How to Paint With a Flat Brush: 8 Different Brush Strokes for Beginners

Learn how to paint with a flat brush. Flat brushes are perfect especially for beginners because they're very versatile and can be used for a variety of brushstrokes. 🔴 Watch me paint landscapes with flat brushes:

0:24 How to handle the brush
2:22 Long horizontal for distant grass / land
2:36 Short and vertical for grass in the mid ground.
3:04 Long vertical for grass in the foreground
3:18 Corner flick for foliage or thin lines
3:34 Edge vertical for thin vertical tree
3:50 Side vertical for medium thickness tree
4:00 Vertical flip up for grass against a bush
4:30 Rolling for foliage
5:20 BONUS Tip

Once you learn these techniques you'll find the use of a flat brush so liberating and powerful that you'll start using it in every medium ( watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache or casein) and every type of painting such as landscapes, still life and portraits too!

Did you know that flat brushes are very versatile and there are several different ways you can use them?
In this video we are going to learn 8 different ways you can use a flat brush and I’ll also give you examples of when to use those strokes.

And if you watch this video till the end I’ll give you a bonus tip to use this brush in a surprising way.

But before we get into the brush strokes themselves, let’s look at the way to handle the brush because that’ll determine the type of stroke you’ll get.

First thing is how you hold the brush - with the edge horizontal, with the edge vertical or at a different angle.
Second is Where you hold the brush - If you hold it closer to the ferrule, you’ll get a tighter stroke but if you hold it away from the ferrule, you’ll get more fluid stroke.

Third is whether you are painting with the tip of the brush or the belly of the brush
And forth is how much pressure you apply on the brush

Now that we have seen how to hold the brush let’s look at the types of brush strokes it can make

Long horizontal for distant grass / land
Short and vertical for grass in the mid ground.
Long vertical for grass in the foreground
Corner flick for foliage or thin lines
Edge vertical for thin vertical tree
Side vertical for medium thickness tree
Vertical flip up for grass against a bush
Rolling for foliage

If you go ahead and combine these strokes you’ll get many more variations of such brush strokes.

Other advantage of using a flat brush is that you can cover a lot of area very fast and no time is wasted in changing the brushes.

If you like what you just learnt, please give this video a like and subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already. Also, don’t forget to press the bell icon to get notified whenever i upload a new video or announce a live stream.

Since you have watched till now, it’s time to tell you an unusual way to use the brush. Here it is.

Say you are painting a distant bush and want to suggest a few stems or branches that are lighter in color, just use the other end of the brush and make marks like this when the color is still wet. That’s easy, right?
One caution though, don’t overdo this otherwise it looks unnatural.

To watch how I use these brush strokes, watch these live painting sessions where I have used the flat brush extensively. And until next time, happy painting!
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