Brush techniques

Correct answer: A. Soft horizontal strokes for calm water and directional broken strokes for fast water

Explanation: The governing concept is that stroke direction, continuity, and energy communicate movement. Calm water is suggested by quiet horizontal strokes that echo a level surface. Rapid water is better represented by broken, directional strokes that vary with the current and create visual energy. Option A is correct. Identical dots, rigid vertical marks, or no strokes would not convincingly distinguish stillness from flow.

Correct answer: B. Make controlled changes in pressure, size, and direction within a common stroke language

Explanation: The governing design concept is unity with variety. Unity comes from a shared stroke language, such as related handling, rhythm, or texture, while variety comes from controlled changes in pressure, size, length, or direction. Option B achieves both without making the composition monotonous or chaotic. Completely unrelated techniques damage unity, identical strokes remove variety, and changing paper is not a brushwork solution.

Correct answer: C. Visual unity may break down

Explanation: The governing concept is visual unity: brush techniques should support one another and serve the composition. If unrelated strokes, textures, and marks are added without a clear purpose, the viewer’s attention becomes scattered and the painting can feel fragmented. Therefore, option C is correct. The other choices concern colour purity, paper strength, or calmness, none of which follows directly from unnecessary technique changes.

Correct answer: A. It focuses attention on that area

Explanation: The governing concept is edge hierarchy. A sharp, clearly defined edge attracts more visual attention than nearby soft, broken, or indistinct edges. Placing that sharp edge on the important part of the main figure helps establish a focal point and guides the viewer’s eye. Thus option A is correct. A hard edge does not erase colour, darken the entire background, or polish the paper.

Correct answer: D. Reflected light on metal is often sharp and distinct

Explanation: The governing concept is material rendering through highlights. Polished or metallic surfaces reflect a light source in small, high-contrast areas, so a few controlled, sharp bright strokes can suggest gloss and reflectivity. Option D is correct because it connects the mark to the surface quality. Metal is not always white, hard strokes do not soften an object, and paint cannot cut the paper in this context.

Correct answer: A. The intended mood and focal point

Explanation: The governing concept is purposeful technique selection. Brush marks do more than imitate texture or respond to a medium; their softness, direction, rhythm, and energy can create a mood and direct attention toward a focal point. Therefore option A is correct. Brush price, the artist’s age, and table height may be practical details, but they do not determine the creative visual purpose of the technique.

Correct answer: A. Varied directional broken strokes for fast water and long horizontal strokes for calm water

Explanation: The governing concept is that brush direction and stroke rhythm should communicate the movement of the subject. Fast-flowing water is better suggested by varied, broken, directional marks because they imply turbulence and changing currents. Calm water is better shown with longer, smoother horizontal strokes that imply stillness and breadth. Therefore, option A is correct; identical circular or vertical marks would not distinguish the two conditions.

Correct answer: B. Natural depth and movement

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled variation in marks. Rain in a scene appears at different distances and angles, so its lines naturally vary in length, spacing, sharpness, and visual strength. If every mark is identical, the surface looks mechanical and loses the suggestion of depth, falling movement, and atmospheric distance. Option B is correct; equal marks do not directly remove transparency, brush moisture, or paper whiteness.

Correct answer: B. Add varied tones and strokes according to light and shade

Explanation: The governing concept is tonal and textural variation. Foliage is a mass with light-facing, middle, and shadowed areas, so one unchanging green removes volume and makes it appear flat. Adding related light and dark tones, together with varied strokes that follow the foliage structure, creates depth and natural texture. Option B is correct; black outlines, uncontrolled water, and identical dots usually make the result artificial.

Correct answer: C. Branch growth direction and foliage weight

Explanation: The governing concept is structural brushwork: marks should support the form and growth pattern of the subject. Branches establish directional flow, while the weight and spread of foliage influence the tilt, density, and movement of each mass. Therefore option C is correct. Paper orientation, paint quantity, and handle colour may affect handling or appearance, but they do not determine the natural direction of foliage growth.

Correct answer: D. Natural surfaces contain variation in size and spacing

Explanation: The governing concept is naturalistic variation in texture. Real surfaces such as bark, grass, stone, and foliage contain marks of different lengths, intervals, directions, and strengths. Repeating one identical stroke creates a mechanical pattern and weakens the viewer’s belief that the surface is naturally formed. Option D is correct; equal lengths do not automatically improve realism, dry the brush, or reduce the paint’s colour value.

Correct answer: A. Movement and tension

Explanation: The governing concept is the expressive psychology of mark direction and speed. Quick diagonal strokes lead the eye across the surface, introduce forceful directional movement, and create visual instability or urgency. These qualities commonly strengthen movement and tension, so option A is correct. Calmness, sleep-like stillness, and complete balance are more often supported by slower, horizontal, vertical, or carefully controlled marks.

Correct answer: B. They suggest stability and breadth

Explanation: The governing concept is the expressive effect of directional marks. Long, parallel horizontal strokes move steadily across the surface and echo horizons, quiet water, or broad resting spaces. This regular direction tends to suggest calm, stability, and breadth, making option B correct. Such strokes do not automatically erase forms, darken paint, or stiffen a brush; those effects depend on other materials and procedures.

Correct answer: C. Keep brush paint, moisture, and speed constant while changing only pressure

Explanation: The governing concept is a controlled experiment: change one independent variable while keeping relevant conditions constant. To test brush pressure, the paint, paper, moisture, brush type, and movement speed should remain the same, while pressure is varied deliberately. Option C follows this fair-test method. Options A and D change several variables, and B changes both material and colour, so their effects cannot be separated.

Correct answer: B. Gently blend the edge with a clean slightly damp brush

Explanation: The governing brush technique is gentle reworking of an edge with a clean, slightly damp brush. A small amount of moisture can soften or partially reactivate some water-based paint, allowing the hard boundary to merge gradually; therefore, option B is correct. A black line emphasizes the edge, cutting the paper damages the support, and dry soil does not blend paint. Rubbing too strongly may lift paper or create streaks.

Correct answer: B. A clean slightly damp soft brush

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled soft blending at the meeting area of two colours. A clean, soft brush with only slight dampness can soften the boundary and move a small amount of pigment without flooding the surface or creating harsh marks. Therefore, option B is correct. A hard dry brush scratches or leaves strong marks, while damaged or bristleless brushes cannot make a controlled transition.

Correct answer: B. The colours may overmix and become muddy

Explanation: The governing concept is maintaining colour purity while loading a brush. Repeated rotation on a palette can drag unwanted colours into one another and overmix the paint. The mixture then loses brilliance and may look muddy or greyish, so option B is correct. Bristles do not become stiff immediately, gloss is not automatic, and paper absorption is not stopped by rotating the brush.

Correct answer: C. To prevent the lifted colour on the brush from being redeposited on the surface

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled brush lifting. A damp brush absorbs unwanted pigment, but its bristles then hold that pigment. If the brush is not rinsed and blotted before the next lift, the collected colour may be put back onto the paper, creating patches or undoing the correction. Cleaning also supports good brush care, but that is not the main reason here. Hence, option C is correct.

Correct answer: B. Use a fine brush to control the edges around the veins, then fill the larger areas

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled brushwork: detailed edges require a fine brush, light pressure, and a manageable amount of paint. First paint carefully around the veins so their lines remain visible; then fill the broad spaces with steadier strokes or a slightly larger brush. Thick paint over the veins can hide them, dipping gives little control, and rubbing a wet area can create patches or damage the paper. Therefore, option B is correct.

Correct answer: A. Overbrushing a wet area

Explanation: The governing concept is respect for the paper surface and drying time. Repeatedly brushing a wet or partly wet layer agitates the paper fibres, weakens the surface, and can produce lifting or pilling. The correct remedy is to stop, let the area dry, and apply fewer controlled strokes in the next layer. Cleaning the brush, allowing paint to dry, and selecting suitable paper are helpful practices, not mistakes. Therefore, option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Too little paint or moisture on the brush

Explanation: The governing concept is brush loading and even paint flow. When the brush carries too little paint or moisture, it drags across the surface instead of releasing a continuous film, leaving dry, grainy or irregular marks, especially near edges. A balanced load, even moisture and controlled overlap normally improve smoothness, so options B, C and D describe helpful conditions rather than the likely cause.

Correct answer: C. Use a small brush for boundaries and details and a broad brush for large open areas

Explanation: The governing concept is selecting a tool according to the area and required control. A small brush can follow narrow boundaries, corners, and details accurately, while a broad brush covers an open area more evenly and efficiently. Using both reduces accidental overflow without creating unnecessary streaks. Therefore option C is correct. A large brush lacks precision, a tiny brush wastes time over broad areas, and pouring paint removes control.

Correct answer: A. Patchy paint deposit and uneven stroke width

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled brush technique during even colour application. When pressure changes, the bristles spread differently and release unequal amounts of paint, so some areas receive heavy deposits while others remain thin. This creates patchy coverage and uneven stroke width, making option A correct. Unwanted mixing is more directly caused by wet colours meeting or a dirty brush; drying speed and paper curling depend mainly on the medium and moisture.

Correct answer: B. Small pointed brush, low moisture and light pressure

Explanation: The governing concept is precise edge control through appropriate brush handling. A small pointed brush reaches narrow boundary areas, while reduced moisture limits uncontrolled spreading and light pressure releases less paint. Working slowly then improves accuracy, so option B is correct. A larger brush, extra water, fast movement, heavy pressure, or more paint would increase the risk of overflow rather than solve it. A thick outline merely hides the problem.

Correct answer: A. Reduce brush moisture and pressure

Explanation: The governing technique is controlled brush blending. A brush that is too wet carries excess water into the painted layer, while heavy pressure lifts or redistributes pigment instead of gently joining transitions. The correct correction is therefore to remove excess moisture and use a lighter touch, as stated in option A. Adding water, scrubbing, or scratching would disturb the layer further and make colour loss more likely.