A guide to brush shapes and hair in Easel by Zaweba

Brushes are where most painters spend their money, and for good reason. A brush shape decides what kind of marks come easily and which ones fight you. Easel by Zaweba has a full rack: round, flat, filbert, fan, rigger, sponge, foam pad and palette knife from the start, and since version 1.1 the bright, mop, hake, dagger, angled, stippler and badger blender too, in sable, synthetic and hog hair.

The everyday shapes

A round brush is the all rounder. It comes to a point for detail, and pressing harder gives a wider stroke. Most watercolourists could paint a whole picture with one good round.

A flat brush has a square end. It lays down broad, even strokes and crisp edges, and turned on its side it makes thin lines. Flats are a staple for acrylic and oil.

A filbert is a flat with a rounded tip. It gives softer edges than a flat and is a favourite for portraits and anything organic.

A bright is a short flat. In the real world the shorter hairs give more control and handle stiff paint well, so brights suit oil and impasto.

Specialist shapes

A fan brush spreads its hairs in an arc. It is used for blending, foliage, grass and texture.

A rigger is long and thin, named after the ropes on ships that painters drew with it. It holds plenty of paint and draws long, fine lines: branches, rigging, hair, wires.

A mop is a big, soft, round brush that holds a lot of water, ideal for large watercolour washes. A hake is the flat, wide East Asian brush, also used for washes and wetting paper.

A dagger brush is angled and pointed, good for leaves and varied strokes from a single movement. An angled brush gives clean corners and tapered lines. A stippler makes dotted textures by dabbing. A badger blender is a soft brush used to blend wet oil smoothly.

The sponge, foam pad and palette knife round out the set, each making marks no brush can.

Sable, synthetic and hog

Hair matters as much as shape. Sable is soft, springy and holds plenty of liquid, which is why it is traditional for watercolour. Synthetic hair is a versatile modern choice that suits acrylic. Hog hair is stiff and coarse, made for pushing thick oil around and leaving visible brush marks.

A simple rule. Soft hair for thin, fluid paint. Stiff hair for thick paint. Synthetic when you are not sure.

Brushes and the brush load

In Easel brushes carry a limited load and run dry, and they get dirty when dragged through wet paint. By default Dip each stroke is on. Untick it and your brush runs dry and picks up colour across strokes, which can be lovely for broken, painterly textures. The keyboard shortcuts D to dip and C to clean, and the [ and ] keys for tool size, keep that quick.

Choosing well

Start with two or three. A round for detail, a flat or filbert for areas, and something big for washes or backgrounds. Add a rigger when you need fine lines and a fan when you need texture.

The commonest beginner mistake is painting everything with a small brush. Big shapes go quicker and look fresher with a big brush. Save the small ones for the last details. With that habit and a few good shapes, Easel by Zaweba's rack will cover almost any picture you want to paint.