The Painter’s Brush

The brush of a painter is an important tool through which the artist wields his power and expresses his emotions. The canvass, the oil, and all the other painting media are important too, but these leave the artist when the work is done.

Only the paint brushes stay, faithful and willing to participate in the making of the next masterpiece.

Painters need two kinds of brushes. One is stiff and the other is soft. A painter usually has a range of sizes for both types of brushes.

The stiff brushes are used for the majority of painting tasks and it comes in three shapes: the round, the flat and the filbert. For all ye art beginners, filbert is a shape that is rounded at the base and tapers to a point at the tip. Stiff brushes are made of hog bristles but there are also synthetic bristles available that can make acceptable results. Naturally, many painters prefer the genuine article.

The soft brushes are used for putting in fine details. Painters agree that the best soft brushes are the ones made of sable. Since sable brushes are expensive, there are substitutes available. But the brush strokes made using these replacements are not as good as the ones made by the sable-made soft brush.

There is also a kind of brush made of either sable or hog hair. It is called a fan-head brush and it is needed to seamlessly blend paint on the canvas.

We have heard of painters not taking a bath during a painting marathon, and there are painters known for having chaotic studios. But many painters like to be organized and the most cared for of their tools are the brushes. Besides, many painters believe, though no scientific data supports this, that used but well cared-for brushes perform better than new ones.

The first rule in caring for paint brushes is to never use them to mix paint. There are painting knives to do this task. Another important thing to remember is to never stand the brushes, especially the soft ones, with the point down in the jar. Those expensive hair or bristles are sensitive and may be bent permanently.

When a painter mentors you to place just the right amount of paint on the brush, he wasn’t thinking about saving the paint. He was trying to save the brush. Too much paint on it will clog the ferrules, the part that holds the hair or bristles together. If clogged, you have to clean it and cannot avoid parting the hairs. If done too often, the brush ultimately become useless.

Lastly, brushes should be cleaned as soon as you are done using them. You may use turpentine with soap and water. For soft brushes, these can be dipped in milk and allowed to dry for a couple of days. Remember to keep the tips up.

Painting Still Lifes

So you want to be known as a painter of still life? Still life painting gives you, the artist an opportunity to render spirituality or poetry to seemingly mundane objects. Though the final creation seemed less intricate than portraits or landscapes, the process of composing a still life involves manifold preparations and specific requirements.

One of the specific requirements is the light source. It should be steady and the artist is allowed to use artificial lights and reflectors. A window that faces north is good rather than one that faces east. The reason for this is quite obvious. The rapid change of the sun’s position affects the lighting and after awhile, the you will lose the first image that you sought in the first place.

Another thing to prepare is the composition of the subject. You must be sure that it is how you want the objects to be arranged. You may draw several preliminary sketches using different compositions and carefully study each of them. Choose the one that would give the most balanced and harmonious pattern of light and dark.

The next step is to decide what approach you will use. Except when you’re aiming for “photo-realism”, you don’t really want to paint the subject as exactly as you see it. Therefore, decide what is your purpose, concept, or even message for making this still life. This step is most crucial because, based on your decision, you would determine how you would proceed.

The oil painting technique utilized by many old masters involves applying repeated layers of paint and glazes. Some examples of works done by this technique are “Still Life: Lemons, Oranges and a Rose“ by Zurbarán and “The Silver Goblet” by Chardin.

Or you may wish to use the direct painting approach. Should you decide this, a good thing to remember is to decide one center of interest. This center interest ideally is the most lighted of all objects and others are partly concealed by shadows. Of course, the surface on which the center of interest lies should be lighted too. But the line of shadow beneath the objects should ideally be the darkest in the picture.

Another thing to keep in mind are the distinct shapes of your objects and the ground plane. Establish these early on and never lose them in the process.

And finally, after you have applied all the necessary strokes and colors, step back and scrutinize your work. Add finishing touches. For example, if the overall impression is rather dull, consider adding another color, perhaps a complement to one of the colors you’ve applied.