Petal | Calligraphy Brush

Petal and Calligraphy Brushes

These are shape-specific brushes, made to lay one deliberate mark rather than to be versatile. A petal brush carries a full belly of colour and releases it in a single tapering stroke, so a petal or leaf is one movement instead of an outline that gets filled in. That is the whole idea behind one-stroke painting.

Working with them

Calligraphy brushes hold a long reservoir and come to a fine tip, which lets you vary a line from hairline to broad by pressure alone, without reloading. Load two colours on opposite sides of a flat petal brush and the stroke blends itself as it lands.

Both shapes want a smooth surface and a paint with some flow. They fight heavily textured paper.

These are made in our own Kolkata workshop; see the workshop and the brush guide, or browse all brushes. Stationerie, Kolkata, shipped across India.