GODS
AND
MONSTERS
Brushes
THE BRUSH IS A VOLUPTUOUS and delicate weights, thicknesses, materials, all perfect
drawing tool extending the arm, fingers, for drawing and, between them, giving a
and wrist into a fluid and soft touch. The variety of lines, washes, and effects,
living marks of a wet, ink-laden tip allow How you care for your brushes will
an expression that is beyond the linear; determine how long they last. Always
the very opposite of pencil or silver point. clean them thoroughly, return them to
Brushes vary in size, shape, and texture. their pointed shape, and never leave them
Some are bold, dense, and hold prodigious standing on their tip in a jar of water. Soaps
weights of ink or paint; others are as fine purchased from good art supply stores
as a whisker with a gentle touch. The will gently cleanse particles of pigment
brushes shown here are a mixture of that become trapped in the hairs or ferrule.
MATERIALS
This is a selection of riggers, liners, and writers, ideally suited to
drawing. They hold plenty of ink and make continuous, flowing, and
very fine lines. Shorter brushes designed for other purposes run
out of ink more quickly.- SMALL JAPANESE BRUSH: Made with
sable hair; this brush has a soft drawing tip
and small ink-holding capacity. - SYNTHETIC-HAIR LINER: This brush
gives a medium line and is firm with a
spring to the touch. It has exceptional
painting characteristics. - SABLE-HAIR RIGGER: Made with very
long kolinsky sable hairs, it has good ink-
holding capacity and is very flexible, with
a fine point for delicate work - SABLE-HAIR LINER: Made with
ordinary sable hair surrounding an extra-
long, needle-sharp center of kolinsky red
sable hair. This design supplies the fine tip
with a long continuity of ink - SYNTHETIC-HAIR RIGGER: Made
with long synthetic hair for fine-point
work It has a good ink-holding capacity
and is slightly more resilient than sable
hair with more "snap." - POINTED TRADITIONAL WRITER:
The ferrule is made from a small duck
quill, which holds long sable hair This brush
holds large amounts of ink for long lines
and points well for detailed work. - SQUIRREL-HAIR SWORD LINER:This
brush has a maximum ink-holding capacity
and an extremely fine and flexible point - SYNTHETIC-HAIR SWORD LINER:
A lining brush with high ink-holding
capacity and a fine point. Slightly less
flexible than the squirrel-hair sword liner - POINTED SQUIRREL-HAIR MOP: With
a synthetic quill ferrule and extra high ink-
holding capacity. Suitable for wash techniques
but also capable of very fine detail. - LARGER JAPANESE BRUSH: Made
with natural hair held in a plastic ferrule on
a bamboo handle. This brush has a broad
wash capability and can achieve a very wide
range of marks. It is still relatively small in
the total range of Japanese brushes. Some
used by master calligraphers are 2-3 in
(5-8 cm) in diameter - LARGER SYNTHETIC-HAIR
LINER: Very responsive oriental-style liner
This brush holds ink very well, is firm
to the touch, and has a fine tip for
detailed work. - JAPANESE PAINTING BRUSH:
Made with natural hair, it has good
wash capabilities, making rt ideally suited
to Japanese painting and small-scale
calligraphy. - SYNTHETIC-HAIR BRUSH: Bound
in a synthetic ferrule with good ink-
holding capacity and good spring and
control. It is capable of very fine pointing.