| You're Fired A Paint Your Own Pottery and Mosaics Studio Bedford - Salem - Concord |
| Brushstrokes |
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SUPPLIES:
Round Brush
Liner Brush
Shader Brush
Round Brush
Liner Brush
Shader Brush
PAINT COLORS
Your Choice!
Your Choice!
Knowing some basic brushstrokes can be very useful for any painting project. The most important part of
learning brushstrokes is starting with good brushes. Using a quality brush makes a huge difference in any
project but especially when you are counting on those brushstrokes to be a main design element.
Keeping those brushes in good condition is an on going battle but if you take care of them properly, you
can extend the life your brushes significantly.
Use regular dish soap to clean my brushes. Water and a dab of soap are worked into the bristles until all
of the paint is gone. Don’t use antibacterial soap since it can break down the glue in the ferrule. Once the
brush is clean, squeeze excess water and reshape the bristles to there intended shape. If it’s a round
brush, gently twist to a point. If it’s a flat brush, press all of bristles together so there are no gaps. Now
use a brush sealer to lightly coat the bristles. This will help them to dry in position. Always, lay brushes flat
to dry. If they dry standing up, water will travel downward causing the bristles to spread and this may also
cause a wooden handled brush to swell. Once brushes are dry, they can be stored standing up right on
their handles.
Essentially brushes come in three shapes: round, flat and fan shaped. All of them come in a variety of
sizes which are noted on the brush with a number sign. The higher the number the bigger the brush.
Brushwork is a combination of loading, pressure and motion.
Round
The round brush will generate a shorter and fatter stroke because of the design of the brush. For most
strokes the brush is held at a slight angle to the surface to make the brush flare to produce a larger
stroke. To achieve a point on the end of a stroke twist the brush very slightly between your fingers as you
lift off the surface.
Liner
Most strokes are done with the brush standing completely vertical. This will give the finest point that you
can achieve. The more of an angle the brush is to the surface, the wider the stroke will be. Keep the
brush fully loaded at all times. Thin paint with a little water if necessary.
Shader
The shader, or flat brush, has 2 working surfaces to the brush. Working on the end of the brush is
referred to as the “chisel edge” while working with the brush at a slight angle is referred to as the “flat”.
Load both sides of the brush and when properly loaded, the brush should always go back to the chisel
edge.
***Before you begin painting with any brush, always condition it with water. That simply means dip your
brush in clean water and remove excess water with a paper towel. This will encourage the paint to flow
better.
ROUND BRUSH (great for flower petals)
Loading color into round brush:
First, load brush with color…
Hold brush at slight angle put your hand at the end of handle.
Pressure stroke - press, pull and lift off slowly with a twist.
Comma stroke - press, pull and lift off slowly curving right or left end with a twist.
LINER BRUSH (great for long lines and swirls)
First, load brush with color…
Hold brush straight up, not at an angle. Hold at the end of handle.
Fine lines - tip, pull and lift off slowly with a twist.
Scrolls - tip, pull, curve, lift off slowly with a twist.
Hatpins - tip, pull, press, lift off slowly with a twist.
Flat Brush (great for leaves and calligraphy letters)
Loading color into a flat brush…
Hold brush straight up or at slight angle towards yourself.
Square stroke - press, pull and lift straight off working it on the flat.
Angle stroke - start at 45-degree angle; press, pull and lift off working brush on the flat.
Comma stroke - hold brush at 45-degree angle; press, pull and lift off; working from the flat to the chisel
edge and curving the stroke into the angle of the tail.
“S” or lazy leaf- hold brush on the chisel edge, pull either right or left; then press and pull downward on
the flat, and lift back up to the left or right on its chisel.
“C” stroke- hold brush on chisel edge, form stroke like the letter “C” moving brush to the flat and back to
the chisel without turning the brush.
Closed “C” - angle shader brush and form “C “stroke but pivot brush as you proceed to lift off at an angle
on the chisel edge.
Shader strokes with one color (floating)
1. Load brush with water and press against side of container to remove excess moisture.
2. Corner load with color.
3. Gently work the brush on a glazed tile to soften the line of color. When the color is applied to the piece
you will
have full color on one side of the stroke and it will gradually blend to no color on the other edge.
4. Hold brush to the flat of the working surface, press desired shading color into place and pull the brush
towards you. The stroke may need to be repeated several times to achieve the proper blended look.
Shader strokes with two colors
1. Dampen brush with water and press against side of container to remove excess moisture.
2. Fully load with first color. Corner load one-fourth of brush with second color.
3. Gently work the color on a glazed tile to blend the colors where they meet on the brush. When applied
to the surface you will have different colors on opposite corners of the brush and the center of the brush
will be a blend of the two.
4. Hold brush to the flat of the working surface and pull towards you. This may need to be repeated to
achieve proper blended look.
learning brushstrokes is starting with good brushes. Using a quality brush makes a huge difference in any
project but especially when you are counting on those brushstrokes to be a main design element.
Keeping those brushes in good condition is an on going battle but if you take care of them properly, you
can extend the life your brushes significantly.
Use regular dish soap to clean my brushes. Water and a dab of soap are worked into the bristles until all
of the paint is gone. Don’t use antibacterial soap since it can break down the glue in the ferrule. Once the
brush is clean, squeeze excess water and reshape the bristles to there intended shape. If it’s a round
brush, gently twist to a point. If it’s a flat brush, press all of bristles together so there are no gaps. Now
use a brush sealer to lightly coat the bristles. This will help them to dry in position. Always, lay brushes flat
to dry. If they dry standing up, water will travel downward causing the bristles to spread and this may also
cause a wooden handled brush to swell. Once brushes are dry, they can be stored standing up right on
their handles.
Essentially brushes come in three shapes: round, flat and fan shaped. All of them come in a variety of
sizes which are noted on the brush with a number sign. The higher the number the bigger the brush.
Brushwork is a combination of loading, pressure and motion.
Round
The round brush will generate a shorter and fatter stroke because of the design of the brush. For most
strokes the brush is held at a slight angle to the surface to make the brush flare to produce a larger
stroke. To achieve a point on the end of a stroke twist the brush very slightly between your fingers as you
lift off the surface.
Liner
Most strokes are done with the brush standing completely vertical. This will give the finest point that you
can achieve. The more of an angle the brush is to the surface, the wider the stroke will be. Keep the
brush fully loaded at all times. Thin paint with a little water if necessary.
Shader
The shader, or flat brush, has 2 working surfaces to the brush. Working on the end of the brush is
referred to as the “chisel edge” while working with the brush at a slight angle is referred to as the “flat”.
Load both sides of the brush and when properly loaded, the brush should always go back to the chisel
edge.
***Before you begin painting with any brush, always condition it with water. That simply means dip your
brush in clean water and remove excess water with a paper towel. This will encourage the paint to flow
better.
ROUND BRUSH (great for flower petals)
Loading color into round brush:
- 1. Load brush by pulling through the color several times. Do not twist brush as you are filling it with
color.
- Twisting your brush strips color from the brush rather than adding it, and prevents color from
flowing off the brush properly.
- 2. Tip the brush into a point by patting it on a glazed tile.
First, load brush with color…
Hold brush at slight angle put your hand at the end of handle.
Pressure stroke - press, pull and lift off slowly with a twist.
Comma stroke - press, pull and lift off slowly curving right or left end with a twist.
LINER BRUSH (great for long lines and swirls)
First, load brush with color…
Hold brush straight up, not at an angle. Hold at the end of handle.
Fine lines - tip, pull and lift off slowly with a twist.
Scrolls - tip, pull, curve, lift off slowly with a twist.
Hatpins - tip, pull, press, lift off slowly with a twist.
Flat Brush (great for leaves and calligraphy letters)
Loading color into a flat brush…
- 1. Load color by pulling brush though the paint on one flat side then turn over brush pull color
again. Fill both flat sides.
- 2. Chisel the brush by pressing it flat to resume chiseled edge.
Hold brush straight up or at slight angle towards yourself.
Square stroke - press, pull and lift straight off working it on the flat.
Angle stroke - start at 45-degree angle; press, pull and lift off working brush on the flat.
Comma stroke - hold brush at 45-degree angle; press, pull and lift off; working from the flat to the chisel
edge and curving the stroke into the angle of the tail.
“S” or lazy leaf- hold brush on the chisel edge, pull either right or left; then press and pull downward on
the flat, and lift back up to the left or right on its chisel.
“C” stroke- hold brush on chisel edge, form stroke like the letter “C” moving brush to the flat and back to
the chisel without turning the brush.
Closed “C” - angle shader brush and form “C “stroke but pivot brush as you proceed to lift off at an angle
on the chisel edge.
Shader strokes with one color (floating)
1. Load brush with water and press against side of container to remove excess moisture.
2. Corner load with color.
3. Gently work the brush on a glazed tile to soften the line of color. When the color is applied to the piece
you will
have full color on one side of the stroke and it will gradually blend to no color on the other edge.
4. Hold brush to the flat of the working surface, press desired shading color into place and pull the brush
towards you. The stroke may need to be repeated several times to achieve the proper blended look.
Shader strokes with two colors
1. Dampen brush with water and press against side of container to remove excess moisture.
2. Fully load with first color. Corner load one-fourth of brush with second color.
3. Gently work the color on a glazed tile to blend the colors where they meet on the brush. When applied
to the surface you will have different colors on opposite corners of the brush and the center of the brush
will be a blend of the two.
4. Hold brush to the flat of the working surface and pull towards you. This may need to be repeated to
achieve proper blended look.
(By Kelly Blucher)
