There is no other brush that does what a lining brush does quite the right way.  A set of these should be close to the first purchase for a young scenic artist.

Lining brushes are a specific tool that is manufactured for the theater crowd.  Some art supply stores carry a brush that they call a “Fitch” brush.  It is similar to a Scenic Fitch brush, but not the same, so ordering from theatrical supply place, like Rosebrand or Mann Brothers is recommended.  Buying used brushes can be a great way to get a deal, if you can find someone who doesn't do as much painting as they used to.

Scenic Fitches have a long handle that tapers in just the right way for sticking in a bamboo pole.  For anyone planning to spend a lot of time painting scenery, learning to paint with a brush on a pole will save you time and backaches in the future.  They also allow a smoother stroke for longer lines, once the technique has been practiced a bit. 

The bristles are longer than most brushes in the same size range.  The length of the bristles allows the brush to hold more paint and distribute it more evenly throughout the line. 

When looked at from the end, the bristles are set up in almost an oval shape.  This shape allows the artist to achieve a variety of line thicknesses with the same brush.  A ¼” lining brush can be used to effectively paint a line from a little less than ¼” thickness to almost ½” in thickness. 

What To Buy

Lining brushes come in many different sizes, and eventually a professional scenic artist will acquire the whole set.  However, a good beginner set consists of a ¼” brush, a ½” or ¾” brush, and a 1 ¼” or 1 ½” brush, all with the flat edges, not the angled edges.  These three brushes will provide the flexibility to achieve just about any of the most needed widths of line.  Those three brushes should run around $40.  Rosebrand also has a 7 brush set for just under $100 that really cuts the per brush cost by a lot. 

Tips for Using Your Lining Brush

1. Water your paint down a little before using it for lining.  It will flow more smoothly off of your brush. 
2. Before using a lining brush on a real piece of scenery, technique should be practiced. 
3. Use with a lining board for best results with straight lines. 
4. The stroke should start fast and sure, and slow as the line moves farther along, because the paint will flow off of the brush most quickly when it is full. 
5. When continuing a line with a “fresh dip” have the brush in motion before it touches the surface for minimal start/ stop marks. 
6. Also, sometimes starting the line detached from the old line by an inch or two and then coming back at the end of that stroke and connecting with a backward stroke will provide a more even line.  (This is probably not “proper” technique, but sometimes it works better.)

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