Brush techniques

Correct answer: C. Rhythmic texture

Explanation: The governing concept is creating texture and rhythm through repetition. Repeated small marks made with the brush tip produce a visual pattern in which the marks relate to one another, creating rhythmic texture. Therefore, option C is correct. This action does not change the paper’s thickness or the brush’s length, and it does not create a colourless surface when paint is being applied.

Correct answer: D. Splashes or quick thin marks

Explanation: The governing concept is using brush movement to create expressive marks. A quick flick releases paint in a short, energetic motion, which can produce splashes, specks, or thin directional marks. Therefore, option D is correct. The effect is not normally a perfectly straight thick band, a blank surface, or only a square shape. The technique should be controlled to avoid unwanted splatter.

Correct answer: A. Amount of paint on the brush

Explanation: The governing concept is paint loading and colour intensity. A brush carrying less paint usually produces a lighter or weaker mark, while adding more paint can make the stroke appear darker and fuller. Thus, changing the amount of paint on the brush directly changes the strength of the stroke. The paper’s name, handle colour and table height do not control the applied colour, so option A is correct.

Correct answer: C. On the painting area and required detail

Explanation: The governing concept is selecting a tool according to the visual task. A large brush covers broad areas efficiently and can lay down colour quickly, whereas a small brush gives better control for narrow marks, edges and fine details. Therefore, both the size of the painting area and the amount of detail required matter. The artist’s age, table colour and paper price do not determine brush size, so option C is correct.

Correct answer: D. By changing pressure and angle

Explanation: The governing concept is brush control. Pressing a brush more firmly spreads more bristles against the surface and generally produces a wider, thicker mark; using lighter pressure reduces contact and makes a thinner line. Changing the angle also changes which part of the brush touches the paper, giving further control. Colour, paper and cutting the handle do not provide this normal control, so option D is correct.

Correct answer: B. The painting becomes cleaner and more expressive

Explanation: The governing concept is that technique supports visual expression. Good brush control helps the artist place colour accurately, vary line width, create intentional textures and keep edges cleaner. These improvements make the image easier to read and better able to communicate mood or form, so option B is correct. Brush technique does not automatically change the painting’s size, make paper transparent or remove every colour; those are unrelated distractors.

Correct answer: B. Thin pointed brush

Explanation: The governing concept is matching brush shape to the desired mark. A thin pointed brush concentrates its bristles at a narrow tip, allowing the artist to place a controlled, fine line with suitable pressure. A wide flat brush is designed for broader marks, a sponge brush creates a textured area, and a very large brush is difficult to control for fine work. Thus, option B is the most suitable choice.

Correct answer: C. Flat brush

Explanation: The governing concept is using the brush’s shape and edge to control coverage. A flat brush has a broad, even edge, so it can spread paint across a wide band efficiently and produce relatively consistent edges. A liner, pointed round brush and very thin brush are better suited to narrow lines or small details. Although a round brush may cover some area, its pointed shape is not the best choice for a broad band; therefore, option C is correct.

Correct answer: D. The colour may drip

Explanation: The governing concept is proper paint loading. When a brush carries more liquid colour than its bristles can hold or control, gravity and movement may cause the paint to run or drip. This can spread beyond the intended area and spoil clean edges. Excess paint does not make a line automatically cleaner, cause immediate drying, or physically shrink the brush. Therefore, option D correctly identifies the likely problem.

Correct answer: A. A mark made by moving a brush on a surface

Explanation: The governing concept is the basic vocabulary of brushwork. A brush stroke is the visible mark or trail produced when a loaded brush is moved across a surface such as paper, canvas or another painting ground. Its width, direction, texture and intensity can vary with the brush, pressure, speed and paint load. A colour bottle, frame and paper size are objects or properties, not brush strokes, so option A is correct.

Correct answer: B. A light and thin mark

Explanation: The governing concept is brush-pressure control. When the brush is held and moved with light pressure, its bristles spread very little and deposit a smaller amount of colour, producing a light, thin mark. Therefore, option B is correct. A thick mark usually requires greater pressure, while the other choices describe objects or effects that brushing lightly does not produce.

Correct answer: C. The stroke becomes wider

Explanation: The governing concept is the relationship between pressure and brush width. Applying more pressure pushes the bristles outward, so a larger part of the brush touches the surface and the resulting stroke becomes wider. Option C is therefore correct. Colour does not disappear, paper does not become transparent, and pressure alone cannot dry the brush.

Correct answer: D. It should be cleaned

Explanation: The governing studio-practice concept is preventing unintended colour contamination. Before taking a different colour, the brush should be rinsed or otherwise cleaned so that residue from the previous colour does not mix into the next one. Option D is correct. Breaking, sun-drying, or wrapping the brush is neither necessary nor an appropriate step when simply changing colours.

Correct answer: A. Wet-on-wet

Explanation: The governing concept is the relationship between the moisture of the brush and the painted surface. Applying a wet brush or wet paint onto an already wet colour or surface is called the wet-on-wet method, so option A is correct. It allows colours to flow and edges to soften. Dry-on-dry is the contrasting method, while drawing and paper folding are unrelated activities.

Correct answer: B. Little colour and little moisture

Explanation: The governing concept of dry-brush painting is controlled use of pigment with very little moisture. The artist loads the brush with a small amount of relatively dry colour and removes excess liquid, allowing pigment to catch on raised areas of the surface. Thus option B is correct. The method still uses colour, so clean water alone or no colour cannot be right.

Correct answer: C. A rough textured effect

Explanation: The governing concept is surface texture created by controlled, low-moisture application. In dry-brushing, a small amount of paint catches mainly on raised or uneven parts of the surface, leaving broken marks and a rough textured appearance. Therefore option C is correct. The technique is not intended to make a mirror shine, a perfectly flat coat, or a physical hole in the paper.

Correct answer: D. An even stroke

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled brush movement. Keeping the direction and speed steady helps distribute the paint consistently across the surface, producing a clean, uniform or even stroke. Option D is correct. Irregular spots usually result from uneven dabbing or inconsistent paint, while a paper crease is a physical fold and a broken surface is not the intended result of a controlled stroke.

Correct answer: A. Making fine details

Explanation: The governing concept is matching a brush’s shape to the mark it can produce. A round brush tapers to a pointed tip, which can be placed accurately to draw narrow lines, tiny forms, and other fine details. Therefore option A is correct. A brush is not a paper-cutting tool, it does not dry paint, and its pointed tip does not join frames.

Correct answer: B. A broad straight line

Explanation: The governing concept is how brush shape affects the width and edge of a mark. A flat brush has a broad, straight edge, so when it is drawn steadily it can cover a wider area and make a broad straight line. Option B is correct. It can make other marks with different handling, so “only dots” or “only a circle” is too restrictive, and an invisible line is not a painted mark.

Correct answer: C. Tip of the brush

Explanation: The governing concept is using the smallest working part of a brush for controlled marks. Touching the brush tip lightly to the surface transfers a small amount of paint to a small area, creating a dot; repeated touches can form dotted textures or patterns. Thus option C is correct. The handle and metal ferrule do not normally hold or release paint for this purpose.

Correct answer: D. Bristles

Explanation: The governing concept is brush anatomy: the flexible fibres that carry and spread paint are called bristles. Therefore, option D is correct. A palette is used to hold or mix colours, a frame supports or displays an artwork, and canvas is the surface on which one may paint. These are not names for the brush hairs.

Correct answer: B. To hold the brush

Explanation: The governing concept is the function of brush parts. The handle provides a firm but comfortable place for the artist to hold, guide, and control the brush, so option B is correct. A palette stores colour, an eraser—not a brush handle—removes marks, and drying a painting depends on air, time, or suitable materials rather than the handle.

Correct answer: C. Hand movement may become stiff

Explanation: The governing technique is relaxed brush control. Excessive gripping creates tension in the fingers, wrist, and arm, which can restrict movement and make the stroke stiff; therefore option C is correct. A freer stroke usually comes from a relaxed grip, while tight holding cannot make paint shine or change the physical length of the brush.

Correct answer: D. With a light and relaxed grip

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled relaxation in brush handling. Holding the brush lightly and comfortably allows the wrist and fingers to move smoothly while still guiding the stroke, so option D is correct. Gripping near the bristles or pressing the metal ferrule restricts control, and using both hands is unnecessary for ordinary brush strokes.

Correct answer: A. Steady and controlled

Explanation: The governing principle of line-making is consistency of direction and pressure. A steady, controlled hand movement keeps the brush travelling along one path and produces a cleaner straight line, so option A is correct. Jerky, repeatedly interrupted, or uncontrolled movement changes direction or pressure and commonly creates bends, gaps, or uneven thickness.