Brushwork and Paint Application
featuring words from Randy Sexton
The brushwork is your other “voice”...your signature. It is recognizable whether you know it or not. Brush handling is like a “skill” that comes with practice, in spite of yourself. A basic rule of thumb is: Use as big a brush as possible...bigger than you think.
Brushes come in various styles, shapes and sizes. The bristle brushes are traditionally the “workhorses” of oil painting. They are stiffer and can carry a good amount of paint. The softer hair (sable, squirrel, and synthetic) brushes are very responsive (easier to control)...but, I find they force people to thin their paint down too much. It is amazing how personal our feelings are about the right brush...everyone has their take on it.
Painting mediums and/or solvents can be used to get the paint to a consistency that flows or spreads better. Somewhat faster drying mediums are preferable for plein air painting. These painting mediums also act like glue enabling the following layers of paint to adhere to the painting. In very general terms; you can scrub fairly rigorously in the beginning stages of a painting. The paint will start to become sticky as it sets up and will accept new layers of paint more readily. A softer touch is required to work into the wet paint if you don’t want to disturb the underpainting...like the difference between buttering toast...and buttering fresh Wonder bread.
Brush and Painting Tips
Use as large a brush as possible for as long as possible. One can learn to manipulate a large brush into a small area.
Hold the brush back towards the tip (away from the ferrule). This allows you to get back from the painting in the first place and it forces you to use your arm and shoulders instead of your wrist and fingers for movement.
Think of painting as if weaving a tapestry...overlapping the negative shapes with positive shapes (and visa versa) to create the edges of shapes....and to define the shapes in the process..
Brush-Handling Exercise
A great exercise for learning how to paint more broadly is as follows:
Set up a very simple still life with a strong light source (so you have shadows etc.). Keep it simple! A glass or cup and one or two pieces of fruit will work fine.
In no more than 2-3 HOURS finish a detailed painting of the set-up on a smallish canvas or panel ( 8x10 – 12x16).
In 1 HOUR repeat what you just did in the above painting with the exact same composition, values and color.
In a final version: redo the same as above in 1/2 HOUR! This will help you to paint more broadly (or economically) and perhaps more loosely.
Learn more from Randy through his self-study, video downloads, and free webinar: