Country Painting - The Brushes-

Country Painting – The Brushes –

In Country Painting, there are different types of brushes depending on what we want to create.

I personally divide the brushes into two groups:

– the brushes I use for painting the bases

– the brushes I use for painting shadows and highlights

The brushes I use for painting the bases are actually the “old” brushes I used for blending that have slightly worn over time, while those I use for the blends are absolutely perfect.

There are many brands of brushes, the most famous and therefore the most used in Country Painting are:

– Jo Sonias

– Dynasty

– Princeton

– Kingart (formerly Loew Cornell)

In the list I provided, there isn't a better brand than another; they are all the "Top" that can be found on the market. The choice of one manufacturer over another (given the same type of brush) is very personal and depends on your "painting style." Many American artists have their "favorite" brand; for example, Jamie Mills Price uses Jo Sonias, Laurie Speltz uses Dynasty, Holly Hanley uses Princeton, and so on. Personally, I use Jo Sonias brushes for blending and Dynasty stencil brushes. My advice is to try more than one brand; only in this way can you realize, by using them, which manufacturer you feel best with!

The Types of Brushes

Brushes come in different shapes and sizes, depending on what we need to create:

• Round Brushes
• Flat or Wash Brushes
• Angular Brushes
• Filbert Brushes
• Stencil Brushes
• Mop Brushes
• DryBrush Brushes
• Stippler Brushes
• Liner Brushes
• ScriptLiner Brushes

These are the “classic” shapes, but naturally each manufacturer has its own particular lines.

The Basecoat Brushes

To paint the basecoat of my projects, I use different types of brushes depending on the space I have available and the type of design.

For very large areas, I use a roller brush or a flat brush (which is a very large flat brush!) alternatively, I use the largest flat brush I have.

Then to paint the various parts of the design, I usually use round brushes, angular brushes, or flat brushes if the design is “geometric.” If the design is round, I really love using a cat tongue brush. I always choose the brush shape that best fits the type of design.

Blending Brushes

For blending (highlights and shadows) using the "Float" technique, both flat brushes and angular brushes can be used. There is no right or wrong brush; it depends on how you are used to working. I use flat brushes like Jamie Mill Price, but for example, Laurie Speltz uses the angular one. If you are just starting out, my advice is to try both types of brushes and see which one you feel more comfortable with!

Brushes for Special Effects

In these cases, there is a specific brush for each effect or technique we are going to use!

STENCIL BRUSHES : they come in different sizes, have stiff bristles, and are used when we need to use Stencils (if you want to see how stencils are used, you can watch the video HERE)

THE MOP : the mop is a “magic” brush, and there are naturally different sizes (although not many) and it allows you to go and “fix” the float you created by eliminating any lines, thus evening out your shading.

DRYBRUSH BRUSHES : there are many types of these brushes, obviously in different sizes as well. They have stiff or semi-stiff bristles and are usually used when we need to create highlights (thus for creating lights) “dry,” as the word itself says DryBrush = dry brush.

STIPPLERS : there are also many types of these brushes, obviously in different sizes; each manufacturer has its own type of “stippler.” They are used to create the “fur” effect on teddy bears or the fur borders of hats; I use them quite a bit even when highlighting snowmen to achieve a “soft” effect.

LINER AND SCRIPTLINER BRUSHES : these brushes are absolutely essential for painting the “details” and “finishes”, pine needles, lettering, branches, eyebrows, and mouths. The SCRIPTLINER, unlike the LINER, has longer bristles and allows you to create decorations that require longer strokes more easily, such as Santa Claus's beards and branches.

I hope this article has been helpful to you!

If you have any questions, you can leave a comment or send an email to info@paolabassan.com

Happy Painting 🎨

Paola

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