Introduction to materials Brush parts Brushes Each brush
Introduction to materials
Brush parts
Brushes Each brush is designed for a particular application. Salvador Dali assigned his own metaphysical properties to each kind of brush.
Brush types ● ● ● ● Flats are for applying paint quickly or creating sharp edges. Rounds are for detail, lines and blending. Brights are shorter than flats. For driving paint into the weave of the canvas. Filberts give good coverage and allow for blending rounded forms like flower petals. Fans are for blending smooth gradients like sunsets. Angle is a versatile brush for detail work. Mop is for getting thin layers of glaze Riggers are for creating fine lines
Palette knives have flexible steel blades which make them ideal for mixing paint. They can also be used as a substitute for a brush.
Support The support is the surface you are painting on. Common kinds of support are canvas, linen, or wood.
Ground A ground is painted on top of the support to seal and protect it from the corrosive effects of pigments and mediums. Gesson is a common ground used in oil and acrylic painting.
Mediums: Linseed oil Mediums modify the working properties of oil color from the tube – from a fluid consistency for expressive mark making to a stiff paste for creating thick, crisp marks. Painting mediums also broaden the visual qualities of our colors – from increasing the transparency of paint layers, to creating a range of surface qualities, from high gloss to matte.
Solvents: Gamsol Solvents are used to clean brushes and thin pigment. Gamsol is 100% odorless and won’t cause illness unlike paint thinner or turpentine.
Pigments: Oil paint ● ● ● Permanence or lightfastness measures a pigments resistance to fading over time. Usually a scale of 1 -3 stars is used although this is not a universal standard. Opacity vs transparency is a measure of a pigment’s ability to cover the surface. The vehicle is the medium the powdered pigment is suspended in usually linseed oil. Ingredients are listed as the minerals from which the pigment is derived. Safety advisory shows if the pigment is toxic or not.
- Slides: 10