Water-carrying properties of a Sable BrushĪlso useful for filling in larger areas.

Varying pressure on the brush head produces tapered marks Even today, with a whole host of brush shapes available, the round is the one that you’re likely to be given as a child in your first paint set and the brush type that will be supplied with more advanced sets.Ī round can be used in a number of ways such as to fill, to draw, to apply washes, to spot on small amounts of colour from the tip or produce a thin line for detail and varying thick to thin marks by drawing the brush away from the surface. Part of the reason for this is that, for several centuries, brush-making technology was based on the quill and, in using a tube as the starting point of the construction, Round brushes were all that could be produced. Round brushesĪsk people to draw an artist’s paint brush and most will probably draw a round brush – a slender handle with a fat, round head tapering to a fine point. Today, there are many different shapes – some more necessary than others – but the round, flat and filbert remain the most essential types.

The Impressionists embraced this new development in brush making and turned the art world on its head with the new mark-making options that the new shapes offered. However, once metal ferrules were introduced in the 19th century, brushes could be produced in various shapes, most notably, the flat and the filbert. For several centuries, brushes could only be round due to their construction being based on the quill of a feather.

Photoshop stubble brush