Use of brush
An imagination or visualization becomes reality, when an artist uses brush effectively on canvas. A success of painting directly depends on the use of brush. So it is important to practice using brush along with colors on blank paper, because starting painting on canvas. After good practice, it becomes second nature to use brush on canvas, just like a master Veena player will play strings and create amazing music.
Following are the points, an artist considers while doing painting.
Brush grip – Just like grip of pensil, Brush can be used with various grips.
Three types of grips are mainly used by artists. 1) towards the tip of the brush 2) In the middle 3) at the end of the brush. Depending on the grip, different effects are achieved. In that way variations of the effect can be brought in the painting by using different grips.
Brush pressure – Apart from using variety of grips, An artist can use different pressures depending on the requirement of the effect. An artist may put great pressure when he or she needs darker shades and vice versa.
Brush movement – Brush movements matter a lot in the painting. It creates the texture and gives meaning to the painting. For example, to paint a ball, one has to use brush in circular manner. To paint of a cloud, the movement will be somewhat irregular as the shape of cloud is not fixed.
Amount of paint at the tip of the brush – To paint lighter shades, an artist may take less paint on the brush and spread the same over the larger area by mixing water with it. More paint means the area will be covered with the saturated shades. Saturated shades attract more attention.
Amount of water- In case of water colors or acrylic colors, amount of water taken on brush matters because It affects the surface whether it is canvas or a paper. If high amount of water is used on paper, it will change the shape of the paper. If water is taken less, then colors will appear thick. So it is an artist’s choice how much amount of water to be mixed with each stroke.
Various types of the brushes – There are types of brushes available in the market. They are flat, round and so on. Apart from tip shape, tip sizes also differ. There are some artists, who uses only one or two brushes and creates different types on effects on canvas. For example, to paint a complete tree, an artist may use round brush. On the other hand, a round brush can be used to create leaves. A flat brush can be used to create branches. It is a good idea to have all the tip sizes and various types of brushes at hand. It helps in creating different effects such as clouds, trees, fire. An artist can first explore what effect a particular brush can create. Then same brush can be used effectively on canvas depending on the shape and texture requirements.
Cleaning the brushes – Its important to clean the brush from time to time. If there are leftover of earlier paint, then it will change the effect on canvas. Also some leftover paint will stuck on the canvas while painting. So cleaning brushes is an important step in painting.
Patience – Art of painting requires lot of patience. An art is not like a food dish, which can still taste good, when made quickly. There is good chance that painting will be of good quality, if more time is given. In case of any art, quality is directly related to the time. In case of painting, an artist pour thoughts, ideas and emotions into the art. So adequate time is required to plan,study. Also strokes cant be put in haphazard manner. An artist is required to put each stroke carefully with particular motive. Because each dot on the canvas is an important to create a complete picture. Each color evoke some emotion in the mind.How each stroke is made affects the mind of the viewer. So it is an responsibility of an artist to have thought behind each stroke. While painting a particular object, an artist must visualise that object. For example, while painting a tiger, an artist can visualize a skin of the tiger. That will help to bring realism in the painting.
From the day a painting is started, till the end it requires persistence. Many times while painting, desired result is not achieved. It is process of trial and error. As artist goes on improving the areas, gradually it becomes the good art. It may not be perfect. So it is a choice of an artist when to stop. When mistakes or errors become less and less and when an artist couldnt find any error, that is the sign that, a painting is ready for display. It may take a day, or a week,a month or even a year to create a good painting.
