In the summer of 2003, Mark Orwell began his career as a freelance writer focusing on popular culture, music, and film. He continues to write on a broad array of topics from Miami, Florida. His work has been available in the United States, the Caribbean, and South Africa.
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Art SuppliesThe art of painting is much more complicated and detailed than one may think. It is a lot more than just putting paint onto a canvas. There are different kinds of paints, blending styles and even brushes. The brush you use when painting will have a great affect on the total outcome of the piece. There are different brushes for different strokes made in a painting, which is why artists are always armed with many different types.
Filbert Brush
A filbert brush is a very versatile and popular fine art brush. They have a wide, flat bristles at the top that have a rounded edge. When used on its side, the filbert brush can produce a thin, straight line, which is good for outlining or providing details in a painting. If used flat, the brush stroke will be wide. A combination of these in one stroke can give a tapered look to what you are paining. These brushes tend to wear out, but when the bristles are mashed and used the brush can easily be used for dry brushing.
Mop Brush
A mop brush usually has a wider handle, especially near the bristles, because there are more bristles in this type of brush than any other. The head of this brush has many fine bristles that for a rounded shape with a flat top. They are used for holding large amounts of liquid paint. More often than not, mop brushes are used in watercolor paintings. They are great for large washes of a single color because of their size and ability to hold paint. Wash these brushes carefully, as paint can easily get stuck deep within the bristles.
Fan Brush
The fan brush has a thin handle and a small amount of bristles. These are spread out into a thin flat layer, making them appear like a fan. These brushes are often used to blend different colors and brush strokes together. They are also used for fine detail painting. Hair is one thing that is often painted with a fan brush, because when done right it can give the illusion of individual strands of hair. Grass is also great when painted by a fan brush for the same reason. Any spotting or small lines that need to make their way into a painting are often done using the thin bristle head of a fan brush.
