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Peter Smith

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Posted
I keep seeing comments on Facebook and elsewhere criticising the use of the fan brush, calling it the 'dreaded fan brush' and the like. There may even have been some on here. I have no idea why. I love my fan brush. I finished this picture this morning; I blended the water with my fan brush, I used it for the foreground grass and the rough ground and also for the ripples at the edge of the water. I couldn't have done any of that in the same way without using it. I don't see that I've got anything to apologise for; you just use the best tool for the job. Do others use them, and if you hate them please tell me why because I really don't understand.

Edited
by Peter Smith

Norrette Moore

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Posted
It's the way the fan is used, Peter.  Many artists use it to create foliage, spike of leaves etc.  Your method is more of blending in side strokes.  So here, the saying doesn't apply!
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Peter Smith

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Posted
I don't know Norrette, I used it vertically for the rough foreground and the ripples. I find it versatile and very adaptable.

Edited
by Peter Smith

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Posted
Nothing wrong  with the fan  brush, I use it often.  Just not to shape the tops of trees, because then it looks terribly predictable in its repeated patterns of the same damn' thing....  You can easily do without it, but it's good for tipping in shapes, adjusting edges, adding touches of twig and foliage.  "Naive" artists sometimes use it too  much, to produce standard images, and I confess I don't like that - but used with a bit of discrimination, it can be quite useful, so don't be bullied out of using it by insults.  It's rarely the  brush that's at fault - usually, the way some people get too dependent on it to produce predictable results: and you don't want to be predictable. 
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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Posted
I bought a couple of fan brushes when I first started to paint, really because they were recommended by a local artist. I wasn’t keen on his work particularly his trees any the looked too similar to my eye , yes he used the brushes to create the branches and foliage. I tried seriously and worked hard at using then but just couldn’t get on with then so it was a case of giving then to someone who liked using them . I have problems holding brush and I think the shape of the fan brush wasn’t the best for me, I have seen some nice work achieved with them over the years and some awful ones to. I don’t think I will bother to try then again as I have a few brushes that I lime to use for foliage, grass etc . Peter if it’s a tool in your box and you achieve what you want too satisfactorily , then just carry on with them , and bristles( polite version ) to anyone who say don’t . 
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Peter Smith

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Posted
That's very encouraging, thanks. I didn't use them anywhere on my trees!