chisel edge and square shaped filaments. These can be known as shaders
if they’re in smaller sizes and washes/glazes if in bigger sizes. Large areas are painted with a wash/glaze
brush whereas smaller flats are used for small areas of painting.

Round brushes
Round brushes have a large diameter of the ferrule, more so than a liner, which can be used for applying
thick to thin lines, filling in odd shaped areas, painting details and work great for lettering. Liners don’t hold
as much paint as a round, however, they are super great for creating lines or curves. Script liners are similar
to liners but the filaments are much longer and hold more paint. A round brush tapers to a pointed tip –
several types of rounds are referred to rounds, liners or script liners. Angle brushes are filaments that have
been cut on an angle – these are excellent to use in small or curved areas of the painting.

Filberts
Brushes with oval shaped filaments are known as filberts in smaller sizes and oval wash in larger sizes. Both
shapes can be used for base coating, stroke work and more. There are filbert combs, filbert wash and
more.

Mop Brushes
Then there are mop brushes – great for blending and smoothing out small areas. They’re also ideal for
applying powdered pigments – just dust them lightly over hot or tacky wax.

Specialty Brushes
Then there are all the specialty brushes on the market used for certain techniques and garner their own
results– fan, deerfoot, scumbler, mops and more

DIFFERENT WAYS OF HANDLING A PAINT BRUSH

HOLDING THE BRUSH

There are different ways to hold your paintbrush. Each will give your painting a different effect. Also, the
type of grip you use will vary depending upon the size of your brush. Experiment to see which of the
following three grips works best for your painting style.

To create fine details, hold your brush gently, like you would a pencil or pen. Grip it close to the bristles.
Practice this grip by signing your name in oil paint on a paper canvas.
For a looser style of painting, hold your brush toward the bottom, away from the bristles. Hold it as if
you’re conducting an orchestra with a baton.

When you’re blocking in large areas of color, you’ll want to hold your brush with your hand over its top.
Hold it parallel to the canvas to quickly apply the paint.