The first two articles in this series have looked at how to visualise your subject as simple shapes and how to assign each shape with a tonal value, light and shadow, with the intention of encouraging a different way of observing, so that we are painting shapes, rather than things, leading to a more painterly result. This foundational structure gives us the creative freedom to play with our colours, washes and brush marks and the way we use a brush and pigment to create shapes is the focus of this article.
Since we are going to be using our brushes to create shapes, it is crucial that we become skilled with them, taking the time to practise, play and explore. Each of my brushes has a personality of its own. Some are soft and floppy yet hold buckets of water, others are much firmer, with varying degrees of springiness and capacity. Some come to a fine point with a huge reservoir of water, others are blunt, and so on. I even have a selection of scruffy old brushes, each one perfect in the right context.
Given equal quality, no brush is better than another. But you should take the time to understand your brushes – what they can and can't do, their characteristics, abilities and limitations. Obviously the more time you spend painting,
