Painting Brush

Painting Brush

Choose and Use Brushes According to Purpose

Art brushes are used for painting, and there are many types depending on the genre.
Japanese painting, watercolor, ink wash painting, haiga, and illustrated letters all have different methods of expression.
There are coloring brushes for applying colors, menso brushes for drawing fine lines, brushes for shading in ink wash painting, and wide brushes for dosa-biki (paper sizing), among others.
Various techniques are used in Japanese painting, and brushes are selected depending on each step of the process.
We’ve summarized the types, characteristics, and their best uses in a simple table.
While one versatile brush may cover multiple uses, it’s better to select brushes according to their purpose and choose ones that suit your style and feel comfortable to use.

Types and Characteristics of Art Brushes

Below is a summary of types and features of art brushes.

Type Features Coloring Line Drawing Special Techniques
Choryu A representative brush for general strokes, versatile for all purposes. Uses stiff hair in the core, giving strong resilience and excellent balance. 〇 〇
Maruyama Used as a versatile brush (also for futatate technique). 〇 〇
Kumatori A shading brush used for gradation effects. 〇
Saishokufude For coloring. Multiple brushes are often used for different colors. Round tip, excellent ink absorption. 〇
Kikka Highly elastic brush, prone to dry strokes. Can substitute for Sanbafude. Produces unique line quality. 〇
Sakuyo For both line drawing and filling. Versatile, with strong resilience and excellent control. 〇 〇
Sokumyo For line drawing and detailed coloring. 〇 〇
Kokkyo Ideal for outlines and designs, produces sharp and resilient lines. 〇
Josui For both line drawing and coloring. Best for soft, elegant lines using goat hair. 〇 〇
Koka Balanced brush with a weighted handle tip for stability. Produces distinctive line quality. 〇
Surikomi hake Hard bristle brush using horse/deer hair. Used for shading with mesh, dyeing, batik, woodblock printing, etc. 〇
Renpitsu A brush combining 3, 5, or 7 tips in one. Combines the benefits of brush and hake, offering unique expressions. 〇
E-hake For dosa-biki and wide-area coloring or shading. 〇
Kataha renpitsu A type of renpitsu with slanted tips, mainly used for shading, allowing unique effects depending on usage. 〇
Bokashi fude Hard bristle brush used for creating scratchy strokes or gradation. 〇

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